Advice wanted on professional scanner

[charlotte]

I'm an artist whose work more and more has come to include

photography - I'm in the middle of putting together a submission for

the Irish Arts Council bursaries, and something that I really need

to purchase is a professional quality scanner - but I haven't got a

clue! could someone suggest a high quality scanner? Thank You,

Charlotte Aberg

 

www.charlotteaberg.com

[eric friedemann]

Do you need a film scanner? If so, for what size films?

 

 

Do you need a flatbed scanner? If so, for what size documents?

[alexandru_petrescu]

Charlotte, you're scanning film or paper? What size (film: 35mm or medium or larger format; paper: A4, A3, A0)? Check for "film scanner", "drum scanner", Agfa, Fuji, Epson, Minolta, Canon, Nikon, Polaroid, Imacon. Alternatively, you could ask the same person who persuaded you you need a high-quality scanner which one s/he recommends.

[charlotte]

I'm scanning from photographs, 10 x 15 cm.

[eric friedemann]

I'm partial to the Canon LiDE 80, which will allow you to scan photos and documents up to letter size. The scanner is extremely compact (smaller than most notebook computers). It draws power from its USB connection, so there is no power cord. And the price is quite reasonable at $120 U.S.:

 

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=302184&is=REG

[alexandru_petrescu]

For reflective media (photo paper) there are two types: "flatbed" and "see-thru", the latter being smaller than the Canon Lide, and produced by HP. What I may look for in a professional scanner for 10x15 photos is how fast it scans, how many 10x15 photos at once, no more than 1000dpi, maybe 48bit (16 bit per color channel), calibrated with good targets. Consumer scanners are 70-200euros and "professional" like Epson Expression 1680 is maybe 1000euros.

 

I am quite sure that 10x15 does not yield very high definition and so the actual needs in scanner resolution dpi are not very important. But it needs to be reliable and fast (USB 2.0 preferably SCSI intrerface).

 

I don't own a professional flatbed scanner.

[photos of hans koot]

Some of the top models flatbed from canon and epson allow you to scan negatives or slides as well, suitable for medium format, on the edge for 35mm. (a dedicated film scanner will perform better here). Here you can find some tests.

http://www.photo-i.co.uk/

 

Quality needed depends on the size you want to print. When I see your work scanning slides and negatives seems to be an option to me, but requires a different way of working through as well.

[alexandru_petrescu]

<em>Quality needed depends on the size you want to print.</em>

<p>

I doubt one could reasonably print any larger than 10x15 after scanning a 10x15 (paper's definition and color gamut is much much lower than film's). And if yes, the mandatory interpolation can be performed by any other software, not necessarily the scanner's; so I doubt the scanner quality needs to be very high. And yes, from a 10x15cm looked at arm's distance one could print a 10x15m looked at 10m distance, perceived quality is probably the same. But I may be wrong and I don't know exactly what "quality" you mean, and what "professional quality" may mean for that matter. But I'm sure it's not the high dpi of a flatbed scanner that can squeeze more from a photo paper.

<p>

There are of course different photo papers different characteristics but I think the higher quality papers are used in larger formats prints, much larger than 10x15.

<p>

IMHO

[charlotte]

ideally i would like to be able to print the images large scale - A2 or even bigger...

[alexandru_petrescu]

<em>ideally i would like to be able to print the images large scale - A2 or even bigger...</em>

<p>

I'm not an expert, but I doubt the feasibility of printing A2 for an exhibition out of a 10x15 print. Someone else may know better.

<p>

Still, is it possible to get that 10x15's negative? If yes, better get a a top-level film scanner, no flatbed. With a topmost film scanner like Nikon Coolscan or Minolta Elite 5400 one could get from negatives files that could be printed very large, like A2 you mention, print at 300dpi. If not possible to get the negative, then look at scantips online and book to know what can be done out of a 10x15, for example about "scaling" <a href="http://www.scantips.com/basics02.html">http://www.scantips.com/basics02.html</a>

<p>

Do <b>you</b> need to print or can somebody else do for you? Taking into account your related post on "professional printer" I understand it's you, but I don't think one could have a A2-even-bigger prints with a inkjet home printer because I know the topmost Canon inkjet printer 600USD is only A3 on the wide side (and maybe more on the long side). Alternatively, one could have its prints at a local lab and that lab usually has its own requirements on what kind of digital files to give them, which in turn may dictate what kind of scanner to do.

[charlotte]

as you probably guessed i really haven't got a clue...but it's great to get all this advice - i'm learning! i think perhaps what i need is a scanner that scans from negatives? i know i can get prints done up by professional agencies but as i need to do so many prints etc for exhibitions, it would probably be cheaper for me to do it myself in the long run...i don't know, but all this information is very useful. thank you all, charlotte

[ronald_biese]

Dear Charlotte

hm there is something from Epson, the Stylus Pro 4000

8 inks can do A2 and in lancape formt as long as you want.

On the Epson page it is something as 2490 Euro but the street price is lower, I use it and its great

next jump would be Stylus pro 7600 double the price or Pro 9600 , but again about 9000 Euro.

hope that hepls

ronald

not French but near Bordeaux

[alexandru_petrescu]

Charlotte, I see. If I were in your situation I'd get a topmost film scanner Nikon or Minolta (but not drum scanner) for 1000euros, a topmost A3 inkjet printer for 600usd Epson or Canon, a topmost Lacie CRT monitor for 600usd, a set of targets for 150euros and "spider" for 150euros for proper color calibration and a medium consumer flatbed scanner for 100euros. This would allow to learn many things and at the same time understand what a printing lab would request from me. Once I'd get to learn all this stuff I'd invest more in a printer to put in the basement, assuming I had one. And I am not sure whether printing large stuff at home is cheaper than printing at a lab.

 

You're into sculpture, do you own a sculpting machine like the one they use to sculpt tyre designs (Michelin, GoodYear) before going to production? That's way too expensive to own, by my standard of proportions. I assume it's the same with photos, maybe because I have no clue in sculpture :-)

 

Not French either am I.

[eric friedemann]

"(I) need is a scanner that scans from negatives?"

 

 

Yes, if the negatives are available for the prints you want to scan, you definitely want to scan from the negatives. If I were going to purchase another film scanner, being fairly unhappy with the quality and support for my Nikon LS 8000, I would buy the Imacon Flextight 343:

 

 

http://www.imacon.dk/sw3300.asp

 

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=278077&is=REG

 

 

If the Imacon were out of my price range, for 35mm films only, I would buy the Minolta 5400:

 

 

http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/interactive/Scanners/Minolta/page_1.htm

 

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=285199&is=REG

 

 

For 35mm and medium format, I'd buy the Minolta Scan Multi Pro:

 

 

http://www.kenrockwell.com/minolta/mp.htm

 

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=233018&is=REG

[zero-d]

You can scale up through scanning yes. You won't get more detail but the better the

scanner, the bigger you can go without losing a thing from the original. Of course a Scitex

would be a great choice but as expensive as a nice new Mercedez in some cases. Cheap

consumer models, no matter the specs, don't have the quality optics to do this really well.

Think about it, OPTICAL resolution is what the actual optics can do. If lenses are $500 and

up for good ones, how much do you think a great scanner costs new? $1,000 plus and

much more. Happily though, through the magic of radical computer depreciation, you can

buy used Scitex and Heidelberg for the same price as a new Epson, HP, Canon etc. Just be

a little concerned about compatibility etc. Make sure a computer you have or could buy for

like $100 can run the scanner and you may have the best rig possible for under $500.