Darkening of edges on scanned negs

I'm getting darkened edges occasionally on 35m b&w negatives I'm scanning with VueScan, using a Nikon LS-40 ED scanner. I got the scanner new and it's been great but is now about 14 years old. I'm also using an outdated version of VueScan, hesitant to update because as is it seems to usually do the job just fine.

 

I am getting these results from both very old negs I processed myself- as in the example shown here from 1982, AND newly shot films processed by a professional lab in NYC. But to emphasize- the darkened edges only show up on some negs, but not on others.

 

Could it be the scanner or software? On this image- which, granted was shot in poor light and is not great technically anyway- I can't detect any changes in value on the edges when looking at the neg itself with a loupe. I suppose it's possible they're there in the neg, but I'm not seeing it.

 

I should say, I scanned this image 3 times with the same result. So certain negs appear to either have the issue, or they don't.

 

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

edge curled?

I am seeing the dark margin only on the right. Since these are 35mm negatives, I am thinking you have a shutter that is what we would call "capping". The focal plane shutter curtain speed varies when the shutter is released. If the above frame is on a set of 5 and you have several shoots of the same subject, look at the adjacent frames. "Generally" you would have used the same shutter speed and the shutter would repeat the capping. My Fed-2 will do this capping if it has been sitting about with the shutter cock, so if I know the camera will be idle for several days, I blank a shot. A CLA would "cure" everything if it is capping. Bill

Turn the neg around and see what happens.

It does look like the film curling to me, as Paul says. Is that right side at the end of a strip of film? That would allow it to curl more on that side.

 

I can get some of my negatives to uncurl by breathing on the emulsion side. It also seems to me that curling is less of a problem when I scan at a cooler time of day, and on wet days; but maybe I see what I expect to see.

Curling which way? Do you mean the curvature along the length or at the end? The neg strip from the photo shown is pretty flat, with no curl at the end.

 

Chuck, on this one it's on the end of the strip and I placed it in the scanner head in and also turned it around and put the strip in with it being the last neg. Same result. I don't think you're suggesting turning it upside down are you?

 

Also, for Bill: This is happening with negs shot from 2 or 3 different cameras- a Leica M2 and my current M7, at least, so I don't think it's the shutter. Also as I said doesn't occur on many or most negs.

I'll go with curl, too.

Can you see the defect when viewing the negative closely with a loupe?

There's clearly shading at both left and right edges Bill. Not a shutter fault at all IMO.

 

It could be a reflection of the clear film margin somewhere in the scanner. Maybe from the filmholder - any black paint missing? Or diffusion from a dusty mirror in the scanner - that's apparently a common fault with old Nikon scanners.

 

You could try masking off the clear margins of the negative somehow, and see if it makes any difference. Using black paper or tape maybe?

rodeo_joe, could that be the case if over half of the images scanned don’t have any of the edge darkening? By film holder are you talking about an external accessory holder the film is placed in before feeding it in the scanner? I feed the film strip directly into the scanner, have never used a holder for this scanner except for mounted slides... The scanner has never been serviced however.

 

The dark edges disappear more easily than I would expect when lightening up the image with VueScan software, but then again overall the image ends up being too light with that strategy, so I expect that probably doesn’t mean anything.

Have you tried scanning with NikonScan? Do you have the same problem? If not, it is software.

 

If it is not software, you might try cleaning eh film strip transport. I have the LS-50; instructions for cleaning the transport are in the manual.

 

If all else fails, crop the image in either Photoshop or Lightroom.

Yes I have cropped and it’s usually not a big deal.

 

I thought Nikon’s software was defunct quite some time ago. No?

Yes I have cropped and it’s usually not a big deal.

 

I thought Nikon’s software was defunct quite some time ago. No?

There are ways to make it work.

Yes I have cropped and it’s usually not a big deal.

 

I thought Nikon’s software was defunct quite some time ago. No?

 

No it is not. Download the version of NikonScan for Windows Vista (Version 4.03). When you install it, uncheck the box to install the drivers. It will then use the VueScan driver. The software works perfectly under Windows 7 and people have posted that it works under Windows 10.

bgelfand, I’m on a Mac.

This link may help

 

nikonscan for mac - Bing

Hmm, looks tempting. I'm not the savviest with computer software. Usually don't have any issues but I'm hesitant to mess with things when something is already mostly working.

 

Would it affect using VueScan if I wanted to fall back on that?

Would it affect using VueScan if I wanted to fall back on that?

 

Probably not - but on second thoughts perhaps those old links in the search results are too old to get a trouble free download from. Upgrading your Vuescan might be the better option

 

The problem with your negs could be different lighting situations when exposing the film. The pic you posted is shot through a windscreen, how many other photos did you take with anomalous lighting ? How many against the Sun or against the main lighting source ?

 

Your scanner is getting long in the tooth so it may need a good cleaning. How are the pressure plates in your cameras ? The film must be held flat against the film plane rails. You say that only some negs are affected, but all the negs may be affected, you might be only noticing the really bad ones

It's not the lighting. The image posted is old and was shot before I really paid enough attention to what the light was doing. I very rarely shoot into the light anymore.

Other images clearly do not have the problem at all.

The cameras are good, I'm sure of that. The scanner has never been serviced so that could be suspect.

rodeo_joe, could that be the case if over half of the images scanned don’t have any of the edge darkening?

 

- Are the affected negatives all from the same camera? Maybe the frame length or spacing is marginally different? Because it looks like light-bleed from the frame edges, which will look darker as the tones are inverted.

 

Whatever the cause, I'm pretty sure the answer will lie inside the scanner hardware. I find it difficult to see how the scanner software could create such a fault.

Not from the same camera, and I’ll check, but pretty sure it’s not dependent on occasional but rare frame space irregularity.

 

You know though, now that you say it joe, I had wondered if it is somehow caused from bleed from the clear space between frames.

I’ll check on how to get the scanner cleaned or serviced. If someone has info on that, I’d appreciate the info.

Just called Nikon technical support and they no longer clean or service their scanners, due in part as I was told, to lack of parts. There are online instructions on how to clean the mirror inside the scanner, but it looks more involved than I think I want to try to handle. I haven't checked yet to see if there are independent techs who will do a service.

If you search ebay for Nikon scanner repair, you will find some options. I haven't used any of them so I can't make a specific recommendation but I have read posts from people in other forums who have had decent results.

 

Doug

Talked to the film lab guy in NY and he says it's the scanner. Something about the film not being flat possibly. I don't know. He seems to be saying I need to replace it.

 

Would there be any issue buying an unused boxed Nikon scanner? They're pretty old by now, but there seems to be some unused ones available, with return option.

 

Alternative would be getting a $16,400 Hasselblad Flextight X1, but that would be an extreme move, even for me.

try scanning it on another scanner of a different brand? Edited November 6, 2018 by paul ron