ymc226
Well-known
I shoot only b&w 35mm and MF print film and print <1% of my negatives. Want to share some pics but how are people digitizing their negatives or prints.
My daugter has an HP all in one printer/scanner/copier. Is this good enough?
My daugter has an HP all in one printer/scanner/copier. Is this good enough?
NathanJD
Well-known
Hi vmc226, you can get a scanner all be it a flatbed scanner with special film attachment and function very inexpensively these days. some people here have devoted film scanners but some of us use these flatbeds with attachment. the biggest difference between this technology and your standard flatbed is a backlighting feature with a light in the scanner lid.
of course, if you're scanning actual prints then a standard flatbed scanner does the trick just fine.
best of luch digitizing your work! with the correct software it will also allow you to make post-processing adjustments that may bring an extra dimention to your work!
of course, if you're scanning actual prints then a standard flatbed scanner does the trick just fine.
best of luch digitizing your work! with the correct software it will also allow you to make post-processing adjustments that may bring an extra dimention to your work!
-doomed-
film is exciting
You can scan the prints with a scanner like that , they wont be the best looking scans but if you're just posting online they'll usually work
chris00nj
Young Luddite
In my limited experience, I have found the scanners on multifunction scanners to be not as good as dedicated scanners. Often, they also do not have the capability to scan negatives.
I like my Epson V500 which can scan medium format & 35mm negatives, 35mm slides, prints and documents.... all for around $200.
I like my Epson V500 which can scan medium format & 35mm negatives, 35mm slides, prints and documents.... all for around $200.
mich8261
Well-known
you should be able to find a good scanner with dedicated film scanning capabilities (35mm and MF) on Craigslist for a good price. I got my Epson 4990 for less than $150. Epson V500, 4870 and 4490 are also good inexpensive options. Canon also has some, just don't know model #.
ymc226
Well-known
Thanks. If I am contemplating on getting a film scanner, is there one that works for both 35mm and 6x6 (B&W only) or if 35mm is my main format, would it be more cost effective to get a 35mm scanner and just continue to print contact sheets for my MF negatives? The only muliti format scanner that I know of after doing a quick internet search is the Nikon 9000 ED but that is 2 grand!
Does most people scan their negatives now or do some still, like me, print contact proofs first to see which negative is worth the time/effort to scan.
Can anyone recommend a dedicatedfilm scanner? In order of importance would be scan quality and speed. I don't mind paying extra for speed. It would have to work with an iMac which is all I have.
Also, after reading the scanning forums, I believe software is also needed for post processing. Is this absolutely necessary if I still want to develop prints chemically? If so, is "Aperture" for Apple adequate or are there better programs for the iMac?
Does most people scan their negatives now or do some still, like me, print contact proofs first to see which negative is worth the time/effort to scan.
Can anyone recommend a dedicatedfilm scanner? In order of importance would be scan quality and speed. I don't mind paying extra for speed. It would have to work with an iMac which is all I have.
Also, after reading the scanning forums, I believe software is also needed for post processing. Is this absolutely necessary if I still want to develop prints chemically? If so, is "Aperture" for Apple adequate or are there better programs for the iMac?
sojournerphoto
Veteran
I use a Nikon 5000 to batch scan 35mm negs and then print a digital 'contact' sheet. I also look at the scans in adobe bridge and make selects that I rescan with more care and the better film folder.
I'd really like a 9000 and then I could do some MF work as well, but it is too much at present (though I've considered unloading some other kit to fund one...)#
Mike
I'd really like a 9000 and then I could do some MF work as well, but it is too much at present (though I've considered unloading some other kit to fund one...)#
Mike
Thardy
Veteran
pesphoto
Veteran
you can scan entire rolls at once with the roll film adapter.
ReeRay
Well-known
I also use an Imac and chose a Konica Minolta Dimage MultiScan Pro dedicated film scanner which covers 35mm and 120. This is without doubt the next best thing to drum scanning. I shoot 35mm slide mainly and have no problems selling these images on Alamy etc.
As it is, I also use an Epson V700 which is superb for 120 (especially with the BetterScan MF holders) but is a little soft for decent sized 35mm scans.
I tend to initially scan my 35mm on the V700 and the "good" ones I then scan on the MultiPro (this keeps the usage low on the MP and preserves longevity)
In both cases I find the manufacturers software more than competent. Aperture is OK but Adobe Lightroom is great (and cheap).
