I've been looking at digital scanners and photo printers for a while now and I still have had no success in finding an answer to my main question/concern. Everywhere I look, reviewers use such words as: "you can hardly see the difference [between the printed photo and the standard 1-hour chemically-based developed photo]", or "you'll have a hard time spotting the difference!", or worse yet "they're almost identical!". I'm looking for equipment that will have reviewers (and myself) say "I can't tell the difference", or better yet "I tried to find the printed photo, but picked the wrong one!". Is there such a thing yet (without paying insane amounts of money)? I'm considering Nikon's LS-2000, combined with HP's PhotoSmart printer. I realise the Nikon will be doing extra work for a low-dpi HP printer, but it seems the later is currently the best photo printer on the market under $1000. Does anyone have this specific combo? I would consider the HP scanner as well, but the fact that I need to have my film's negatives developed by someone kind of defeats the purpose of a "personal digital photo development studio"... hmmm.. do direct non-APS film scanners exist (straight from the film canister)? :)

-- Yann (blueaura74@yahoo.com), November 27, 1998

Answers

Dear Yann,

I don't completely understand your question. I'm a professional photographer turned digital imager a a company that has all kinds of digital/traditional photo equipment.

Write me and tell me what and how you're wanting to use your images and I'll try to help give you an answer as I know both the traditional and digital ends of this business.

Thanks.

Phil Pool

-- Phil Pool (pep44@excite.com), November 29, 1998.