Scanning: Minilab vs. Flatbed.

[Goodyear]

Having dug my scanner out from all the boxes, I've scanned the negs from the below thread that I had done by the minilab. The difference is extraordinary.

First the thread: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28681

Now attached are a rescan of one of the shots from that thread (this one), followed by two of another shot, one from the minilab, then my rescan of it.

Even with these very quick, rough, unsharpened scans of my own, a good argument for your own scanner, no?

ANyone ever got good scans by default from a minilab?

 

[markinlondon]

I've never got good scans from a minilab, Mark. Which flatbed are you using for negative scanning as I'm thinking of replacing mine?

Mark

 

[Goodyear]

It's an Epson 4870.

I like the look of the new V750, but I'm unlikely to be able to convince my wife 🙁

 

[jano]

I had asked about the difference regarding MF film recently (I have a dedicated 35mm scanner, which blows away minilabs). And before I got answers, because I'm impatient 😛, I had already purchased a refurbed 4490, it came in the mail, and my results are considerably better than what the minilab would have done. I'm happy 🙂

 

[oscroft]

ANyone ever got good scans by default from a minilab?

Not me. I had a go using a minilab service a few months ago, thinking that their (approx 2000dpi) scans would be good enough until I had time to do my own better ones (I have a backlog of thousands of shots to scan). But after half a dozen films or so I gave up - they're just not worth the money.

 

[mhv]

Nothing like reviving an old thread on a Saturday night...

I was actually asking myself the exact same question: do I invest the money I put in minilab scans into a flatbed scanner?

Gotta say I'm not sure yet.

I took your minilab scan and played in Photoshop a little bit. I applied a strong S-curve, and about 150% of USM, radius 0.7, threshold 1px. Surprise, surprise. Things look suddenly very similar.

I think one's ability to massage a scan into one's liking matters when comparing similar products.

I don't doubt a dedicated film scanner like a Coolscan would kick the pants out of both a flatbed and a minilab. But right now I can't say that I see a big difference in terms of image quality to settle the flatbed v. minilab debate.

At least for web viewing, which is all I care about for now. Printing inkjets or whatnot could be a totally different ballpark, so I don't know. But I don't print inkjets, only analogue.

 

[boy_lah]

I don't have a flat bed scanner but luckily have an independent minilab down the road that i use. i'm new to film (sorta - been "away" last 3-4 years on digital) so not sure what flatbeds can do these days vs what i'm getting from my local lab. I invite you to have a look at my flickr and let me know what you guys think? My recent shots are all from the same lab - colour & B&W. Most have no processing in PS at all - perhaps some dodge & burn but only on the odd one.

The issue for me is cost vs time. Each B&W roll costs ~£10 just to develop & scan (no print). I'm not sure how many rolls i'll shot a year but let's assume it'll be around the 20-40 rolls not 50+ range. I wonder if I'm better off doing as I'm doing or buy a scanner. The real benefit i guess is with a scanner I may get better quality and if i so wish, scan my back log of negs.

What is a good scanne in 2008 and how much would one of these go for? Oh, I shoot only 35mm negs.

thanks in advance.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/glass_and_tubes/

 

[srichmond]

Nice photos there boy_lah. 🙂

I've had a folder stuffed with negatives and photos I took when I joined my school photographic club in the mid 1990s. I've talked about getting a negative scanner for years, and finally got around to getting one so I could ressurect those memories. It's shocking how few photos we have pre-2000, when film photography was still the norm. Nobody kept their negatives either.

Anyway, I got the Nikon Coolscan V ED. Great bit of kit. Only does 35mm though, which is a shame since I'd like to get into MF one day.

Personally, I feel developing your own B&W film *is* part of the film experience. It also allows you to get some of the instant gratification you get with digital. It also creates that a further sense of owership of what you've produced.

I've heard the Epson V750 is very good, but also heard that you can't beat a dedicated film scanner like one of the Nikons. The V700 is a good price, and I'll prob get one when I get try out medium format.

 

[remegius]

It is difficult for me to admit this, but I have yet to be able to come up with a 35mm scan on my V500 that can match the scans that are being produced by my local Costco's Noritsu. Those scans are usually in the 4.5 to 6mb range, and have, so far, produced some beautiful prints with my B9180. Of course, I painstakingly run the images that I choose to print through PS.

Cheers...

Rem

 

[aad]

The Noritsu and Fuji Frontier scanners are quite good, actually. You just have to have a sympathetic operator-which is, of course, not so easy. Nor cheap, if you find a place that will do "custom" rather than automated scans.