Scanner advise

[alberto greco]

Dear All,

 

i'm thinking about buying a scanner for my film pictures (both b&w negs and

slides). I do not have any clues with this kind of devices and before making

any decision, I would like to know a little bit more on this topic.

 

My use of the scanner will basically consist of a low resolution scanning for

archiving purposes (my idea is to scan all the frames of each roll) and a high

resolution scanning for only the 3-4 best frames of each roll to have them

printed by a lab.

 

1. I have been told that there are some scanners which automatically scan the

whole roll if the latter is not divided in single frames (therefore just a

only one stripe of all the negs/slides together) with a capability to "read"

the spare parts of the film between each frame and making different files for

each picture. Is that true? are the results acceptable? I think this will save

me a lot of work in front of the monitor..

 

2. What do you suggest should be a good resolution for the high resolution

scannings i need for printing purposes (usually no more than 20x30 cm prints)?

 

3. Could you please indicate me a review/tutorial or something like that which

may explain me the issues above?

 

thank you for your help

Alberto

[trooper]

I've become quite pleased with my Canon 9950F after some initial struggles with it. I keep my 35mm negatives in 5 frame strips in negative sheets and the Canon has 5 strip holders that can actually hold 6 frame length strips so I'm getting 25 frames per loading and could get 30 if I stored them that way. Most of my use is for medium format but it is quite acceptable for 35mm, too (It also has a slide holder for 12 up scanning). It is quite adequate for the size prints that you mention. It is also quite moderate in cost if that matters for you (it did for me). I'm still a wet darkroom guy so my perspective might differ from many and others might prefer a dedicated film scanner. Some of the film scanners that accept an entire roll through a single slot might prove more time-efficient for you.

[custom film holders for fl]

>>3. Could you please indicate me a review/tutorial or something like that which may explain me the issues above?<<

<p>

Wayne Fulton's www.scantips.com site is a good place to start:

<p>

<a href="http://www.scantips.com">www.scantips.com website</a>

<p>

That site will get you up to speed on the basics.

<p> Doug<p>

<a href="http://www.betterscanning.com">BetterScanning.com</a>