drum scanning

[marcusperkins]

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While I'm sure the sharpening can be turned off the Noritsu machines, I personally have never been to a lab using one (or any of the other minilab/scanning machines) that can manage to turn it off. Perhaps they just can't be bothered...

 

You are absolutely right - most operators don't know, and don't have any interest in knowing or learning, which is a shame.

 

I'm fortunate that the guy I use for most scanning really is interested, and has taken me through the whole set up process and all of the menus so we can figure out what works best. In truth this kind of service is a rarity.

 

However, the downside is that there isn't an ability to set up and switch to a second preset for discerning photographers. It requires a friendly operator to quickly re-jig the settings.

 

I had a bunch of important negatives scanned on the Imacon X5 today, very nice machine - but the software is dated. Good results though, and at £50 for the hour, pretty good value for money.

[noah_addis]

Hi guys. I am owner of m7 and thinking myself what drum scan to buy. I think this link may give you some taste of the quality of different scanners - flatbed and drum.

 

Collaborative Large Format Scanner Comparison

 

I've looked this page over before. The problem is that the scans were made by different operators. The color and contrast are all over the place and it's hard to compare the scans. Some of this is due to the hardware but some is because different people made the scans.

 

I'm extremely new to drum scanning. I actually picked up my Howtek HR8000 today. But after seeing what it can do I'm starting to think it's the only way to go, especially since they're available for less cash than a used Imacon.

 

It doesn't make much sense to work with the best cameras and lenses if you're not going to use great hardware for scanning.

 

The workflow is really nice too. The wet mounting isn't as hard as some make it out to be. And you can load up the drum (with around 10 6x7cm negs or a bunch of 35mm frames), make your settings for each scan than walk away while the machine does the work.

[tobey bilek]

I would crop an 8x10 section from the 16/20 and have it printed. They should look exactly the same except the 8x10 missing the surrounding area.

 

The key is proper sharpening which you will not get from a lab. Scanned film needs sharpening also and if it is done by machine it is an easy step. You reall need a four step process, capture, creative, and two step final USM and high pass final , both low amounts and opacity set to 50 %.

 

A good noise reduction program is also valuable as 35 mm film has more grain than a digital file. Mask the edges with an edge mask so they do not get soft.

 

All this may be beyond you but is required for top results from film so it is competitive with digital. Then again digital need more processing than most will give it.

[Pindy]

I would crop an 8x10 section from the 16/20 and have it printed. They should look exactly the same except the 8x10 missing the surrounding area.

 

Are you saying in order to do an inexpensive test?

 

The key is proper sharpening which you will not get from a lab. Scanned film needs sharpening also and if it is done by machine it is an easy step. You reall need a four step process, capture, creative, and two step final USM and high pass final , both low amounts and opacity set to 50 %.

 

A good noise reduction program is also valuable as 35 mm film has more grain than a digital file. Mask the edges with an edge mask so they do not get soft.

 

All this may be beyond you but is required for top results from film so it is competitive with digital. Then again digital need more processing than most will give it.

 

I do mostly what you describe minus the two-step final. I tend to take a Jeff Schewe approach.