Scanning 4x5 negs with EPSON 2450

I've been using a epson 2450 to scan 4x5 b/w and color negs.

To make a 70mb scan from the b/w negative took upwards of 20

minutes which seems absurdly and surprisingly long. The other

difficulty was that the color negs were scanned to color positives

but with lots of orange. It is as if the orange film mask of color

neg film was placed over the positive image on the screen.

I'm using an iMac and TWAIN software through Photoshop 7

Any thoughts for better performance.

Thanks David

<i>1. 70mb scan took upwards of 20 minutes.</i><br>

I can't help you there. On a PC with firewire, I scan 2400dpi 3.25"x4.25" negs in something like 6-7 minutes. Don't know exactly, because I'm always doing something else while it scans in the background. It's certainly not 20 minutes.<br>

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<i>2. Color negs were scanned to color positives but with lots of orange.</i><br>

Perhaps the orange mask of your color negatives is weaker than what the orange mask removal expects. It's applying too much blue to counter the orange mask, which, when reversed to yield the positive scan, appears as extra orange.<br>

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Are there settings in the TWAIN software for adjusting the strength of the orange mask removal? Perhaps a film type selection?<br>

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<i>3. Any thoughts for better performance</i><br>

I'm completely unfamiliar with the Epson scanning software that ships for the Mac. On the PC, I use Silverfast as the go between instead of the TWAIN connection. There are presets to remove the orange masks of most film emulsions. I can preview the results of the orange mask removal before I spend time scanning.

David, likewise I'm scanning 4x5 at 2400 dpi in about 10 minutes or maybe a little less with firwire on a PC. The orange mask issue must surely be film type recognition.

 

How are you handling focusing? This was my biggest 4x5 scanning issue with the 2450. Eventually I started using a UMAX 4x5 metal neg carrier, adjusted after a lot of trial and error with paper shims. It offers improved film flatness but has anyone got a better solution?

 

Regards, Gary

Consider using VueScan:

 

http://www.hamrick.com/

 

It's $40 shareware that I find *much* easier and more predictable than the Epson TWAIN driver. Hamrick has also put much effort over the years into color corrections. It's all I use with my 2450.

 

The 2450 is capable of two pass scanning - it'll scan at two different exposures and combine the images to get a larger dynamic range. IIRC, this option is called a "long exposure pass" which takes as long as the original pass - 2x10min = 20 minutes. Might be your time problem. The VueScan software explicitly calls out this process so that you can turn it on/off at will.

 

Last tip - only scan at optical resolutions with this scanner as the interpolation is not state of the art. The optical resolutions seem to be 2400ppi, 1200, 600, and 300.

<<How are you handling focusing? This was my biggest 4x5 scanning issue with the 2450. Eventually I started using a UMAX 4x5 metal neg carrier, adjusted after a lot of trial and error with paper shims. It offers improved film flatness but has anyone got a better solution?>>

 

I just got a 2450...have read that there is a fair amount of sample variation in the focus. Some people have reported getting better scans putting the neg directly on the glass (emulsion down, to avoid Newton rings)with the carrier on top to hold it flat. I'm still in the tryout stages...have a 2000dpi Polaroid 45 which may not may not be replaced by the 2450 depending on the results.

Jay; I have never had a focus problem with the epson 2450 in 6 months of usage. If you want to make your own holders; the software needs to see the approx 1x10cm open slot at the begining of the holder. I made one out of cardboard so I could scan the maximum size of 4x9 inches. One could tilt the negative at an angle; to see if there is any focus problems. There is heat from the scanner lamp; I suspect that some focusing problems are do to the negatives moving/popping during scanning.

It takes me about 5 minutes to get a 4x5" scan at 2400 dpi, using a 1.5GHz Compaq, using the 1394 interface.

 

BW scans are tricky. First of all, I strongly recommend Silverfast AI (full-verson) v6. It makes the 2450 shine! Silverfast AI has a BW scanning option, 8-bit or 16-bit. I recommend 16-bit scanning, since BW scans tend to be too contrasty at 8-bit depth.

 

Otherwise, you may have better success scanning the BW negative as a positive, then inverting it in Photoshop. This avoids the mask compensation problem.

 

I have also found that multiple scans (a feature of Silverfast) helps reduce electronic scanning "noise". I have had more problems with BW negatives than with color. I have not found multiple scanning necessary with the Epson 2450, but very helpful with my older Epson Expression 1600.

BTW, how do you folks use 6x6 or 6x4.5 in the carrier as it is cut for 6x9?

I have used 6x9 and 6x6 in the carrier; and am using silverfast

I use the 2450 for 4x5. I prefer Vuescan over the Epson software. It apparently doesn't use the twain driver. It may be faster because of that. I don't think my scans are more than 10 min. using USB. I'll have to time the next one. In Vuescan I do a lot of tweaking of brightness, black point and white point and can get a very nice scan that is easily adjusted in PS. I have not had any orange cast problems scanning color negs with vuescan. BTW, once you purchase Vuescan you have unlimited upgrades, and Hamrick upgrades often, making it better and better each time.

I'm going the other way, scanning ancient damaged 110 and 126 size negatives in a restoration effort, but I run across some of the same issues, in particularly curled negs from the heat of the lamp during those loooong scans. (5-6 minutes at 2400dpi for a 1-inch square, more or less)

 

Since focus is not critical for these little guys and all the cardboard holders I made tended to add more dust and grief than they helped, I have resorted to taping down problematic film with post-it notes. They tend to leave the least residue and clean up very well with just a shot of lens cleaner and a wipe with a microfine cloth.

I'm getting some fantastic results considering the state of the film, very heat-damaged, wasn't developed for 11 years and rode around in my mom's trunk.

 

Regarding the orange mask, if I understand what you wrote correctly it sounds like you are scanning negatives in positive mode, is that correct? If so, that's slide mode rather than neg mode, so no orange mask is expected, thus no filtering. If using Epson Twain make sure the source is color negative rather than positive transparency. Otherwise, definitely give Silverfast or Vuescan a try if you can get them to run on MacOS.

 

Best of luck