Shooting film without the hassles of scanning

[heartattackandvine]

I love scanning... I could do that for living. 😀

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

For the OP...

1. Yes, scanning can be fun. Same for darkroom. But, that's not what you asked.

2. Find a CVS or a Costco or photo-store or anyone with a mini-lab, have them process C-41 and give you a CD. You'll have reasonable scans as jpg probably at 1200x1800. Stores continue to develop film or not depending on their volume, so call to check. "Do you develop film?"

3. Drop your film off at WalMart and pick up your CD about ten days later. I hear this is remarkably cheap.

4. Send to Precision (sponsor here) or North Coast Photographic Services for develop and scan. These scans are jpg at much higher resolution. Sometimes I can make a better scan myself, but it takes work. These are great for most uses. The cost is very reasonable for the quality.

5. Take a digicam photo of your negatives on a light table and invert it. Quality depends completely on how carefully you do this. With a slide copier and macro lens, it can be pretty good.

Good luck. Enjoy your film.

 

[Keith]

I have edited negatives on a lightbox and only scanned only the top 2-3% for over 10 years. It works very well for me.

I have no problems editing 4-5 sheets of negatives on my lightbox but find editing 150 digital files on the computer screen to be a real task.

I agree with that to a point Bob but I've had negatives that looked like a complete disaster give me something I wasn't expecting when I put the post work in.

A classic example is a roll of Portra I inadvertently developed in a tetenal kit that was near death. Hanging up to dry it looked almost clear and I was tempted to throw it in the bin and count my losses but the scanner picked up a lot more than could be seen with the naked eye!

 

[Corto]

Hahaha, Keith!

Crazy Cool Image!

 

[rf1552]

For those that drop at Cvs or Wal-Mart, aren't you worried that they will develop your negatives poorly? Once it happens you can never fix that right? Or is it very hard to make a mistake when developing negatives?

 

[Corto]

CVS has for me always been the place where I develop a cheap test roll when I have a "new to me" camera.

My local CVS does not do great work but sometimes its "good enough".......

 

[bwcolor]

But dont you risk poor quality processing? I assume they use low quality chemicals. Am I mistaken ? Trying to learn. Also how large can you print off a Costco scan?

No... You are not correct.

Costco, given that the manager is doing his/her job maintains all chemicals and machines as do custom labs, but many Costco locations no longer handle film. It just isn't economical for them to do major servicing. Our 1996 Costco stopped processing film about one year ago when their equipment required major service. Walmart will send out, but they have recently changed their vendors. Our newer Costco, 2009 has been digital only from day one. Times are changing.

 

[philipus]

Digitizing using a DSLR is an option. Dirk Steffen (Menos) has written about it over at LUF. I've tried it myself and get good results with my 5D2 and 100L macro. The scanning is much much faster than scanners. The slight problem is that one has to spot for dust quite a lot more.

Another thing to consider is get an old pro flatbed, like a Nexscan or the like. Karl Hudson sells and services them. Costs a bit but the quality far outpaces V700 scanners.

I have found that for my current quality requirements my old Coolscan V is good - and quick - enough. It takes a bit of time to setup Vuescan as one wants it, particularly to find a good balance in terms of scanning resolution vs time. I scan at a resolution of about 1300 which means that it takes roughly 40-60 mins per roll (b/w about 30mins) and I can do the spotting while images are being scanned.

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

For those that drop at Cvs or Wal-Mart, aren't you worried that they will develop your negatives poorly? Once it happens you can never fix that right? Or is it very hard to make a mistake when developing negatives?

Yes, there are issues. One CVS used a bottle opener to pry apart the lips of the cassette to get the film leader out. (!!) Result: horrible light leaks for first few inches, a couple of frames wrecked, otherwise OK.

But, another close to my home does a good job. (clean, no scratches, done on time)

WalMart sends out to, I believe, Fuji who should be able to do a good job.

 

[EdwardKaraa]

I used NCPS for a while, but I quickly found out my home scans are way better. I have learned to enjoy the scanning process and at the end of the day, it is much faster than darkroom work, and no poisonous fumes 😉

 

[JoeV]

For those intending to use Walmart for processing, I saw a thread over at APUG's rangefinder sub forum where it was claimed that Walmart will no longer return your physical film negatives after processing, they just provide the customer with prints and a CD of the scans. Don't know if this is true, just passing it on like a good rumor-mongerer should. 😉

-Joe

 

[kshapero]

I send all my film out, so as to enjoy film without the time investment of processing and scanning things myself. I use North Coast Photo, and have had good results. There is a cost, and it isn't insignificant, but I like film, and value my time enough to "outsource" those processes.

