Story: Single Point of Failure Defined

[bmattock]

Too nitpick just a little bit😉, The only scanner I've used that captured full detail in highlights and shadows of black and white negs is the 13 and 19,000$ Flextights. The Nikon's (even the 9000) lose alot, especially in highlights. Mind you, I know where you're coming from with it - and I wish I could afford my own flextight in order to truly make 'identical copies' of my negs.

I have a relatively low budget. My scanners are a Scan Dual IV and a pair of older Epson flatbeds. They in no way capture the detail that a 35mm frame of film can contain, let alone my medium format. However, they're better than only having my negatives in case the negs would somehow be lost or destroyed. I'd prefer the originals in every case, but having good clean scans is a reasonable alternative to me in case of loss. I certainly would not scan and then discard my negs; I plan to keep them until they throw dirt on my face.

 

[BillBingham2]

I think this Kodak ad from 2005 said it far better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdWwqAI6x9A

Dave, never saw it but it should be on the sliced down for the super bowl. Very cool, great find, thanks for sharing.

And I'm with Gabe.. baking really is a lot more difficult than cooking.

Cheers,
Dave 😀

My wife does neither, thank God I do😉

Baking from scratch is much harder and a lot more fun if you have time. If you do not have time, Pillsbury rolls popped into the oven are still great. Sort of like darkroom vs lightroom work.

B2 (;->

 

[snausages]

Daunted by keeping sentimental photos safe, I broke off relations with all loved ones. Since the replacement loved ones don't want to see pictures of the old ones, I don't have to worry about losing anything. The key is to stay one step ahead of fond memories.

 

[bmattock]

I'm really starting to see the advantage of Cloud computing for ubiquitous storage. Have two different clouds, one Apple the other Google and the odds of you loosing both (out side of the end of the world) are pretty much zero.

I was unaware that Google's Cloud was online yet, so thanks for that.

I'm still trying to get my arms around cloud computing. Every vendor has to have a cloud story now, but no one actually seems to know what it is. I mean, besides the obvious.

 

[FrankS]

I have a relatively low budget. My scanners are a Scan Dual IV and a pair of older Epson flatbeds. They in no way capture the detail that a 35mm frame of film can contain, let alone my medium format. However, they're better than only having my negatives in case the negs would somehow be lost or destroyed. I'd prefer the originals in every case, but having good clean scans is a reasonable alternative to me in case of loss. I certainly would not scan and then discard my negs; I plan to keep them until they throw dirt on my face.

I confess that it bothers me somewhat to hear "photographers" argue the longevity of digital versus film when they explicitly state that they can't be arsed to use scanners capable of capturing the full richness of the original film negatives. I certainly 'get' when people say it's not worth the effort for them. If they're good with that, it's like deciding to keep smoking; perhaps not really smart, but their choice, their life.

I would imagine that if a person thought their photos worthy of scanning, they'd take simple and reasonable steps to use the best scanners. That they don't do so - and even harshly deride such efforts as too difficult or too much effort or that they actually don't care that much after all - mystifies me.

😉
Just having fun, Bill.

 

[bgb]

Hi FrankS .... what is the best scanner? good enough to keep using film?
I ask as i have just got some average scans back from the lab and I'm wondering if i shouldn't just go digital !
Do I invest in a good scanner and at what cost? Or move to the dark side/ 🙂

 

[amateriat]

bgb: There have been a number of good scanners made over the last decade that are at least decent. The best 35mm film scanners, IMO, have been from Minolta and Nikon, but there are other worthy brands ranging from the the cheap n' cheerful (including some flatbed models by Epson and HP), to truly high-buck numbers (pricey Fuji flatbeds, Imacons, and certain drum scanners). I'm just skimming the surface here.

I use a Minolta DS 5400 (first generation) for film scans, and a tabloid-size UMAX 2100XL flatbed (with transparency lid) for scanning entire rolls for digital contact sheets as well as oversize flat art. There are quite a few directions in which you can go, depending on your desires/needs. You might have to look around a bit for what works best, but it's out there!


- Barrett

 

[bgb]

Thanks Barrett 🙂
I would like to keep my film cameras as i have got rather attached to them.
A good scanner and a few 100ft rolls of film feels right
Regards,
Brian

 

[BillBingham2]

I'm still trying to get my arms around cloud computing. Every vendor has to have a cloud story now, but no one actually seems to know what it is. I mean, besides the obvious.

I have to agree that once again everyone has a story but no good idea where the value is. My big concern is that as we move back to the cloud I'm not sure the cloud is really ready for prime time. I'm still a big mainframe supporter (still thought of by many as an athletic supporter) as you can deliver full solutions with a lot less complexity than many clusters that I've worked with.

For me, I'm happy for now just giving me ultra reliable storage and some solid basic applications in Web 2.0. There's some interesting ideas that from what I hear has Microsoft concerned. I think they've bloated Office to the point of it popping. I'm wondering how long ubiquity will really keep wining over TCO. Thinner and thinner clients that paint screens fast and can stay connected in a variety of ways can get one thinking.

B2 (;->

 

[amateriat]

bgb: My "main iron" uses film, so I know all about the "attachment" thing. 🙂

Depending on your budget, there are certain options. Here's a highly opinionated shortlist of what to look for (all used, by the way):

Dedicated film scanner on a budget

- Minolta DS IV

- Minolta DS 2900 (a/k/a Dimage Scan Elite)

- Nikon Coolscan III

Dedicated film scanner, bigger budget:

- Minolta DS 5400 (first version)

- Konica Minolta DS 5400 II

- Nikon Coolscan 5000

- Nikon Coolscan V

- Nikon Coolscan IV

Multi-format on a budget:

- Epson Perfection 4900

Multi-format, bigger budget:

- Imacon 848

- Nikon Coolscan 9000/8000

- Epson V750/V700 series

Supplemental:

Several large fast hard disks. You'll need them. Don't forget to back up!


- Barrett