Scanner & Exposure Questions

[jbf]

Hi all,


After being in a B&W 35mm film class for the first time Ive started to seriously think of creating my own darkroom, etc (21 years old). Anyway, I was sitting here thinking about the pros/cons of a wet print lab vs just scanning my negatives.

I guess my main question is this... we all have those photos that we end up getting the shot but screwing up our exposures. With scanning, can you control the exposure (n-1/n+1) of the scanned negative the same way as you can with the printing process?

Ive been able to get a good print out of horribly exposed negatives... granted it takes a long time... but as I know with my experience with digital... if your exposures are not right, you can pretty much forget about fixing an over exposed (and sometimes under exposed image).


And if a scanner can compensate by either making RAW file scans... just how much can the scanner and its software help me pull a good file out of a not-so-great or even somewhat bad negative?



Thanks so much,

Jonathan

 

[mrtoml]

You could look at a master printer's opinion:

http://www.awh-imaging.co.uk/barrythornton/elementsoftransition.htm

This is a good book if you can get hold of it. He argued that there were lots of negatives that he couldn't print conventionally, but could scan and salvage by printing digitally.

But on the other hand if you have exposed a negative so badly the detail is lost a scanner will never bring it back.

 

[ChrisN]

Depending on the scanner, you can control the "exposure" of the scan. You can even take several scans of the same negative, at different levels, and combine them in photoshop, to retrieve detail in both the shadows and the highlights that is not available in a single scan.

 

[jbf]

Hmm... Do you ahve any suggestions on websites that have reviews of film scanners, etc so that I could get a better idea as to what features are good, ratings, etc?


Thanks,

Jonathan

 

[markinlondon]

Hmm... Do you ahve any suggestions on websites that have reviews of film scanners, etc so that I could get a better idea as to what features are good, ratings, etc?


Thanks,

Jonathan

Try www.photo-i.co.uk for very detailed reviews.

 

[pizzahut88]

Much would depend on your scanner.

Much would depend on your scanner.

Depending on the scanner, you can control the "exposure" of the scan. You can even take several scans of the same negative, at different levels, and combine them in photoshop, to retrieve detail in both the shadows and the highlights that is not available in a single scan.

Chris is correct here.
With a good scanner, you can scan twice, and do hyper-dynamic range stuff.
You will need photoshop and some knowledge about layers & mask.

Minolta's Dimage Dual Scan IV and its earlier version III is capable of doing it.
(Been using it for a few years now)
Recently I purchased a Canon 8600F, that couldn't do it.
Flatbed scanners can't do it.


Where possible buy a Nikon Coolscan.
Spending less doesn't cut it.
Don't let the scanning become the weak part in your workflow.
Your images are only as good as the weakest equipment of your workflow.