Negative scanner recommendation

[peter_hall3]

<p>Hi all,<br>

I was looking for a negative scanner, for some old negatives I have. Problem is that I am on a budget and I really don't need (and can't afford) the latest and greatest.<br>

I have been looking around ebay and I see a lot of variance in the pricing, basically I am looking for something in the 50-150 price range (used is ideal). SCSI or USB does not matter, nor does OS compatibility (I can work around that), I was hoping someone would have a good recommendation for one in that price range.<br>

Thanks all</p>

[JosvanEekelen]

<p>Depending on the amount of negatives I'd consider renting one. For instance one of the later Nikon Coolscan ones.</p>

[michael_darnton2]

<p>If you have a dslr and a real macro lens (I use an ancient micro-Nikkor that cost me $50) it is very easy to set up a copy situation to rephotograph negs. That is much faster than a scanner, and equal in quality to some of the film scanners you could use (and better than any flatbed), depending on your camera. Additionally, though you don't say what format you have, a copy setup can deal with many different neg sizes easily.<br>

<a href="

<p>The folks at the Large Format Forum are even working as a group on a system for large format that will do big negs in sections automatically, and stitch them into very high resolution copies.<br>

<a href="http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?87541-DSLR-SCanner-Cameras-and-Camera-Control-Software">http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?87541-DSLR-SCanner-Cameras-and-Camera-Control-Software</a></p>

[dave_redmann]

<p>We need one critical and one significant piece of information: (1) What size are these negatives? Because "old" might mean 10 year old 35mm film, or it might mean 50 year old 120 film, or something odder and rarer. A scanner that will work great for 35mm may not work at all for something else. (2) How many negatives do you intend to scan?</p>

<p>If the film is all 35mm, you should be able to find a complete Minolta Scan Dual III on eBay, from a reputable seller, either tested or guarantied, in your price range; it is a good-quality basic 35mm scanner that uses a USB connection, and its native software runs fine under Windows XP (and according to some, Windows 7). If the film is anything larger than 35mm, you need to get a flatbed, probably one of the older Epsons (which model(s) depends on how much larger than 35mm, but the 3200 and 4490 might be worth investigating).</p>

<p>But really, if the number of frames of film to scan is not huge, have you priced somewhere like ScanCafe? Because you may well find that, for the same or less money, you can get much better quality scans and avoid the hassle. Buying a scanner is for somebody who wants to scan on an ongoing basis, or who has a huge backlog of film <em>and</em> loads of time to scan. If those conditions don't apply to you, having somebody else scan your film makes more sense. And then the question becomes whether your needs call for $0.22 (yes, 22 cents U.S.) per frame basic scans from ScanCafe (still quite possibly better quality than anything you can do yourself for your budget), or $275 per frame top-end drum scans from West Coast Imaging, or something from among the many options in the wide range in between.</p>

 

[pge]

<p>If you had said that you shoot film and were looking for a scanner that would have been one thing. However, saying "old" means that you have a certain number of scans to do and that is it. Under these circumstances JVE's advice is exactly right. Anything that you are going to purchase between 50-150 is going to be crap. Spend that same money on a rental of a really nice machine and do all of your scans in a weekend.</p>

[digitaldog]

<blockquote>

<p>I was looking for a negative scanner...</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Color or B&W? Big difference in terms of handling the orange mask on color negs. Inverting B&W isn't difficult. But color can be and the software the scanner uses can make or break the results. FWIW, the old Imacon scanners while not inexpensive has software that did a really good job on color negs. SilverFast is also very good at this task. </p>

[peter_hall3]

<p>Mostly 35 mm b/w neg plus x and tri x, as I said old stuff. All my old 4x5 -mostly tech pan and ektachrome- I paid through the nose to have them scanned some years ago(funny though the originals still look better).<br>

This brings up another interesting question, I ended up with roughly 300+ pounds of 4x5 negs from a defunct newspaper, I do want to scan them, more for posterity, any suggestions, as I am realizing that I may have to not be such a miser when it comes to the scanning...?<br>

Also, anyone know how to stabilize 8mm roll film dated from the early 40's? I am pretty sure its nitrocellulose. It smells horrible, you know the acetic acid (stop bath) smell. </p>

[peter_hall3]

<p>Mostly 35 mm b/w neg plus x and tri x, as I said old stuff. All my old 4x5 -mostly tech pan and ektachrome- I paid through the nose to have them scanned some years ago(funny though the originals still look better).<br>

