best film for use in comination with digital darkroom

[bas1]

I currently work with Tmax400 that I develop myself in Tmax developper and then scan the negs in with a Minolta Dimage Elite scanner. Printing is done on a HP880c which will be replaced by an Epson 1290 printer.

 

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My question is what is the best film in your opinion to use if scanning is the prime objective. Would the new C41 type b/w films render better results then traditional b/w film?

 

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Please advise

Bas

[paul_chefurka]

One consideration is if you are using a scanner with an IR channel

for dust removal. In that case, the C41 films are the clear winners,

as the IR channel can't be used with silver films, but can be used

with the dye-based C41 films.

 

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From what I've seen, the look of the C41 films is different than

silver films, both in terms of grain structure and tonality - which

is "better" is a matter of taste. The C41 films to have pretty

remarkable latitiude, though - this is probably easier to exploit

with a scanner, and certainly gives you more information (highlight

and shadow detail) to work with.

 

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The downside of using chromogenic films, though is their relative

lack of stability compared to silver films. They'll last only as

long as a regular colour neg, so if archival issues are important to

you, stick with silver.

[mark_wrathall1]

I prefer XP2 scanned on my Dual scan to T400CN. T100 scans well for

me as well, although the point about using a C-41 film makes sense if

you have an Ice capable scanner.

 

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My main film is Supra 100, as Vuescan has a profile for this which is

pretty good. I used Superia 100 before, but the greens and blues got

lost in the Vuescan generic profile. On my low end scanner, color neg

film converted to B&W offers image quality just as good as T400CN,

with the advantage of color filtering a little after the event to

adjust the look.

[nick_rab]

I have been using C41 b/w films mostly out of lazyness, and I found

that I get far less grain out of TMAX 400cn than the Illford XP2 when

scanning, especially when underexposed. Not sure if this is a result

of my scanner or the films themselves though. Both of the C41 films

seem to scan better than silver based films though. I am using a

Acer Scanwit, so this could affect the outcome. I have started

trying color negative films then converting to b/w, but have not yet

found an acceptable one. Anyone else doing this and have a good

suggestion? The flexibility is great, with color filtering available

within photoshop before desaturating.

 

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Nick

[andrew n.bra hrefhttp]

Try Fuji Press 800 - inexpensive pro-quality colour C41 film with

amazingly fine grain and good tolerance for over exposure.<P>

 

Then if you find you must create a B&W image, then in PShop use the

"Channel Mixer" command (under the image / adjust menu) to render a

monochrome image with 40% R, 40% G and 20% B - this will give results

pretty close to B&W film exposed through a standard yellow filter.<P>

[buzz_andersen1]

I can't comment on B&W films, but I can definitely say that my

best scan results with color slides seems to come from Kodak

E100SW. Past experience with Velvia and Kodachrome have

been discouraging. Of course, this could be because the pro

lab that is doing my scanning doesn't have their equipment

properly calibrated for these films--I don't know. I have read in

other places that Velvia is not a good choice for scanning,

though...

[andy_piper2]

I've been scanning film for 7 years now. What I've found works best for

me is 'traditional' B&W films (not Delta/Tmax, not C-41) slightly

underexposed and processed normally. There is not a huge difference -

I've just found I get better results more easily working this way.

 

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My scanner (Nikon LS-1000) tends to really like the highlights to be

down on the straight part of the film curve or they won't separate

well, and it will pick up very low-density details in the shadows that

would be lost in most silver prints (esp. RC papers).

 

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My experience with the C-41-based B&W films (mostly XP2) is that they

scan fairly well, but that they get a lot of grain/noise in the deepest

shadows - the reverse of silver films, where the grain is most visible

in the highlights. My impression is also that they have decent

highlight separation, but are somewhat flatter in the mid-tones.

 

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The biggest headache with the C-41 B&W films, for me, is processing. I

can do silver film at 3 in the morning or on a weekend in my bathroom

if I want, whereas with the C-41 films I have to take it to a lab or

deal with the temperature-critical, expensive, and short-shelf-life

chemicals myself.