Cheers.

I do exactly the same thing

 

[Aristophanes]

For those intending to use Walmart for processing, I saw a thread over at APUG's rangefinder sub forum where it was claimed that Walmart will no longer return your physical film negatives after processing, they just provide the customer with prints and a CD of the scans. Don't know if this is true, just passing it on like a good rumor-mongerer should. 😉

-Joe

The US Wal-Mart contract used to be with Dwayne's.

Now it is with a company in LA, I believe.

Most big box and drug store chains are phasing out film processing, both in-house and outsourced. It's on borrowed time with local market variance.

I recommend developing (sic) a relationship with a mail-order or local lab that appears in it for the long haul.

I recommend The Darkroom www.darkroom.com along with others previously stated in the thread, like Precision (sponsor). The scans are quite good, more than enough for web and 4x6 prints.

If you want higher quality "picks" then get your own Plustek scanner and DIY. That option depends on how many rolls you shoot per year and the time it takes to scan.

If I think I have a keeper roll, when I send it in I will also pay extra $ for prints from the lab. I am satisfied with machine prints for getting something good in my hands just for the old school analog photo album or as proofs. If I have a special shot that requires more attention, I re-scan it at maximum. In 2 cases I have sent to a drum scanner.

It's all about the trifecta of quality : quantity :cost.

Home processing and darkroom is a fairly large efforts, especially for colour. It's really a shame a compact DIY, mostly automated C41/E6 processor system was not invented about the size of a PC printer or scanner. One that do a single roll at a time. That would be a phenomenal achievement; a mini-lab in your home (but much smaller than the Jobo's and similar which had to deal with quantity processing demands).

 

[Nick]

Here in Hong Kong I just ask for "develop and scan", and I get a CD with everything. Saves the hassle of going back for a specific scan or purchasing equipment which I have to keep dust-free.

 

[Brian Puccio]

Can scanners make raw or dng files?

Yes. Though more accurately, the question should be "does there exist a scanning application which is compatible with my scanner that outputs a DNG or other RAW format?" to which the answer is Vuescan.

(No relation, just a happy customer who uses it to drive his Coolscan 4000, though I don't make use of that function at all, TIFF for me.)

 

[Dave Jenkins]

...all I have at home is a Minolta Damage, a sorry excuse for a scanner, not worth warming up.

I don't know which Dimage you have, but my Minolta Dimage 5400 is an absolute gem. It only does 35mm, but it produces impeccable scans.

Slow, but beautiful.

 

[akitadog]

Scanning

Scanning

Costco in Vancouver BC does not do any film any more. Only prints from digital, and definitely no scanning. Too bad really as it was quite cheap.

Regards,

Akitadog

He he, that's only because you haven't tried it yet!! 😱

Btw, Costco will develop, scan and print a roll of 35mm color film for about $8. And their scans are pretty good too. Drop em off - pick em up. Easy

 

[Aristophanes]

Sharing is what is mostly done with photos now, especially online.

Printing has moved far, far into the secondary use.

So scanning is necessary to keep film use alive.

A good lab sounds like what the OP is after.

 

[fuji645]

Both bw and c-41? I find it's possible with bw but with color neg it can get quite tricky.

In my scanning workflow, I'll scan a strip of negatives (bw or c-41) and make my determination at that point of whether or not I want to scan an individual negative. This way, I can visualize the end product without wasting a lot of time or disk space.

 

[mackigator]

I use my local Sams club. For c41, they develop and scan, CD only. They cut and sleeve the developed film and return it with the CD.

For BW, I develop myself and take the developed roll, uncut, to Sams. They scan and give me CD only, plus cut and sleeved negatives.

This workflow is dirt cheap while it lasts. If I have any images I love, I can rescan at higher res as needed - their scans are good enough for the web though.

My one gripe is occasional scratching of the negs as they go through the machine - but that's a problem at any film lab. Sams has been way better for me (re: scratches) than any of the drug store chains.