This brings up another interesting question, I ended up with roughly 300+ pounds of 4x5 negs from a defunct newspaper, I do want to scan them, more for posterity, any suggestions, as I am realizing that I may have to not be such a miser when it comes to the scanning...?<br>

Also, anyone know how to stabilize 8mm roll film dated from the early 40's? I am pretty sure its nitrocellulose. It smells horrible, you know the acetic acid (stop bath) smell. </p>

[dave_redmann]

<p><em>Mostly 35 mm b/w neg plus x and tri x.... All my old 4x5 ... I paid ... to have them scanned ....</em></p>

<p>If you really want to scan them yourself--and again, I'm not sure you do, see above--then the Minolta Scan Dual III is your answer. The assertion that "[a]nything that you are going to purchase between 50-150 is going to be crap," is simply not correct. Newer and/or better scanners offer (1) ICE and similar functions that help clean up dirty <em>color</em> film, but not traditional B&W; (2) the ability to scan larger film; (3) higher resolution; and/or (4) maybe the ability to handle really high densities (Dmax) better. But I think you will find the Scan Dual III fine for 35mm Plus-X and Tri-X, as long as its resolution will suffice for your purposes (the maximum file it can give you is about 4128x2752 pixels, which is enough for 8x10 / 8x12 / A4 at 300 ppi or 11x14 at 250 ppi).</p>

<p><em>I ended up with roughly 300+ pounds of 4x5 negs from a defunct newspaper, I do want to scan them ....</em></p>

<p>Is that a typo? 300+ pounds? Do you want to devote the next forty years of your life to doing this scanning job? I don't know just what a 4x5 sheet weighs, but from holding them it has to be under an ounce (I suspect well under), so this is at least several thousand negatives. Scanning any substantial fraction of them will take tons of time. But an Epson 3200 can do it, within your budget, if you really want to undertake this mammoth project.</p>

[mendel_leisk]

<blockquote>

<p>I was looking for a negative scanner, for some old negatives I have. Problem is that I am on a budget and I really don't need (and can't afford) the latest and greatest.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Methinks the latest is <em>not</em> the greatest, ie: the film scanning wave has come and gone. What's available retail now is dubious. A few years back Nikon's coolscan 5000 (or V) or Minolta's Scan Elite 5400 (version I or II) were among the leaders for prosumer level scanners.</p>

<p>I have a Minolta Scan Dual II, Minolta Scan Elite 5400 (version I), and a Nikon Coolscan V. I prefer the Coolscan V for color negatives (but I'm REALLY procrastinating on that job), or the Scan Elite 5400 for everything else.</p>

<p>Whatever you get, Vuescan (Pro Level) will likely be compatible, and is worth every penny!</p>

[michael_darnton2]

<p>Your 4x5 project is crying out for my copy setup. With someone feeding you clean film and putting it back, you could probably churn through about 6 sheets a minute. Try that with a flatbed. That's one reason that museums with a lot of negs to archive are doing copying, not scanning.</p>

[Stock-Photos]

<p>It may have already been mentioned but many of the newer flatbed scanners have a transparency adapter built into the hood, allowing the scanning of negatives and slides. The flatbeds made by Epson and Canon are both good. Be aware that scanning negatives on a flatbed is painfully slow. Many of the manufacturers offer machines in the $100-$300 range.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO BEWARE of machines that are claimed to be scanners when the are actually cheap digital sensors which capture film at a very poor quality level.</strong><br /> <br /> If you choose a negative scanning service, be aware of those that send the film out of the country for scanning. I operate a slide scanning business from my home office (SlideScanning123.com) but I don't do negatives, too labor intensive. I use Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 model scanners which are no longer available.</p>

[peter_hall3]

<p>"Your 4x5 project is crying out for my copy setup." Michael Darnton<br>

Yeah that is the way I was probably looking to go, I do have a nikon micro 105 for the 35's that may work. I don't have my enlargers anymore but I still have the cold heads (knew I kept them for a reason) so that would make a good even backlight, I think I might have a carrier left somewhere.<br>

<br />"...What's available retail now is dubious." Mendel Leisk<br>

"ALSO BEWARE of machines that are claimed to be scanners when the are actually cheap digital sensors which capture film at a very poor quality level." J. Harrington<br>

That is what I was worried about and why I am asking, I have seen some $30 crap on ebay mostly out of China so I was worried their "advertised" capabilities.<br>

Thanks all, still looking for anyones thoughts, anything helps</p>

[Stock-Photos]

