raytoei@gmail.com
Veteran
My Anti-Newton Ring glass arrived today.
I only ordered one as I wanted to be sure that the ruler-sized piece of glass
worked before I would consider purchasing another 3 to make up the four rows
of the 35mm film holder on my Epson v700.
A USPS box arrived with a ruler sized glass wrapped in plastic bubbles, I was
afraid that it would be too fragile but luckily, everything was intact.
The purpose of the ANR Ring is 2-fold:
* Prevent rings of concentric circles when scanning film
* Holding the film flat to produce a better scan
I wasn't having issues with Newton Rings but I was curious whether i could wring out
more shadow details from my scanner.
Using it is relatively simple, remove the plastic clip-on negative holder top and put the matte side
of the glass on the negative on the plastic holder.
I tested several possible variables:
* 2400dpi or 3200dpi
* Flipping the negative or keeping the matte side upright (as suggested by Epson)
* Glass or Plastic top with the negative holder
Well, the short answer is Yes.
The Glass made a difference even at a lower resolution of 2400dpi. I tested on 2 set of negatives,
one was the fomapan 400 and the other was Fomapan 200. With the 400, default side up produced
a sharper image, while for the Fomapan 200, it was the reverse. There is no hard and fast rule,
the Betterscanning website suggest to test either sides of a film negative.
Here are some results, fomapan 400 developed at ei 200, developed in Rodinal stand
Leica m3 with Summarit 50/f1.5
Scanned at 2400 dpi, reduced to 800x600:
100% crop / 2400 dpi / Glass / Matte side of Negative pointing down / Auto Exposure:
100% crop / 2400 dpi / Default negative holder/ Matte side of Negative pointing down / Auto Exposure:
100% crop / 2400 dpi / Glass / Default Matte Negative side pointing up / Auto Exposure:
100% crop / 2400 dpi / Default negative holder / Default Matte Negative side pointing up / Auto Exposure:
From the above four images, the glass insert made a difference,
while flipping the negative only made a minor difference,
in the case above, there were slightly more details with the matte side of the negative pointing upwards.
You can get the ANR glass insert from Better Scanning . com Using the 35 mm Anti Newton Ring Glass ANR Insert
raytoei
I only ordered one as I wanted to be sure that the ruler-sized piece of glass
worked before I would consider purchasing another 3 to make up the four rows
of the 35mm film holder on my Epson v700.
A USPS box arrived with a ruler sized glass wrapped in plastic bubbles, I was
afraid that it would be too fragile but luckily, everything was intact.
The purpose of the ANR Ring is 2-fold:
* Prevent rings of concentric circles when scanning film
* Holding the film flat to produce a better scan
I wasn't having issues with Newton Rings but I was curious whether i could wring out
more shadow details from my scanner.
Using it is relatively simple, remove the plastic clip-on negative holder top and put the matte side
of the glass on the negative on the plastic holder.
I tested several possible variables:
* 2400dpi or 3200dpi
* Flipping the negative or keeping the matte side upright (as suggested by Epson)
* Glass or Plastic top with the negative holder
Well, the short answer is Yes.
The Glass made a difference even at a lower resolution of 2400dpi. I tested on 2 set of negatives,
one was the fomapan 400 and the other was Fomapan 200. With the 400, default side up produced
a sharper image, while for the Fomapan 200, it was the reverse. There is no hard and fast rule,
the Betterscanning website suggest to test either sides of a film negative.
Here are some results, fomapan 400 developed at ei 200, developed in Rodinal stand
Leica m3 with Summarit 50/f1.5
Scanned at 2400 dpi, reduced to 800x600:
100% crop / 2400 dpi / Glass / Matte side of Negative pointing down / Auto Exposure:
100% crop / 2400 dpi / Default negative holder/ Matte side of Negative pointing down / Auto Exposure:
100% crop / 2400 dpi / Glass / Default Matte Negative side pointing up / Auto Exposure:
100% crop / 2400 dpi / Default negative holder / Default Matte Negative side pointing up / Auto Exposure:
From the above four images, the glass insert made a difference,
while flipping the negative only made a minor difference,
in the case above, there were slightly more details with the matte side of the negative pointing upwards.
You can get the ANR glass insert from Better Scanning . com Using the 35 mm Anti Newton Ring Glass ANR Insert
raytoei
raytoei@gmail.com
Veteran
two more tests.
