----- Original Message -----
From: "Jonathan Turner" <pictures@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students"
<photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 9:18 PM
Subject: 5x4 neg scanning
Has anyone got any tips for a scanner which will do reasonable scans for
5x4?
I've been looking online at an Epson V700 which looks as though it ought
to do the job, but I'm a little unsure. It's been a while since I used
5x4, or scanned negs of this size, and I always assumed that you had to
use a drum scanner for this kind of thing, rather than a flatbed (which
is what this Epson one is).
At this point I just want something that will do an OK job, from which I
can make a selection of which negs to scan at a high quality, probably
at my local lab.
Also, if anyone has any tips or pitfalls about this kind of
thing...things to be wary of, please let me know.
what size do you need to be printing at Johnathan?
if it's 16x20 then you probably want yor image around 4800x6000 pixels to
print, which translates to a 1200 dpi scan, however that dependson the
subject of the photos, a soft, low detail pic definately won't need the res
of something more intricate ;)
Running your image through Neatimage (free for the non batching version)
will eradicate a lot of post scan work, but whatever scanner you use, be
sure to take advantage of any inbuilt infrared dust removal features if the
image is colour. Polaroid Dust and Scratch Removal is also an excellent
tool for any remaining dust articats.
If your scanner can do multiple passes, do - if it can't natively under your
scanning software, use Hamrick's Vuescan. If you have Vuescan be sure to
use the manual focus option if you find the scanner lacks the ability to
focus well.
Some scanners have better optics and provide flatter FOV, and some have
better dynamic range scanning - actually Vuescan can often yield better
dynamic range than proprietary software, Vuescan revealed some manufacturers
software was clipping the range for no good reason.
It sounds like you're looking to buy a scanner - I would advise against this
unless you have money and space to throw away, at least until you've had the
experience of scanning what you need immediately. Find a club, a college or
a local who will let you borrow or use theirs. If you find you are going
back to bother them often THEN buy one.. a lot of people who invest in
scanners shove them to the back of the cupboard after the first few days of
scanning, dreading ever using the things again.
k