<p><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/647187-REG/Epson_B11B198011_Perfection_V600_Photo_Scanner.html">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/647187-REG/Epson_B11B198011_Perfection_V600_Photo_Scanner.html</a></p>

[dave_redmann]

<p><em>e aware of those that send the film out of the country for scanning.</em></p>

<p>Why? The statement is true, but probably irrelevant. Is there credible evidence that using, e.g., ScanCafe results in a high rate of lost or damaged film? </p>

<p><em>I operate a slide scanning business from my home office ....</em></p>

<p>Ah, now we see a possible explanation for the arguably-irrelevant criticism.</p>

 

[Stock-Photos]

Dave, the term "be aware" is hardly criticism. I wanted to

the original poster of this thread to be aware. I think my

comments and suggestion are more relevant to the

original question than are yours in your second response.

[peter_hall3]

<p>I appreciate the warning, but to be perfectly honest my negatives don't leave my sight , with the one exception of a pro lab here in SA and that is just over night. I wouldn't trust something that I could not replace thru the mail whether it be international or in country.<br>

Back in the day I had a hard enough time sending off Kodachrome and Infrared film to be processed... yeah I am an obsessive compulsive control freak, I know (my wife reminds me at least twice a day)</p>

[peter_hall3]

<p>I appreciate the warning, but to be perfectly honest my negatives don't leave my sight , with the one exception of a pro lab here in SA and that is just over night. I wouldn't trust something that I could not replace thru the mail whether it be international or in country.<br>

Back in the day I had a hard enough time sending off Kodachrome and Infrared film to be processed... yeah I am an obsessive compulsive control freak, I know (my wife reminds me at least twice a day)</p>

[plasma181]

<p>I just bought a Nikon Coolscan IV on eBay ( what you people call " The Auction Site" ). The guy selling it made it sound like it was busted because the scans were coming out grainy. I was able to get it cheap. I think a little grain smoothing in Vuescan will take care of any grain. </p>

[Glenn McCreery]

<p>Peter, your idea of using a cold-light head for illuminating 4x5 negatives for scanning using a DSLR is a good one, but only for black and white negatives. This is because "cold light" is not white light, but a composite of green and blue with no red component. I use the scanner lid from an old Microtek i700 for scanning color photos. I started an earlier thread describing my experiences with scanning 4x5 negatives at http://www.photo.net/digital-darkroom-forum/00bH3q. This thread referneces an earlier one by Gianluca Bevacqua, <a href="/digital-darkroom-forum/00b7Fk" rel="nofollow">http://www.photo.net/digital-darkroom-forum/00b7Fk</a> , which gave me the inspiration to pursue this approach. The method has proven to be quite successful.</p>

[mendel_leisk]

 

<p ><a name="00bzKj"></a><a href="/photodb/user?user_id=1061508">Robert Cirillo</a> <a href="/member-status-icons"><img title="Subscriber" src="/v3graphics/member-status-icons/sub10.gif" alt="" /></a>, Sep 12, 2013; 10:43 a.m.</p>

 

<p>I just bought a Nikon Coolscan IV on eBay ( what you people call " The Auction Site" ). The guy selling it made it sound like it was busted because the scans were coming out grainy. I was able to get it cheap. I think a little grain smoothing in Vuescan will take care of any grain.</p>

 

The coolscans are merciless for picking up grain (and dust, scratches, you name it), so could be just the norm.

 

[wogears]

<p>I got a Coolscan IV from kindly PN member John Tonai and I love it.</p>

[Stock-Photos]

Dave, the term "be aware" is hardly criticism. I wanted to

the original poster of this thread to be aware. I think my

comments and suggestion are more relevant to the

original question than are yours.

[keith_b1]

<p>Peter, Be extremely careful about storage of the <strong>cellulose nitrate</strong> film. It can spontaneously combust, and when it burns it burns fast and hot. It should ideally be stored separately in a strong, latched metal container that cannot burst, so as to contain any fire that might occur. Also, store it away from anything that can ignite, such as your house---only half joking there--- and especially away from irreplaceables like old films, negs, photos, etc. Google it.</p>

[john_a._mozzer]

<blockquote>

<p>Also, anyone know how to stabilize 8mm roll film dated from the early 40's? I am pretty sure its nitrocellulose. It smells horrible, you know the acetic acid (stop bath) smell.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Are you sure its not Vinegar Syndrome?</p>

<p>If it is 8mm film for the home market, I don't see how it can be cellulose nitrate.</p>