How do I scan a curved negative?

[kai_geries]

<p>Hi,<br>

im taking pictures with a Mamiya rb 67, and i just got a Canon 8800f to scan the negatives.<br>

There is an extra plastic film guide where I can put the 120 stirpes into.<br>

I need to scan a negativ, including the black frame with the filmbrand and iso, so i cant use the film guide thing.<br>

i developed the film myself so it is pretty wavy, and its not possible to straight it out, but i can't scan it like that, because it gets blurry. Is there a way to straight this negative out? Is there anything i can do to prevent the film to get curved while developing it, just for the next time.<br>

I hope you know what I mean.. Thank You,<br>

Kai</p>

[matthew_newton]

<p>If you can't use the film holder the only thing I can think of is look around on line for a glass mount. Look for Newtonian (hey my last name) glass film holder. This will help prevent reflections from the scanning light. You can probably find one for your scanner/film size for probably not more then $50 if that.</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>There is no solution! Anti-Newton glass is only partly effective, and you WILL get rings if the film is badly deformed.</p>

<p>You might be able to soak and redry the film so that it is flat. Use Photoflo, which acts as an humectant, and squeegee the film to remove most of the excess solution and dry under tension.</p>

<p>It's not hard to keep film flat when processing. Look back and see what went wrong, and fix what needs fixing in your procedure.</p>

[rick_donnelly]

<p>I have had some success with 120 film flattening by placing the (thoroughly dry) film protected by tissue or glassine inside a large book and placing a heavy weight (more books) on top. You must be patient and let it sit for several days, but it eventually does flatten out nicely. A large enough book collection will allow you to flatten a couple of rolls in one pass . If the film is very wavy and not just curved, you should first do as EI suggests above and soak it, then re-dry it thoroughly under tension.<br>

Scanning without any film holder is a bigger problem. If you use the above procedure(s) and get the film VERY flat, you can place the strip on the scanner glass surrounded by a frame cut from plastic or card stock which is slightly larger and thicker than the film, so that the upper glass in the scanner top does not press down against the film. This will suppress the formation of newton rings, but the film must be very flat and lay smoothly on the scanner base or the scan will not be sharp.<br>

The other method is to employ the "wet mount" scan technique, as used on professional drum scanners, which is very messy if you try it yourself, or very expensive it you have it done by your lab. You can google around to find out more about wet mounting.</p>

 

[danny_wong2]

<p>Sorry Mr. Newton, They are call Anti-Newton glass. They prevent Newton rings from forming by using normal glass. <br>

Newton ring is a phenomenon discovered by a member of your family as a result of lights passing through film and glass when there isn't a proper contact between them.<br>

If you are scanning 120 film on flatbed you can use anti-Newton glass slide mounts for 120 which will hold the film flat due to it being sandwiched between two pieces of glass. 120, due to the thinner base, is very prone to curls. Gepe was the largest manufacturer of these AN glass mount for 120. Other brands that I have seen are Weiss or Rollei.</p>

 

[kai_geries]

<p>I never expected that many answers that fast.<br>

Thanks a lot. Kai</p>

[kai_geries]

<p>

 

<p>"It's not hard to keep film flat when processing"<br>

, after I washed the film several times with water, I just hang it on a leash/ rope and it starts to get a curve, how am I supposed to dry it, instead ?<br>

In case i choose to soak and redry the film, how do I "dry it under tension." ?</p>

<p>Thanks, Kai</p>

 

</p>

[steve_sharf1]

<p>Wash the film again. Use the proper dilution of Kodak Photo Flow and be careful not to exceed the required time(about 30 seconds). Do not squeegee the film. Hang to dry with about four clothes pins on the bottom in an environment that is dust free with at least 40% humidity level. If its too dry add a humidifier of some sort to the area a few hours before. That should get the film about as straight as is possible.</p>

[rick_donnelly]

<p>Anti-Newton glass has been mentioned here, but the use of Anti-Newton glass mounts is really not recommended by scanner manufacturers and scanning experts since the introduction of each additional glass surface between light source, image and sensor will degrade the quality of the film scan through refraction and (especially with Anti-newton glass) diffusion. Without going into too much detail, anti-Newton glass is made by etching a microtexture onto the inner surface (the side touching the film) to prevent smooth glass-to-film contact at spacings on the order of the light wavelength, which is the cause of newtons rings. This etching plus the two extra refractive surfaces will scatter the light causing deterioration of image quality. It isn't really as noticeable in slide projection because of several technical factors but unfortunately quite noticable in scanning. If you aren't concerned about ultimate image quality, it will work, but sharpness and contrast will suffer. I've learned through long experience that the best MF scanning results are achieved by flattening the film as I described above, placing in a tensioning mount (pin-type) that keeps the film taut, and then scanning on either a glass flatbed or, preferably, a tray type flatbed or dedicated film scanner that has no glass at all between film and sensor.</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>If this is important send it away to be drum scanned.</p>