Coolscan V, B+W, Nikonscan, Vuescan

[wjlapier]

So, I'd like to see the differences between various films I use for B+W. So far I've used Tmax 100 and 400, and Ilford Delta 400. I even pushed a few rolls of Tmax 100 to 400. I have some TriX coming soon.

Yesterday I used Nikon Scan for some Ilford B+W negatives I developed and it seems the software is adjusting exposure and some images are too contrasty as if the software processed the negs for me. Is there a way to scan the negatives, using Nikonscan, so that they are neutral as possible? Seems I can get neutral scans with Vuescan, but sometimes they look way underexposed, while the same neg can be better exposed in Nikon Scan.

Ugh...I really like shooting B+W, developing my own, but the next step is frustrating sometimes. Like I said above, I'd like to see the difference in the various B+W film. Is this possible? Contact print seems like the logical step, but I want that to be simple too and have been reading about how to do it.

Thanx for any suggestions.

Bill

 

[ferider]

I recommend to use Vuescan with NO filter at all, not even sharpening. Just get the data in 16bit.

Then post-process in PS, with scripts if you want more throughput.

Cheers,

Roland.

 

[dcsang]

Bill,

are you locking the exposure in VueScan?
Lately, thanks to another thread here, I've been following the "lock exposure" method in VueScan and seem to consistently get good quality scans that require very little post adjustment - this is, of course, completely dependent on my initial exposure within the camera 🙂

This thread here:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71328
started by Jon (aka "Noimmunity") is probably your best place to start.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[kid_a]

You should just be able to adjust the levels or histogram somewhere, no?

Just make sure there's no black or white slipping, you should get a decent, neutral scan.

 

[sahe69]

Do you have the autoexposure ticked on in Nikonscan? If yes, try ticking it off and adjusting the levels/histogram manually.

 

[wjlapier]

I recommend to use Vuescan with NO filter at all, not even sharpening. Just get the data in 16bit.

Then post-process in PS, with scripts if you want more throughput.

Cheers,

Roland.

can you explain scripts?

My hesitation to do more work in PS is that I'm not entirely convinced that I can maybe do better or worse with a digital color file. I do use PSCS2 and have had good feedback on my post, but again, how do I know what film looks like what after I alter the scan in PS?

Oh, the other thing is the frame offset. Sometimes it's fine and other's I'm previewing maybe 5 times to get the frame in the right position, and then the next time I scan I have to do it all over again. Nikon Scan for some reason knows where the frame begins and ends...

16bit, I'll have to try that again.

 

[ferider]

For Photoshop you can automate actions via the main Automate menu entry.

The main things to do are typically (for me)

1) crop and rotate
2) Histogram leveling
3) for color negatives white balance and saturation adjustment
4) dust removal
5) sharpen

Other tools make repeated actions even easier, like Jasz PSP (but not 16bit capable). I find that after 3) one can safely move to 8bit/color.

You're right, Vuescan is sensitive about the frame offset. I find it works well if I cut the film stripe close to a frame, maybe by 1mm or 2. Then it will work for all frames in a roll.

Best,

Roland.

 

[ChrisN]

...

Oh, the other thing is the frame offset. Sometimes it's fine and other's I'm previewing maybe 5 times to get the frame in the right position, and then the next time I scan I have to do it all over again. Nikon Scan for some reason knows where the frame begins and ends...

I find I have to be careful with cutting the negs, and I must ensure that I leave a generous portion of the border in front of the first negative on the strip, for the scanner to locate the frame spacing accurately. It does not seem to matter if I leave the last negative on the strip without a border.

The other thing I found is that if my negs have not been properly fixed, the scanner has great difficulty reading them and determining frame spacing.

If I get a strip that is difficult for the scanner to read the frame offset, I often have success by feeding the strip in backwards, then rotating the scans back to normal. That often works. Very occasionally I have to resort to using the FH-2 strip-film holder.