Ektar 100 Revisted with Vuescan

<p>OK so if you saw my horrible scans and negative comments about Ektar 100 film a few weeks back, you may find this humorous. Humbling to me, but also sort of satisfying. Anyway, after the frustration of having my computer die, fixing my phone line, getting to learn my new iMac, and having it not support my scanner or the updated software for it, I finally got most everything up and running. But, and I say but, the scanner has still been an issue; that is until someone on one of the other forums recommended trying Vuescan to run it. So I did. Oh my, something that actually works ! And not only does it work, it works really good with this Ektar film I tried and thought I despised. In fact I've been able to get better results and useable images from things the old software and computer combo couldn't solve. What's more, I just started using this with my scanner and don't even have it dialed in yet. <br>

So here's a couple examples... </p><div></div>

<p>I'm now officially impressed with this film. At least the way the Vuescan software handles it. I can adjust it all over the place and get anything I want. This is one bunch of snow plant growing next to the trail up Woods Creek just up from the jct with the South fork Kings River. There were a bunch of these around in this area, and one reason I wanted to have the color saturated film to use in these shady forested areas. I made my metering and exposures as I would have for B&W, which is one reason I've gone back to print film from slide. The fine grain of the Ektar makes it all the better as the Reala and other films I've been using is pretty splotchy and grainy, especially with light blue sky areas. </p><div></div>

<p>When scanned and posted this image a few weeks back you might remember it being weirdly blue with a hint of purple and sort of plastic looking. A slight hint of bluing at the petal tips is correct. And the yellows here came out fantastic. And the greens are so much improved. <br>

This was a day hike in my favorite park along the north coast of California. This was exposed in deep shade, and if I remember correctly for 8 seconds. For both these last two images I used my Crown Graphic with the junky old 103mm Trioptar of landscape fame. </p><div></div>

<p>The scanner seems to handle B&W fairly well too. This is a test image I made along the side of the house last winter and scanned badly and quite muddy when I tired it previously. I did all these really fast without much concern with perfection as I am just happy to have the thing working. This image above was fun to do as I got out the Graphic View Camera to do some B&W exposure developing tests. I used a very nice 203mm Ektar and a 6x9 roll film back. This has been cropped to about 2/3 of the film frame. Film is old Tmax 400 (TMY). Also metered in shade. </p><div></div>

<p>Love this place. I try to hike up in this area every year. This is from this last July on a very buggy rainy four day outing. The route up into this basin is an old unmaintained foot path and is quite fun. Here in the upper basin there is some trail and cairns, but it is just as easy to hike wherever you want to go. This roll of Ektar and another roll I shot during these couple days I thought were pretty much useless as they were scanning with such a blue cast. But as you can see here, I got a handle on it all right. I'm not done working with these images as I don't have it quite right yet, but what a difference. The foreground and all the rock was very bluish no matter what I tried before. There was no way I could get these more realistic earthy colors. The Sierra granite is interesting in that in different light it can have this iron filled rusty brown look in many places, but in different light can look light gray almost white with that salt and pepper grain. <br>

The camera is the backpacker Crown Graphic, and the lens is the formidable 65mm 6.8 Angulon. Tiny, light weight, and easy to focus. Much sharper than the Wollensak 65mm Raptar or Optar 6.8 which I used for a while. </p>

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<p>Down below in the middle ground you can see the same lake I shot over in the last image. I've taken a liking the last couple years of staying up on the high passes when the weather allows. You can see the reason why yes? There are some great slabs and blocks of granite with sand flats to camp on on this pass, and just about every pass has at least a nice bivy flat. I bring extra water up but here, and on Mather pass the next week was melting snow by dinner time and for coffee. This is also Ektar film. I couldn't get anything out of this frame or a couple like it with the old system. Now I find I have a whole collection of stuff like this that are really fun to work with. Not a great composition, but a great place if you catch my feeling for it. This is the 65mm Angulon lens again. But figure to give you an idea of the scale and proximity I'd have to use a 135mm lens. The problem with that is you wouldn't see much. So I carry the 103 and 65mm lenses. I keep saying I'm going to bring a 135 but don't want to carry it. </p>

<p>I think I have something like twenty or more assorted 127 and 135mm lenses. Most are very good, a couple excellent. And 135 makes what I consider a fine 6x9 lens, and I actually consider it normal in the visual sense. Perhaps you all can talk me into using them more. </p>

<p>As was said in the movie "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly," if you're going to shoot, shoot, don't talk. :-) Luv your stuff.</p>

<p>Your flower shots are glorious. And keep posting the high country pictures. You nailed the color and exposure on all the pictures. Your comments are pushing me to try Vuescan with my film scanner. </p>

<p>Great pictures.</p>

<p>VueScan <em>is</em> amazing. I've got ancient scanners that still work with it without any problems. In many cases, better than with the software made for them. All praise to <a href="http://www.hamrick.com/">Hamrick</a> .</p>

<p>I've got several partially shot rolls of film in cameras right now, so my roll of Ektar 100 is still in the 'fridge. I haven't yet decided what to shoot it in. My EOS 5? My AE-1 Program, my Nikkormat EL?</p>

<p>Beautiful pictures, SG, and the scans look well done. Evening on Italy Pass has very subtle color. I use Silverfast myself but VueScan seems to be doing the job OK.</p>

<p>Eee Gads, that's worse than I remembered. Yes, a huge improvement. Have also been studying anything I can find to read up on scanning. Looks like some multi-pass process may even make some of my lesser slide films work also, so that's my next project to study. Then I'll work on my web presentation skills. </p>

<p>A vast improvement I agree. So I thought I'd try it myself....<br>

But I can't get the Vuescan trial version to work with my HP G4050 when I want to scan negatives :(</p>

<p>Oh well, does Ed support that scanner? There is a list on the site. Mine didn't seem to work right either. So I cleared anything scanner related I could find in my computer, and then re-started it. Then went and and reloaded Vuescan with my scanner hooked up and on. Then I shut everything down, unplugged the scanner completely, and fired that back up. After the scanner did it's thing I changed USB ports and started the computer back up. Haven't had a problem since. </p>