Hi,
thanks for all the advice...seems to be a lot of varying opinions, all
of which have been useful.
In answer to your question Karl, I hope to be printing around A2 size
(16x24" I think)...basically I'm hoping to do a portrait project in my
home city of Leeds, UK, and I really want to shoot 5x4. Part of the
apeal of 5x4 is the level of detail in the image, so the scan quality is
kind of important. The other thing that interests me in using 5x4 is a
different kind of interaction with subject...it's much slower, and more
deliberate, and I think that creates a differnt kind of atmosphere in
the image.
Anyway, it's an idea I've been mulling over for a few years now, and
think the time has come to put thought into action...but as with
anything that involves film, expense is an issue... buying the film, and
then processing is expensive as it is, but I'd not realised quite how
expensive scanning can be! For the amount of scanning I'd like to have
done I reckoned I could actually buy a half decent scanner and do it
myself, though the problem is whether the scans will be good enough to
be useful...I would at least like to give each of my subjects a print
(as a thank you for being involved), so the scans need to be at least
good enough for that.
One might ask, why scan at all, if working with film...why not just
print in a darkroom...? Well, I used to love spending time in a
darkroom, but I actually find the best way, and perhaps the most
convenient way, is to shoot and scan the film, and the use Photoshop as
my darkroom. I just don't have the resources or time to spend in a
darkroom unfortunately. There was a thread on here a few weeks back
about Avedon's American West series (which is partly my
inspiration...though he was shooting 10x8" of course) - he had a whole
team of people working with him, both on the shoots and in the
darkroom...I don't have that, just me and hopefully a couple of friends
to assist... so scan/PS seems to be the best way forward.
One more thought; unlike Avedon's series, I want to shoot colour -
(interestingly my lab in Leeds doesn't even process 5x4 colour neg any
more...they'll do E6, and B/W, but not colour neg...so I have to use a
lab about an hour up the road...) and I wonder if scanning colour 5x4 is
any more complicated than scanning a B/W 5x4...are there any pitfalls
with colour reproduction, and detail that I should be aware of?
Hopefully a flatbed will be good enough to make some small colour prints
from, and to make a final selection for exhibition (and high res scans...)
Cheers,
Jonathan
--
Jonathan Turner, Photographer e: pictures@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx t: 07796
470573 w: www.jonathan-turner.com
On 01/05/2013 02:32, karl shah-jenner wrote:
----- 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
