what scanner for 6x9 neg film

[dreamtimestudio]

hi,

I started my photography career just at the change over from film to digital so I know nothing about film and

processing but have always been dissapointed with the results i get from digital when shooting landscapes or natural

skin tones, so much so that I just bought a second hand Fuji 6x9. I love the look of porta 160NC and now that I'm all

inspired to finally do some landscapes etc im wondering what type of scanner i need. The epson v500 has caught

my eye as a low price option, the idea is to shoot porta then scan for use around A4 and if I decide to go any larger

get a drum scan. Does anyone have one of these scanners, would it be of a high enough quality to get faithful color

and detail from a 6x9 to go to A4? Obviously there are better scanners out there but my budget is below $1000 for

this project. thanks...

[Ed_Ingold]

If you can't get good color using a digital camera, then you can't expect any better from scanned film, and probably much worse. Scanning involves many more variables, often problematic, in going from the analog to the digital domain. You need to develop your skills for color management.

 

In the chance that you typed in the wrong key words when searching Photo.net before posing this tired question, a dedicated film scanner like a Nikon LS-9000 or Imacon is needed to get enough out of medium format film to warrant using film at all. Save you money until you can afford a good scanner, and in the meantime practice using Google on this forum.

[seandepuydt]

Shane, I'm not sure what size A4 is, but I do have this scanner, and for me, the largest that I could hope to get would be 11x14. It's a nice little scanner, but it is a low cost alternative with limited capabilities. I happen to like mine.

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

Let's try to limit this to one rude response.

 

Here's a link comparing flatbeds, some are very expensive pro models, others not. At least you'll see what you get relative to the best.

 

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/scan-comparison/

[dreamtimestudio]

Thanks guys, and also to Edward im new to the forums and have now found lots of threads on this scanner, for proofing it seems fine. But on the digital aspect I've freelanced in many product/still life studios in london and am used to seeing files from phaseone etc, now that im starting my own buisness i need to be frugile, hense bought a D300 and i have to say its fine for many things but when it comes to critical color rendition like skin tones it just doesnt cut it (i spent an 1hr searching through profiles, layering, selective color etc on a portrait last week to even get close), since the 6x9 cost $500 and a phase one is about $30k that combo should do for now.

[Ed_Ingold]

I am led to believe you are a professional photographer so I can skip some of the basics. You should use the D300 in RAW mode, which bypasses in-camera corrections. All corrections should be done in post-processing where you have real parametric control. With scanned film, you will find the emulsion you choose means less than your ability to control the work flow. You have much more control over results in an hybrid work flow than with a wet darkroom.

 

The basic adjustment for color is Color Temperature. Flash is "daylight" color in name only. Most flash units change color with the power setting and most modifiers change the color, often significantly. If any softbox or scrim is visibly yellowed or discolored, it should be replaced. Minimize light spill and paint the studio black or at least some neutral color.

 

You can fine-tune the color balance using a color chart (e.g., Gretag-MacBeth Color Checker SG) designed for flesh tones. You can then use Eye One Match, InCamera (Pictocolor) or one of several scripts which run with Adobe Camera Raw to create a profile. While it is possible to load a profile or curve into the camera, I think it's best to keep it in Photoshop.

 

You can use a similar work flow with film and scanning. It's sometimes difficult to standardize on the scanner settings well enough to achieve consistency, however. You can profile the scanner with reversal film so that "what you see is what you get." Unfortunately, what you see is not always what you want. Creating profiles with a color chart solves that problem and works with both reversal and negative color film. With negative film, you need to create a new profile for each emulstion and lighting situation.

 

Once you have a well regulated color work flow, you can usually get good prints from a commercial lab. If you print yourself, you need to profile each printer and type of paper.

 

A4 prints are essentially letter-sized. A V500 might be adequate for an A4 print from medium format film, but just barely. Prints from a D300 would usually look better than medium format film scanned on a V500. Consumer-level flatbed scanners are seriously resolution challenged, tend to be noisy in shadow areas and have a poor dynamic range compared to a dedicated film scanner. If you can't afford a decent scanner, then you can't afford medium format photography on a professional level.

[dreamtimestudio]

Hi again, ive attached 2 snap shots of my girlfriend one shot on the fuji s5 (which i think has better skin tones than

the d300) which was processed from raw and the other was taken on a olmpus xa 35mm point and shoot with porta

160nc then cheaply scanned low res at the local minilab, both shot on a cloudy day. To me the porta is 100 times

more pleasing to the eye and bear in mind these are only the most basic snap shots. Unfortunately these are the

only 2 shots i can dig up with similar lighting and subject. When i do my pro work i do all of the things you

mentioned before and get great results off the phase one, but not off the nikon, the shots in my album were all shot

on phaseone.<div></div>

[dreamtimestudio]

35 point and shoot porta

[dreamtimestudio]

sorry didnt upload, here is the porta<div></div>

[User_503771]

I just looked up the definition of "A4" on the net -- sorry, we Americans aren't quite up to speed with modern standards! :)

 

So, that's not much different from our "letter size" paper, which is 8-1/2 x 11". The Epson you're looking at could do the job nicely, just keep in mind that the scans from flatbed scanners need a bit (sometimes quite a bit) more sharpening with unsharp mask than those from dedicated film scanners. I've got one of each for 35mm and even the 35mm scans on the flatbed are much better than I had any reason to expect; one just has to take great care with technique, focus height above the glass (where applicable), etc. And I'm real happy with my medium format scans; the same provisos apply.

 

I don't know much about the V500; I've read reviews of the V700 series which, from the sound of it, might be out of your price range at the moment. You might want to consider picking up a 4990, which has been discontinued as far as I know but is very close in quality to the V500-V700 series. I have a 4870, which is similar but with smaller transparency adaptor, and which I bought refurbished from Epson. I suggest the 4990 because there is a greater likelihood that it's still available new or refurbished at a pretty good discount.

 

If you haven't seen it already, this site has lots of terrific scanner reviews: http://www.photo-i.co.uk

 

By the way, from what I've read elsewhere, the Epsons get very high marks for color handling, even with the Epson Scan software -- I've been very pleasantly surprised.

 

For even greater control, you can use Vuescan Pro to scan to DNG (Adobe's Digital Negative) format, then process using Camera Raw. This software is quite inexpensive for what you get; I like it much better than Silverfast, plus you can use it with any scanner.

 

Hope this helps.

[paul.droluk]

Shane,

 

take a look on eBay right now. There are (3) Nikon 8000 ED scanner being auctioned. I'll bet none of them sell for more

than $1000. Scan a 6x9 original on this scanner and you'll be able to print stunning Super-B's (13x19 inches). A1's will look

far better than an A4 scanned on an Epson flatbed... even the V750 Pro.

[dreamtimestudio]

thanks for that, i had a look at ebay the only problem is they are in the US, postage to Australia is about $200 for something that heavy, but if they go cheap enough that will certainly be a good option.