JohnTF
Veteran
The older Nikon Coolscans seem to be quite good, but use Firewire. If you are saving hundreds of dollars, you can afford a Firewire card. The Coolscan 4000 came with the card as I recall. I downloaded a firmware upgrade for mine, and the newer software from the Nikon site, seems to be the same as the 5000 but not USB.
My friend bought the 9000 and says she likes it very much for 35mm and MF, I recall she said it went up to 6x9cm.
With the 4000, or 5000, you can get 64meg tifs from a frame, but I would not want to sit and watch it work, especially on a machine with less than a few GB of memory.
I was using the older version of the Epson 10000 XL for 11x14 scans at 600 dpi, and the computer ran out of memory and hung until some other software was closed, took the better part of an afternoon to scan a half dozen prints.
There are also work arounds to use the standard Nikon 4000/5000 film feeder as a roll feeder. The Slide batch feeder remains rather expensive, and seems to be going up in price.
If you are scanning some good prints, you should get decent results on almost any flatbed -- if you choose a good resolution and output type. Watch, if you do a 16 bit scan, you can adjust it and save it, but you need to convert to 8 bit if you want to save it as a jpeg, plus you need to adjust the file size down to post here.
Probably more than you were asking? I am no expert, but muddle my way through -- my local lab had a lot of trouble giving me truly good scans, a lot of places will scan your film around here, but the quality of the scans are not that great as they are time constrained.
I would recommend looking for a class in the local community college as a possible source, I hear good things about many of them, besides with your ID you should be able to snag some student prices on software you may want.
Regards, John
My friend bought the 9000 and says she likes it very much for 35mm and MF, I recall she said it went up to 6x9cm.
With the 4000, or 5000, you can get 64meg tifs from a frame, but I would not want to sit and watch it work, especially on a machine with less than a few GB of memory.
I was using the older version of the Epson 10000 XL for 11x14 scans at 600 dpi, and the computer ran out of memory and hung until some other software was closed, took the better part of an afternoon to scan a half dozen prints.
There are also work arounds to use the standard Nikon 4000/5000 film feeder as a roll feeder. The Slide batch feeder remains rather expensive, and seems to be going up in price.
If you are scanning some good prints, you should get decent results on almost any flatbed -- if you choose a good resolution and output type. Watch, if you do a 16 bit scan, you can adjust it and save it, but you need to convert to 8 bit if you want to save it as a jpeg, plus you need to adjust the file size down to post here.
Probably more than you were asking? I am no expert, but muddle my way through -- my local lab had a lot of trouble giving me truly good scans, a lot of places will scan your film around here, but the quality of the scans are not that great as they are time constrained.
I would recommend looking for a class in the local community college as a possible source, I hear good things about many of them, besides with your ID you should be able to snag some student prices on software you may want.
Regards, John
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sevo
Fokutorendaburando
Firewire cards are $10 apiece - even Cardbus Firewire cards are cheap enough to be a commodity.
The real downside is that good scanners are tediously slow - fast turnover scanning is only possible for very basic level consumer or archival purposes. There simply is no device for the modern post-DSLR use pattern of batch scanning entire (medium format) films at 2400dpi+.
Sevo
JoeV
Thin Air, Bright Sun
For internet quality scans you can also reshoot your prints with a digital camera and simple copy-stand-like lighting setup (two lights, one on either side of the stand at 45 degrees to the surface.) Good results depending on the resolution of your sensor and lens.
For negatives you can backlight them on a lightbox, masking off the extraneous area around the negative with a window cut in black card stock, and get good results, better than most consumer-grade flatbed scanners, albeit you need a good quality macro lens with little barrel distortion, and a 10+ mpixel camera for adequate resolution.. Then reverse the tones in post-processing s/w.
~Joe
For negatives you can backlight them on a lightbox, masking off the extraneous area around the negative with a window cut in black card stock, and get good results, better than most consumer-grade flatbed scanners, albeit you need a good quality macro lens with little barrel distortion, and a 10+ mpixel camera for adequate resolution.. Then reverse the tones in post-processing s/w.
~Joe
JohnTF
Veteran
I got that impression when I was charged $60 to scan a roll of MF film. ;-)
I have not actually seen the Coolscan 8000 or 9000, just have the report from Zuzana that it is a good one.
Am going to suspect she is selective about what negative gets scanned. I have the Epson V 750 if I get it out of the box and set up. ;-)
Regards, John