upgrading a printer and choosing a paper Part II

Update on Carson-Infinity Platine Fibre Rag: A few weeks ago www.shadesofpaper sent me a test roll of this new beautiful paper. I have tested it on a number of prints and can honestly say that it is a stunning paper — equal in quality to the Hahnemule Photo Rag Baryta and Ilford Gallerie Gold Fibre Silk.

As I said said earlier, the choice of paper is very personal and should be evaluated by each person based on needs, aesthetics, and their current printer and inks.

The Hahnemuhle papers were supposed to go up in price as much as 30%, depending on the paper, at the beginning of August. However, outraged customers have forced the company to suspend their decision until September. At this moment, the Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta is still my paper of choice for images that require a high D-max. I also feel that it holds the saturation better than the other two papers. I have read on forums that a few people have noticed some imperfections in some rolls and sheets from Hahnemuhle. I have not had this problem (although I have had similar problems with Moab papers). However, if Hahnemuhle does decide to raise their prices significantly, then I will switch to the Canson paper, as the HPR Baryta is not that much better than the other two papers. You can find information on the new Carson paper at www.canson-infinity.com/en/platine310.asp

So for now:

For printing my Infrared images I prefer the matte Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Bright White.

For color and desaturated color images I prefer Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta.

You can find these papers at www.shadesofpaper.com. Contact Eric Mateer.

Re HP Z3200 printer: Last year when I was printing my show A Nomadic Vision, I had issues with the orange/red gamut on the previous model HP Z3100, so a number of my images had to be printed on a Epson 7800, a printer that I thought I would be retiring since I was not happy with the gamut nor detail in the shadows.

After testing the newer Epson 9900 and HP Z3200 I decided to purchase the latter since HP significantly printed more details in the shadows, even though I was not convinced that they had solved the issues with the orange/red gamut. I was afraid that I would have to continue upgrading two brands of printers (not a pleasant thought). This week I completed my tests. A big sigh of relief…the updated HP Z3200 has beautiful reds and oranges. I can finally retire my Epson printers.

Again, it is a personal matter as I know many people swear by their Epson printers. However, I found that even the new Epson 9900 blocks up the blacks on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag and Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Bright white matte papers–not as badly as the Epson 7800 but still much more than the Z3100 and Z3200 HP printers.

This is just my .03 cents based on my desire for the highest quality and for my personal aesthetics and archival longevity on the papers I have chosen to presently use.

© nevada wier      Gujurat, India 2009

Digital Infrared

UPDATE  April 2009: I found the 1Ds too heavy so I purchased a used Canon 5D and converted it using www.lifepixel.com with the Standard IR (equivalent to Hoya R72 / Kodak Wratten 89b / 720nm). My primary lens is a Canon EF 24-105 mm f/4L IS USM. I carry it separately in a Lowepro TopLoad Zoom.

© nevada wier 2009    India, Rajasthan

Original Post March 10, 2008:

I recently converted my old Canon 1Ds to a digital infrared camera. And, I LOVE it.

I used it for the first time in South India this past November.

© nevada wier     India. Madurai

© nevada wier    India. Mahabalipuram.

To convert a SLR digital camera to infrared contact  http://www.lifepixel.com/