100% crop / 4800 dpi downsampled / Glass insert / Default Matte Negative side pointing up / Auto Exposure / 16bit :
100% crop / 4800 dpi downsampled / Glass insert / Default Matte Negative side pointing up / Auto Exposure / 8bit :
raytoei
100% crop / 4800 dpi downsampled / Glass insert / Default Matte Negative side pointing up / Auto Exposure / 16bit :
100% crop / 4800 dpi downsampled / Glass insert / Default Matte Negative side pointing up / Auto Exposure / 8bit :
raytoei
FA Limited
missing in action
thanks for doing the test but must say having a hard time noticing the difference!
raytoei@gmail.com
Veteran
Comparing with the sharpest three:
2400 8 bit / 4800 downsampled 8 bit / 4800 downsampled 16 bit
Comparing the images work best when using a graphic viewer to flip through the images.
of the 3 images, 2400 and 4800 has the greatest difference, as for 8 bit and 16bit,
the 16bit has a slight increase in shadow details though i can't really tell.
raytoei
2400 8 bit / 4800 downsampled 8 bit / 4800 downsampled 16 bit
Comparing the images work best when using a graphic viewer to flip through the images.
of the 3 images, 2400 and 4800 has the greatest difference, as for 8 bit and 16bit,
the 16bit has a slight increase in shadow details though i can't really tell.
raytoei
dasuess
Nikon Freak
Thanks for the test results. I own a V600 and use the Betterscanning ANR glass. The ANR glass made a big difference for me since I am in the processing of scanning several decades of Tri-X negatives that have a pronounced curl towards the emulasion side of the film. Placing the negative strips under a glass sheet weighted by a large stack of magazines softens the curl some, but the ANR glass provides that final bit of flattening needed for a good scan.
I am also pleased to see that my V600 scans are not that far off your V700 scans.
I am also pleased to see that my V600 scans are not that far off your V700 scans.
BardParker
Established
So, do you use the Better Scanning ANR glass insert on your standard epson plastic holders and just don't snap the plastic cover on?
Kent
Kent
raytoei@gmail.com
Veteran
yes. I use the Better Scanning ANR glass insert on the standard epson plastic holders
raid
Dad Photographer
I was just going to ask the same question. If I use the Epson film holder, do I need only the glass.
It seems that the 35mm glass insert works with the Epson film holder, but the 120 glass insert must be used with the $89.95 BetterScan film holder.
Can anyone here provide information on MF film scanning?
This thread is very timely for me.
novum
Well-known
I used the BS film holder and ANR glass for MF for several years and was pleased with the results. Just get it, man.
lam
Well-known
Brilliant, next on my purchase list. Thanks for sharing the results!
raid
Dad Photographer
I agree. I will also get it. Thanks for your review.
raid
Dad Photographer
Do they sell ANR glass for MF without the holder?
charjohncarter
Veteran
I have the V500 and the ANG 35mm glass. I use the negative facing down for most of my B&W. I really haven't checked definition, but the negative sure is flatter with the emulsion down. Not with 35mm but with 120 I was getting some distortion at the edges which I assumed was from sagging. Now I do the same with 120: emulsion side down with the Better-scanning 120 holder and glass.
raid
Dad Photographer
This is good to know, John. I will plan to start soon my own adventures in scanning.
luiman
shadowgrapher
Thanks for this interesting review! I would use Betterscanning ANR glass with my Epson V600 for 120 film. Does it works with the standard Epson 120 plastic holders?
Mablo
Well-known
I've used the betterscanning.com MF negative holder with ANR glass for years with my Canoscan 8800f. Negative holder's distance from the glass can be adjusted which helps a lot at least with my scanner as it is sharpest right on the glass. Canon's flimsy negative holders are a cruel joke anyway. Betterscanning holders are a good buy for anyone who uses a flatbed scanner.
Filzkoeter
stray animal
I did several tests and my Epson V500 gets the sharpest and best results when the negatives are placed directly on the glass, emulsion side down.
I keep them flat with a simple A5 sized anti-reflection glass from a 3 euro picture frame (it's basically the same as anti-newton glass).
EDIT: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/74627717/v500comp.jpg 100% crop, scanned at 3200dpi, negative flat as flat can be... identical settings on both scans, no sharpening or other post processing, only epson scan auto exposure.
I keep them flat with a simple A5 sized anti-reflection glass from a 3 euro picture frame (it's basically the same as anti-newton glass).
EDIT: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/74627717/v500comp.jpg 100% crop, scanned at 3200dpi, negative flat as flat can be... identical settings on both scans, no sharpening or other post processing, only epson scan auto exposure.
torbotek
Newbie
Im planning to buy a V750 and was wondering if the 35mm neg holder have an adjustable height for its OEM holder? Raytoi, is your V700 35mm film holder mcalibrated (height adjusted) for your scanner? I don't think betterscanning is selling 35mm film holders so, I was not sure if you could adjust the height for the OEM 35mm holder? Thank you!
raytoei@gmail.com
Veteran
Yes. it is adjustable by changing the direction of the small clips below the holder.