Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
As many of you know, my Nikon 8000ED film scanner, which I have had for 19 years, died a couple months ago. I've been struggling to find something to replace it so that I can continue to shoot film. Buying another Nikon scanner is a non-starter. I can't afford the high prices they go for, they often cannot be serviced because parts are no longer available, and if I did buy one there's the possibility that it could die a month later and I'd be screwed.
I tried photographing film with my digital camera and Macro lens and ultimately the quality just wasn't there with the equipment I have, and I can't afford a new camera.
My birthday was Oct. 14, and my girlfriend decided to buy my a Plustek scanner to try. We bought the 8200ai. Unfortunately, the scans were sharp on one side of the image and VERY soft on the other. This was consistent with every film I tried, so it wasn't a case of the film not being flat. There was something misaligned inside the scanner or the lens in it was decentered. Returned it to B&H the next day. Yesterday, Fedex brings me the replacement (yes they deliver on Sundays now!). Same problem...except this one now featured faint banding in every image, too!
Here's the full image. Resized down for the web it looks fine but in a decent size print, you'd see it. Below are some 100% crops:
Left side of the image, reasonably sharp.
Right side of the image, very soft.
As an experiment, I turned the film holder around and inserted it from the other end, so that the left side of the image would now be on the right side of the scanner. This would show if its the scanner and not a film flatness issue.
Now, the left side of the image is very soft!
And the right side of the image is sharp!
Here are more comparisons:
Left side of the image, showing the two scans I made with the neg carrier turned around. Note how sharp the first is, and how soft the second is?
Now here's the right side of the image, from the two scans. Note the detail in the truck grille! Its visible in one scan and not in the other due to lack of resolution.
The bad side of the scan is always the side of the negative that is on the left side of the scanner when the film holder is inserted. The first Plustek scanner I had was the same.
My question for those of you who have one of these scanners is this: Does yours produce scans that are sharp on both sides of the image? I'm trying to decide if I should exchange this damned thing again or just send it back for a refund. If I have to do that, I am done shooting film. If I cannot make sharp prints from my negatives, I'm wasting my time and the money it costs for film and chemicals, and right now the Plustek scanners are all I can have any hope of affording.
Thanks.
I tried photographing film with my digital camera and Macro lens and ultimately the quality just wasn't there with the equipment I have, and I can't afford a new camera.
My birthday was Oct. 14, and my girlfriend decided to buy my a Plustek scanner to try. We bought the 8200ai. Unfortunately, the scans were sharp on one side of the image and VERY soft on the other. This was consistent with every film I tried, so it wasn't a case of the film not being flat. There was something misaligned inside the scanner or the lens in it was decentered. Returned it to B&H the next day. Yesterday, Fedex brings me the replacement (yes they deliver on Sundays now!). Same problem...except this one now featured faint banding in every image, too!
Here's the full image. Resized down for the web it looks fine but in a decent size print, you'd see it. Below are some 100% crops:
Left side of the image, reasonably sharp.
Right side of the image, very soft.
As an experiment, I turned the film holder around and inserted it from the other end, so that the left side of the image would now be on the right side of the scanner. This would show if its the scanner and not a film flatness issue.
Now, the left side of the image is very soft!
And the right side of the image is sharp!
Here are more comparisons:
Left side of the image, showing the two scans I made with the neg carrier turned around. Note how sharp the first is, and how soft the second is?
Now here's the right side of the image, from the two scans. Note the detail in the truck grille! Its visible in one scan and not in the other due to lack of resolution.
The bad side of the scan is always the side of the negative that is on the left side of the scanner when the film holder is inserted. The first Plustek scanner I had was the same.
My question for those of you who have one of these scanners is this: Does yours produce scans that are sharp on both sides of the image? I'm trying to decide if I should exchange this damned thing again or just send it back for a refund. If I have to do that, I am done shooting film. If I cannot make sharp prints from my negatives, I'm wasting my time and the money it costs for film and chemicals, and right now the Plustek scanners are all I can have any hope of affording.
Thanks.
