Scanning Technical Pan

[Edwin Barkdoll]

I've started scanning some Tech Pan negatives on a Nikon 9000 with settings: 16 bit, grayscale, negative. I find that the ultimate result is

good however the histogram of a well exposed negative slightly exceeds the range of the scanner. That is, either the highlights or the

shadows clip slightly and to get the entire range I need to do 2 scans at different gains.

 

Is this common and are there other settings, e.g. scan as positive and convert in photoshop, which would enable capturing the whole range

of the negative?

 

I would expect that the 9000 to have a wider dynamic range than teh Tech Pan negative.

 

Suggestions?

 

Thanks

[rsriram]

<p>You're right, I've come across the same issue when scanning TechPan. I used to develop it in Rodinal, which may have exacerbated the scanning problem. On my Nikon coolscan V, I use your settings but do a 2-pass scan and use <a href="http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/digital-blending.shtml">this </a>technique to blend them when needed.</p>

[roger_smith4]

<p>Have you tried scanning it as a color negative or color slide? Have you tried other software such as Vuescan which allows more direct control over hardware exposure and software edits?</p>

[robert_brake1]

<p>Edwin, you might ask that question here:</p>

<p>http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/messages?o=1&yguid=253793878</p>

<p>there are still a number of people shooting with Tech Pan there and every one of them scanning and printing digitally.</p>

[Edwin Barkdoll]

<p>Thanks for the responses.<br>

Sriram: I also scan twice once for the highlights and once for the shadows. </p>

<p>Roger: So far I've only scanned as grayscale but I will try as color neg and pos to see if I get a wider range. After all one would think that with a theoretical Dmax of 4.8 I wouldn't run out of room. I use Nikonscan althoguh I did try Vuescan a number of years ago. I am usually content with NS but if i can resolve the dynamic range issue I will try Vuescan again.</p>

<p>Robert: I'll give that site a try. Thanks</p>

[roger_smith4]

<p>"After all one would think that with a theoretical Dmax of 4.8 I wouldn't run out of room"<br>

<br /> That's hardware dmax. The software driver settings are likely your problem as they clip highlights and shadows to give a more attractive, higher contrast image. I tried using Nikonscan with my LS-5000 but decided I preferred Vuescan's more direct control over hardware and software settings and ease of batch scanning.</p>

[Edwin Barkdoll]

Roger, I'll try scanning as a positive or color neg tonight or tomorrow and see if there is any difference. I have no clipping

problems in general scanning color positives.

[Edwin Barkdoll]

Well, scanning theTech Pan neg as a color neg made little difference in clipping of the histogram - I still couldn't capture

the entire range of the negative.

 

Scanning it as a color positive, on the other hand seemed to have a wider range in a single scan.

 

The first histogram is scanned as greyscale negative

 

The second is as RGB positive.

 

[because one is a positive and the other is a negative, the shapes of the hisotgrams will be mirror images of each other.

That is the "highlights" of one are the "shadows" of the other. The point is how the whites and blacks are clipped in the

greyscale negative scan]<div></div>

[Edwin Barkdoll]

RGB positive histogram<div></div>

[roger_smith4]

<p>RGB positive looks like a winner- no software clipping. You'll just have to do more work in photoshop to get it looking like a B&W file.</p>