Scanner recommendations...

Okay. I have decided to get a scanner that will scan film up to at least 4X5. My intended use is for posting some of my 35mm and LF images on the web, and general "playing around" with a digital darkroom. At present, I do not have any plans to print larger than 8X10. I already have an Epson Stylus Photo 870 printer that seems to do a decent job from my digital camera. The dedicated film scanners for film sizes up to 4X5 seem to be pretty expensive, so I'm thinking of a flatbed with transparency adapter. I'm hoping to get a decent machine for somewhere in the $1000 to $2000 price range (?). I am on a pc platform, running windows 98 and ME, and would prefer firewire or even USB over SCCSI conectivity.

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I'd appreciate input from any of you that have already wrestled with these issues, so as to help me avoid making any big mistakes! Also, on the cheaper side, I've seen an HP 1200DPI flatbed with 4X5 trans adapter for under $500, and wonder if there are any opinions out there on this machine... Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer -- I really appreciate the caliber and quality of the participants in this forum!

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Regards,

A scanner that you will find in many pro photographers digital

darkrooms, as well as being one of the industry standards in the

graphics trade is the Agfa Duo-Scan. It uses what is known as twin

plate technology to do both reflection and tranmission scanning.

This doesn't come cheap however, with the bottom line Duo-Scan 1200

being about $800 - $900 U.S. and going up from there, depending on

scanning resolution. But the results are well worth it!! Almost all

of the flatbed scanners that claim to do transmission scanning the

light is relfected through the slide/neg, bounced off of the lid of

the scanner, back through the slide/neg to the CCD array. Plays hell

with your contrast as well as not being terribly sharp. Useless in

fact for anything under medium format. But the Agfa uses a seperate

system (a pull out drawer) for the slide/negs, and the light passes

directly through to a seperate CCD array sepecifcally designed for

transmission work. The beauty of this system is the ability to scan

up to an 8X10 slide/neg, as well as the ability to use an adapter

that allows you to put in strips of 35mm or medium format, scan them

and have the scanner build seperate files for each. GREAT MACHINES!!

Jack,

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Check out the Minolta Dimage Scan Multi. It is a dedicated film

scanner with 3 holders: 35mm negs,35mm slides, large format with

masks for medium and large formats.

I settled on it because of its flexibility. I purchased mine used and

bought the new Multi II software from Minolta. I am extremely pleased

with the results and the software is a pleasure to use. It can scan

up to 2880 with any medium.

Minolta also has refurbished ones that they sell at their company

store in the range of about $1200.00

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The interface with PS6 is excellent and the machine allows the use of

any color space and monitor profile.

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J-D

I do a lot of this. Both film and other media. What I deal with is

collection of scientific data. For technical reasons I have to use a

flat bed. The one I have now is the most expensive HP [don't

remember the cost]. It does a good job. My files can be on the

large side; up to 150 megs each. My experience is that firewire

works fine as does SCSI. USB is too slow to handle data

transfer on these large files. I am using a G4 with ~1.5 gigs.

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Art

"It can scan up to 2880 with any medium."

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True 2880 resolution only with 35mm, larger formats use interpolated

resolution up to 2880 I think is nearer the mark.

How much scanning resolution would be needed in order to realize the

full potential of, let's say the current 50mm Summicron? Or can this

even be done within the limitations of the computer screen

resolution? How much is enough, if we want optimum quality on maybe

a 14 or 15 inch screen?

Bob:

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I am certainly no expert in the optics of these things. But I think

that you are correct that the reproduction capacities [moniter

(mine is 21 in) or printers] place a limit on how much resolution

you need. My experience is that blank magnification becomes

important long before you have approached the limits of said

lens.

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By the way, when scanning negatives or tranpar. on a flat bed, I

use optical mirror reflectors above the film rather than the top of

the scanner.

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Art