Which Scanner, Which Film?

[michael j hoffman]

Here's my situation.

 

I have been working with my DSLR (Canon 10D) and inkjet (Epson 2200) printer

to achieve black-and-white digital inkjet prints to my liking.

 

I have several film cameras that I enjoy using, including a couple of Leica

M's. I would really like to incorporate these cameras into my digital

workflow.

 

I would like to shoot film and scan it for digital output since I am now at a

skill level for creating digital black-and-white prints via Photoshop that are

pleasing to my eye.

 

I am considering the Nikon Coolscan V and the Nikon Coolscan 5000, as I will

only scan 35mm film. Which is best? Is there another I should consider?

 

What film works best for scanning into Photoshop with the intention to create

a black-and-white inkjet print? My favorite films before going digital were

Tri-X and Kodachrome 200, but I understand that these are two of the most

difficult films to scan, as Digital ICE cannot be effectively applied due to

varying differences in the thickness of the emulsion across the negative/slide

area. I am not beholden to that which I already know and like (well, except

for shooting my Leica M's). If shooting a lower contrast color negative

(Portra 160NC) or slide (Fuji Sensia) would provide a more workable file, then

I will do that.

 

Thanks for any advice you can give me.

 

Michael J Hoffman

[ronald_moravec1]

The best film is the one you like, just develope for a condenser enlarger, ie keep the contrast low. Scanners hate high contrast. I never found a film I could not scan.

 

Differences 4.8 vs 4.2 dynamic range

 

multi scan

 

 

24 or 42 vs 24 or 48 color bit debth

 

8 or 14 vs 8 or 16 bits per color

 

optional roll film adapter

 

auto slide feeder

 

All other spec the same. Source Nikon catalogue vol 14

 

Put the film in a plastic page and weight it down for a day or two to get it flat. Then immediately scan. Unfortunately they don`t come with glass carriers like enlargers. Stupid oversite.

 

Nikon software will not work with Vista OS.

 

Enjoy your toy

[Ed_Ingold]

If you want the best B&W prints, you should start with B&W film. One is as easy to scan as another - there's only one flavor of silver particles. With a Nikon scanner, use the high-bit setting (12 or 14 bits/channel) in B&W Negative mode, and the highest optical resolution (4000 ppi). Do not try to use Digital ICE (it won't work with a silver emulsion), and don't waste time with ROC and GEM.

 

Starting from color film, you will get the best results from negative film. Positive film has a very limited dynamic range and generally has too much contrast. The main difference between color negative films is grain and dynamic range (for shadow detail). The contrast and saturation is whatever you wish it to be through curves and levels in Photoshop.

 

The next step is a dedicated Color to B&W plugin (e.g., SilverOxide) or trial and error using the Photoshop Channel Mixer tool. B&W is much more sensitive to blue than the other colors, so start out using B50, R25 and G25 in Channel Mixer - the percentages should total 100.

 

The 4.2 and 4.8 figures are DMax - the maximum density on film that will result in a useful signal in the scanner. Dynamic range is 7 or 8 stops off the film - more than adequate. The image is already compressed by the film's characteristic curve.

[thirteenthumbs]

I purchased a Polaroid sprint Scan 4000, pulled out some of my 10+ year old Kodachrome 200 slides, scanned @ 4000dpi using the default Kodachrome setting in the PolaColor Software. The look as good as day one and projected. If the Nikon won't do justice with the standard B&W negetive or Kodachrome stetting then try RAW slide or RAW B&W negetive if they are available then adjust in photoediting software. Very high contrast/dense negetives or slides can be saved using the RAW settings.

[robert_k1]

Before making a decision, check the following links. Some Nikon users reported flares in their scans, but no Minolta users had reported this problem. I own many Nikon equipment, and would have gotten a Nikon scanner if not for the flares.

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00IGyN

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=001A4q

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=004EWS

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00A2Sh

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00CTcF

 

http://www.vad1.com/photo/dirty-scanner/

 

http://www.pearsonimaging.com/ls5000cleaning.html

 

This member apparently was aware of the flares:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00H558

 

Here's what he ended up with after buying a Nikon:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00HCnM

[robert goldstein]

Fuji Astia 100f is a fantastic color slide film with excellent tonal range, and it scans

beautifully. I have made a number of B&W conversions from it that I think are not bad. Some

of them can be found in this gallery:

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=491539

 

All but one image are B&W conversions from color film.

 

Rob