Nikon scanners and B&W film

<p>I just found a box that was hidden away with about 1000 of my Black & white negatives from the seventies.<br /> I'm trying to scan them on my Nikon coolscan 4000 ED scanner using Nikon scan 4,0 software.<br /> the results are horrible. most come our with very high contrast and underexposed. I tried a multi tude of setting and combinations and none work well. best results come with the scanner set for a color negative and RGB colorspace. doesn't seem right. Suggestions Negatives are properly exposed plus X pan<br /> color negative RGB color space setting<br /> <img src="http://static.photo.net/attachments/bboard/00V/00VTda-208925584.jpg" alt="" /><br /> mono neg grayscale setting<br /> <img src="http://i715.photobucket.com/albums/ww160/jml0306/Image3-1.jpg?t=1263274186" alt="Image3-1.jpg picture by jml0306" /></p>

I don't have have a Coolscan (yet) so I don't have any personal experience but I've read that ICE isn't

compatible with B&W negatives and can result in unpredictable results. Do you have ICE enabled?

<p>I use a Minolta Dimage Scan Elite II and I had the same problem. In my case there were two things why it did not work in B/W;</p>

<p>1. As it seems, my scanner had a basic B/W mode and a greyscale mode. The greyscale mode seems like a colour mode that is then converted to greyscale. The B/W mode would give results like you show here. The greyscale mode was slightly better.</p>

<p>2. Only in the colour mode, I had access to the full array of options, like multiple passes and all the technical things like autofocus of my scan lens, noise reduction, and all the sci-fi things like ROC, GEM, ASF and Digital ICE. Don't ask me what they stand for, but some options gave remarkable results. Since I saved my preferred settings in profiles, I forgot the meaning of it all ;-).</p>

<p>Joe, I have read somewhere that many people uses VueScan for BW-scanning. Maybe they have a free trial you can download and try whether this helps.</p>

<p>Does your software have a "levels" type box? It should... My flatbed scanner give the same results on auto mode. I need to adjust the contrast manually prior to every scan for best results. The difference is huge (and I`m using Epson scanning software... ).</p>

<p>I'd suggest that you scan them as gamma = 1 positives and invert using the ColorNeg or ColorPerfect Photoshop plug-in (designed for color, but work great with B&W). A demo version is available, and the plug-in is inexpensive. More info here:</p>

<p>http://www.colorneg.de/virtualgrades.html?lang=en<br>

http://www.c-f-systems.com/Plug-ins.html</p>

<p> </p>

<p>The vuescan trial produced a better image<br>

How do you set the nikon software to do the same?<br>

<img src="http://i715.photobucket.com/albums/ww160/jml0306/Scan-100112-0005.jpg?t=1263302712" alt="Scan-100112-0005.jpg picture by jml0306" /></p>

<p>The images, especially the second, look as if digital ICE has been turned on. You can't use digital ICE with non chromogenic black and white. Make sure that the settings you make apply to each image on a strip, and don't revert to previous settings. The Nikon scan program is annoying in that respect.</p>

<p>My coolscan IV has always given pretty good B/W performance with Nikon Scan, so I don't think it's a basic incapability in the software.</p>

<p>I have a Coolscan V and a Coolscan 5000 with roll adapter. It's just a matter of settings to get excellent scans in B&W and your scans are way off base as you can see.</p>

<p>Try this for starters:<br /> 1) Insert some B&W film.<br /> 2) Select which frame you want and press Prescan (not preview). Prescan says "Perform prescan densitometry measurements on the image to be scanned" on the status bar when you hover on the symbol. This will actually set the exposure and gain in the scanner hardware.<br /> 3) Disable all curves, ICE and other software adjustments (on the right side of your program window).<br /> 4) Select Neg (Mono) and Grayscale. Then press the Preview button and you'll get a preview image.<br /> 5) Under Scanner Extras (also on the right side of your program window) select 16 bit or 14 bit if you have that.<br /> 6) Do autofocus (if not set to do it automatically) and press Scan to scan the image. (I assume you scan TIFFs).</p>

<p>There is also a setting which is under Preferences > Advanced Color > Auto contrast calculations which may or may not affect your scanning. I set both black and white to 0.01% or 0.1% or maybe even 0% (can't remember).</p>

 

<p>There can be two issues: the software (typically that supplied with the scanner), and the personality of the scanner itself.</p>

<p>In my first attempts to scan b/w with a Minolta Scan Dual II I used the supplied software, scannned as b/w, and got horrible, high contrast, blown-out results. The sad thing is the scanner has the potential to deliver much better results. Either simply scanning "as a slide" will sometimes help, or running the scanner with Vuescan. With B/W I found the latter approach best, for myriad reasons.</p>

<p>Software aside, the scanners light source will make a big difference in what you can ultimately get out of your b/w. In my experience scanning the same frame of Tri-X with both a Minolta Scan Elite 5400 and a Nikon Coolscan V, the results with the 5400 were superior: much better retention of fine highlight detail, higher resolution, and much less tendency to lovingly render each and every scratch and dust speck. The latter is a big plus for the 5400, since ICE cannot be used on Silver based emulsion.</p>

<p>IMHO, the main reason for these differences is the 5400's more diffuse light source, coupled with further possible diffusion available via it's (hardware) Grain Dissolver: a frosted plate which swings into the light path.</p>

<p>Thanks to all for the help.<br /> Its definately the add ons<br /> GEM, ROC, ICE all must be off and everything at netural<br /> MONO NEG, Grayscale color space</p>

<p>1975- Plus X - d-76 developer - Nikon F FTN 50mm 1.4 Nikkor S - Nikon Coolscan 4000ED Scanner</p>

<p><img src="http://i715.photobucket.com/albums/ww160/jml0306/botgarden2res.jpg?t=1263355020" alt="botgarden2res.jpg picture by jml0306" /></p>