Few questions on V600..

Darshan

Darshan

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Hi all,
I recently got an Epson V600 and need a little help to get the best out of it.
My main intention is to make digital proofs, online sharing and 4x6 prints, maybe an occasional 8x12 but not any larger (thinking of sending the neg to a pro lab if I need a larger print).

These are the things that are bothering me and couldn't find specific solutions by searching through the "scanner" threads.
1. At what dpi do I scan at? Will the prints look different if the neg is scanned at 300 dpi vs (lets say) 2400 dpi?
2. Are 35 mm films scanned at different dpi than 120 films (6x4.5, 6x6)?
3. PSE 7 (supplied with V600) does not have the "curves" function, and I love that in GIMP, but GIMP can't open 16-bit TIFFs. Any suggestions?
4. How do I set the "black" dot when using V600? Is it necessary?

Will shoot more questions as they come along..😀
I apologize for being such a "scanner" newbie.

Thanks.
 
Hi Dan
Like yourself I am new to scanning. There is a long thread on the film section of the Leica users forum regarding the Epson V700, some of the members are getting superb quality scans.
Floyd
 
hi Dan. Glad you were able to get the v600 for that great price. it sold out a day after i posted.

I've been scanning my 35mm negatives (B&W) at 48 bit, 4800 DPI (i read about it somewhere else) and its taking about 3 minutes per neg, i think? 6mb-15mb files, depending. I heard 2400 is pretty good though if you concerned about time. I dont know about 120mm.

I havent been using elements, i've sent it to Lightroom 3 or Photoshop (depending on what im doing). Lightroom3 curves is pretty easy.
 
Floyd, I looked at that thread but couldn't find specific answers to the questions I posted.

huntjump, thanks to you for the great price on the V600, as I said; the deal was too good. I have used LR3 "trial" version when it came out last year, but for the amount of (or lack thereof) post-processing I do, I can't justify buying it at the moment.
 
I thought i got at your DPI question, but definitely there is a difference. Try scanning at 300 than do a 4800 (@48bit) and you will see the time it takes to scan will be dramatically different, plus the file size
- File size for the 300 will be in the "kb"s vs the 4800 being atleast 7megs+

I guess it all comes down to what you want to print and the printer you are using. The v600 can crank up to 6400DPI. So..if you were scanning at say 2400 and your printer was doing 300 dpi, then you can print up to 8x12 (at least thats my understanding).

I just couldnt answer your question about 120 vs 35. I also wasnt clear about what you were asking in #4
 
huntjump, thanks again for your reply.
I understood your response from your 1st post in this thread, but various threads here mention that Epson can only truly do up to 2000 dpi, above that the pixels are interpolated and do not reflect true resolution. Funny thing is, I am not quite sure if I understand this "interpolation" thing, thinking of looking it up in a few days when I have more time on my hands.
If there is no resolution gain over 2000 dpi, why waste time and space?
I also eventually intend to scan the same film at different resolutions and print them at a specific size and compare, AFAIK comparing them on a computer screen is not ideal.

I also read in few of the threads that you set the black dot prior to scanning to prevent clipping of shadow detail, that was the basis for #4.
 
DanP, I have the Epson v500, which is similar. Scan at 2400 dpi. Adjust the scan software for a good full histogram. I usually do some noise reduction and capture sharpening, then whatever post processing. Finally, I resize for a specific use (web, 4x6 print, or enlargement).

300 DPI would be for scanning from a paper print.

I like my prints sharp enough to hold up close to the unaided eye. With the v500, I get nice prints at 12x18" from 6x9 negatives. That's about a 6x linear enlargement.

If you get totally wierd scans... Make sure the film holder is positioned in the right place. The scanner needs the open band at the top of the film holder for calibration of each scan.

Post some results. Be patient. Don't be dismayed when your first scans look washed out (add contrast) or soft (sharpen). Scanning takes some practice to get good results.

There's a lot of utility in the v500/v600 even though a good 4000dpi scan (Coolscan, etc.) will be better. The Epson v750 is somewhere in between.
 
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