jon whitear

I have a number of 6x6 transparencies that I'd like to get scanned,

and would like to know how other people approach this. I'd be

scanning them for archival purposes, and the end results will

(hopefully one day!) be large prints.

I deally, I'd like to do the scans myself (as the experience I've

had with scanning services hasn't been great.) Is there such a thing

as a digital darkroom for hire in Sydney? If not, is it possible to

hire film scanners? Thanks for your help.

The choice of slide vs print film really depends on what you'll be doing with the resulting images. If you're making prints, it's probably best to stick with print film.

I'd get the film processed along the way. We have some places that can process film here in Austrlia (!) but I'd avoid getting any done in Asia. There are a couple of reasonable palces in Bangkok, but if you're looking for professional results, save them for Oz.

I can't recommend any particular films, since I don't use much print film. Having said that, remember that the light can be harsh down here, so some low contrast stock might be good for poeple pictures. You might want to add a warming filter to your bag, as well.

"If you could bring the famous photographer back to life, what question would you ask?"

What's it like being dead?

I've been using Lyson's Quad Black monochrome inks on an Epson Photo 750, with Epson Archival Matte and Hahnemule papers. Obviously, they are neutral throughout the tonal range because they're mono inks, but the Hahnemuhle gives a warmer tone than the Epson. Both are matt finishes.

Cheers,

Jon

<p>Bruce,</p>

<p>Colours are mixed from the three primaries (Red, Green, Blue) when it's a light emitting device, such as a monitor, where R+G+B=White. Printers work with the reflected spectrum (where no ink = white), and use Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks (CMYK).</p>

<p>Four colour printers therefore have one of each of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. Six colour printers typically add light cyan, and light magenta. The more colours you have, the greater range of tones available per 'dot', and the smoother the transition between tones.</p>

<p>I'm not going to recommend a particular printer, becuase I don't know about the latest ones. I think Epson and Canon have the best reputation for photo printers. Look for one that allows you to change empty colour inks separately, rather than having to throw out the whole colour cartridge when one ink runs out.</p>

<p>Lastly, I would recommend Norman Koren's excellent site for information about producing digitial prints: <a href="http://www.normankoren.com">www.normankoren.com</a>.</p>

<p>Cheers,</p>

<p>Jon</p>

David,

I agree with the above points - nice, simple navigation is good, but I'm not so keen on coloured text on a black background.

I would add that you should avoid links that don't go anywhere (yet!) such as the Mozambique gallery. Best just to put them in once you've got the contact ready. Also, I found the vertical bar of images on the right of the screen off-putting. You might want to put some "alt" text in the image tags - it's nice to see what the picture is of by hovering over the thumbnail (and I think it's used by search engines). Lastly, I would have preferred the larger version of the image to open in the same window, rather than a Javascript pop-up in the top left hand corner of my screen!

It's a good site. I like it: it does what you want it to do, simply and cleanly.

Cheers,

Jon

Thanks for the info, Andrew. I spoke to Calumet - they will be hiring the Nikon Super Coolscan 8000 for around £65 to £80 a day, when they can get their hands on one.

Cheers,

Jon

I have a small number (~20) of 6x6 transparencies that I want to scan

to sufficient resolution to produce A3 prints. So far I've been

unhappy with the quality of scans I've had from mail order

processors, and the cost of getting 20 drum scans is prohibitive.

Ideally, I would like to hire a MF scanner such as the new Minolta

for a couple of days. Does anyone know of somewhere in London where I

can either hire a scanner, or get decent scans at a reasonable price.

Cheers,

Jon

I want to mount some 6x6 trannies for display on a lightbox. I've

just bought some black card masks that open like a book, and come

with a plastic sleeve, frosted on one side and clear on the other.

The problem is, I don't know how to use them! My guess is that I

spray the inside of the mount with 'photo mount' spray, position the

tranny, and press the mount shut. Am I right?

Cheers,

Jon

I've just bought a black 55mm Mamiya TLR lens, which has both

aperture and shutter speed rings indented in full stops. Does setting

the aperture ring half way between stops give a half stop aperture?

Cheers,