scanning of wedding film

[sfcole]

<p>I've searched the archives, but so far haven't found an answer to my question (and things may have changed anyway in the last year):<br>

I see a lot of studios still offering weddings on film, which I intend to do, at least to start since I have almost all the equipment I need and I won't have to really invest anything.<br>

These studios offer CDs---how are most doing the scanning? If a lab can do it cost-effectively, does that mean the quality is not so great? For smaller prints sizes, do people use good flatbed scanners? I'm talking about 6x6.</p>

<p>thanks</p>

[curt_kalkstein1]

<p>When I still used film, I joined Pictage because I wanted to offer digital features to my customers, one of which is being able to download to yourself all the files that have been uploaded from the film you send in to post on-line.<br>

So, you shoot the wedding, then send the film to Pictage for it to scan and upload for customer viewing. If you want an image - or all the images - on your computer you just pluck them off the Pictage ftp site.<br>

I'm sure there are other companies, but Pictage is the only I've used.</p>

[david_schilling___chicago_]

<p>Most any pro lab can give you scans when they develop the negs.....easy peasy.</p>

[bill_clark___minnetonka_mi]

<p>You can join Pictage lite at $1.00 for the first month then the other 11 months would total $98.00 for a total of $99.00 for the first year. Each year after the first is $199.00</p>

<p>Check here:<br /> http://newaccounts.pictage.com/application_lite_2.html</p>

[gregory_c]

<p>Film ?? what is film ?? aren't you suppose to use a digital camera on the auto setting ? I am just being a smart &^%. Good for you for shooting film ! I have 2 Hasselbald cameras being unused right now. Honestly, my wedding work was better with film than digital. At weddings people acutally looked down at me for shooting film.</p>

[sfcole]

<p>"Most any pro lab can give you scans when they develop the negs.....easy peasy."<br>

Yes, but are these high-quality scans, ones that can go 16x20? Are they going to better than me using a flatbed? I'm just assuming that having them make scans of everything would be expensive.</p>

[mikael_karlsson]

<p>Scott:</p>

<p>You can always have the lab make you machine uncorrected proofs so you can pick out the negs ( or slides ) you want to get scanned at professional level. For pro scanning I warmly recommend Jim Harrington at http://www.slidescanning123.com Jim deliver very high quality scans at very reasonable prices and he is also very careful with your stuff and everything comes back in tip-top shape.</p>

[greg jansen]

<p>Most labs will offer "preview" size scans at the time of processing for a small charge. I pay $3 per roll. THe 35mm scans are 4x6 @300 d.p.i. I forget what the 6x6 scans are in size.<br>

The 35mm 4x6 scans are fine for up to 5x7. Anything bigger you need the negatives.<br>

Think of the CD as a conveniance item, not something that all enlargements come from. It is great for emailing friends, posting on Facebook, etc.<br>

When it comes to larger,higher quality enlargements I tell the clients to take the negatives in to a good lab (I suggest a couple) to get the nice few enlargements that will be displayed at home on the walls.<br>

Most labs will not charge extra to re-scan the negatives at the size of the finished enlargement.<br>

The lab I use uses a Fuji Frontier. It writes a code on the back of the prints with a file number on it. It is the same file number that is on the CD. Everything is cross-referenced. It is very organized, and very easy.<br>

I enclose an info sheet with the negatives on how to get the best enlargements. Negatives are slipped into 120 clear pages and labeld, then put in an archival ring binder box.<br>

Works great, is very easy.<br>

Most clients don't mind making the one trip to the lab to pick out their enlargements. A good lab will walk them through where/how to crop each enlargement, if to add a border for a matte, etc.<br>

My attitude is labs are the pros for printing. Let them do it.</p>

 

[aimee_pieters]

<p>I've uses Natural Color Imaging in New England as they will process your film, make you either individual paper proofs or a finished proof magazine and return the color corrected, high res digital files to you on a disc. I don't know of other labs that will do this.<br>

Please note that if you're doing a fair number of weddings, your cost for film and processing will very quickly pay for a digital camera....-Aimee</p>

[picturesque]

<p>Scott--the scans labs make are not the highest quality scans. They are OK, and if you need to make a 16x20 from one of their scans, you will want to work on the scan yourself--sharpening, contrast, etc. I have had enlargements make from lab scans and they are NOT comparable to well made optical prints from medium format negatives.</p>

<p>Also, if you scan yourself, a flatbed is not the answer. You need a dedicated film scanner--I believe the Nikon 9000 is still made (?). It is a slow process but gives the best scans. I would only do this on images to be made larger than 8x10.</p>

[steve_carless]

<p >Scott, you scare me. Have you had a roll of 120 film processed in the last 5 years? If so, you never noticed that every lab offers to scan them on CD?</p>

[steve m smith]

<p>In the UK we have a few companies who will process the film, send you 5x7 proofs and retain the files for a year to give you sufficient time to place re-orders without worrying about re-sending files or negatives.</p>

[steve_carless]

<p >Scott, maybe I was a bit harsh. Every lab I've seen offers a couple levels of scanning providing different file sizes from 2mb to 75mb. The bigger the file the more expensive. Almost none of them print 6x6 from film anymore, all digital. Most labs package processing and low-res scanning for about $0.25 per neg, but the image size is usually less than 3mb and only good for proofs. Some labs like Millers offer 10mb scans for $0.25 when your order proofs too. That size is good for prints up to 8x10 or 11x14. Many labs, like Millers, also offer higher res scans 16-24mb during processing for $0.35-0.40 per neg. You may also be charged about $5 for the CD.</p>

[picturesque]

<p>24 megabyte scans from medium format are still not that good. About 40 megabytes is OK. Again--still won't rival a well made optical print from the actual negative. However, you can't find anyone still able to make a well made optical print.</p>

[steve m smith]

<blockquote>

<p>However, you can't find anyone still able to make a well made optical print.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I'm sure you could if you tried.</p>

[neilambrose]

<p>I shoot and scan a lot of 6x6. I can tell you now that a flatbed scanner will never realise any of the potential in the negative. The DMax of most consumer scanners is pretty poor and flatbeds do not have adjustable focus or robust holders. The result, sadly, will be an image that has lesser tonal range than the negative and will not exhibit even sharpness across the frame. In some cases it may not even be in proper focus. The high end Epson scanner allows mounting on a fluid base and gives the best results for sharpness, but does nothing to improve the DMax.</p>

<p>The best thing is a drum scan. The second best thing is to use a Flextight X5 or a Nikon 9000 ED, both of which produce very good results. The Nikon is considerably cheaper and very nearly as good - probably about 95% of the X5, and has an excellent DMax rating. I bought one last year and since using it have been back through my entire 120 portfolio and rescanned everything. The quality is so visibly improved over the scans I had done previously on a flatbed.</p>

<p>Consumer scans from a lab made at time of processing will not be adequate. A basic scan that I do at home produces a 150 Mb file; a quality scan twice that. Compare that to the 18 Mb file you can get from the lab and you may have an idea of exactly how much you're missing. Frankly, if you're going to get cheap scans of 120 film then there's no point in shooting medium format - you'd get better results using digital. You could perhaps use those scans as proofs, but if you wanted to make a quality enlargement of a particular image you'd be better advised to go back for a drum scan.</p>

<p>If medium format is important to you then you need to either find a lab that will do drum scans, or print optically, or invest in the best scanner you can find and do the job yourself. Be warned that it's quite time intensive, though.</p>