Color or B&W film scanning for B&W prints?

[gonzalomoreno]

<p>Hello,<br />I want to scan MF (6x4,5 and 6x7) negative film with an Epson 4990 flatbed scanner and print the photos with a Canon PIXMA 9500 Mark II.<br />99% of my work is B&W but in some place here, in Photo.net, I read that scanners are not really designed for B&W film scanning. I then have to assume that it is better to shoot color negative film and convert to B&W in PhotoShop, is this assumption correct?<br />Thanks a lot for your replies and best regards, Gonzalo</p>

[benbangerter]

<p>If you are determined to shoot film and scan and convert to digital, you should be shooting chromogenic B/W film, like Ilford XP2 or Kodak BW400CN. These films are processed by C41 chemistry, like negative color film, and can be handled by any minilab (just decline to order prints, which generally have some color cast when printed on color paper by the minilab). In these films, the image is formed by dye, and they scan very well. The problem with color negative film is that a large exposure range is compressed to a small density range, which needs to be reversed in post-processing to restore a tonal range approximating that of the scene. This accentuates the grain of the film considerably. Chromogenic film negatives have a greater density range than color film negatives, so grain is less apparent.</p>

[bob_sunley]

<p>Ilford Photo have no problem scanning real black and white film and printing it on real black and white paper on modified minilab processors. The main problem with scanning black and white film is the dedusting software sees the silver particles as really fine dust.</p>

<p>Your best bet is to try all three types of film with your scanner and see which works best for you.</p>

<p> </p>

[aaron d]

<p>Like Bob said. If you want B+W photos, shoot B+W film and scan it in "grayscale" instead of color so you're not introducing RGB channels where there weren't any to begin with. The shoot color/convert to B+W in Photoshop is correct for when you're using a digital camera.</p>

[colin_mattson1]

No, shoot B&W film if you want B&W images. The issue is how to then best scan that B&W film.

 

On the Epsons I typically tend not to mind scanning in greyscale mode. On the Nikons, there is a definite advantage to

scanning in color mode and then converting to greyscale in Photoshop.

[bruce_watson1]

<p>I'm a drum scanner operator. I've run a lot of experiments over the years on this particular topic. My conclusion is that if a B&W print is your object, then you should use B&W film. For the same ISO, color films in general aren't as sharp and are more grainy, and their spectral response is different. While it is possible to make an excellent B&W print from a color capture, it takes considerably more image editing work IMHO.</p>

[peterbcarter]

<p>Developing B&W is an art form in itself. There is so much you can do, that can't be done after scanning. You really lose potential if you skip this step. It is, after all, not just about the lack of colour that makes a B&W print.</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>Color scanners are perfectly able to scan B&W film, both silver based and chromagenic. However, you cannot use Digital ICE (q.v., Nikon Coolscan) with silver based film to remove dust and scratches. Silver is opaque to infrared light used by Digital ICE to distinguish film from debris. Without ICE, you have to do a lot of cleanup in the images. Chromagenic (and color) film use dyes for imaging, which are transparent to infrared.</p>

<p>If you scan color film and convert to B&W in post, you can emulate the effect of various filters on the tonality. Conventional B&W film has a tighter grain structure and greater dynamic range in both the subject and image. You can get gallery quality with either.</p>

<p>All film scanners are color scanners and convert to B&W on the fly. There might be slight advantages to scanning in color and converting later (e.g., chroma noise reduction), but the ultimate quality is the same.</p>

[jtk]

<p>a) the 4990 can do beautiful work with 645 B&W, as can some of the even earlier Epson flatbeds.<br>

b) betterscanning.com has an adjustable focus film holder for that scanner that may significantly increase detail resolution...as do betterscanning's non-focusing carriers in my experience...I wouldn't bother with the anti-newton however because you get extra dust challenges). You should readily beat condenser enlarger with that scanner, especially in the corneres. Enlarging lenses inherently lose detail resolution. 4990 isn't great with 35 but is with MF.<br>

c) I don't think you'll find an advantage in scanning as color, but try it for yourself, make some big prints and see.</p>

 

[gonzalomoreno]

<p>Thank you so much for all your responses. They were really usefull for me.<br>

Regards, Gonzalo </p>