prunelle Posted October 6, 2011 Share #1 Posted October 6, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi, Before I can buy myself a scanner I'd like to have my negatives scanned. In order to do so, I emailed a lab about their scanning of film 135. They told me that they recommended 200 Mb, (10,300 x 6,850 pixels, 300 dpi) files. I asked them what machine they use and they answered me that it's the Kodak IQSMART. You who are accustomed to this, does this sound good to you? Thank you! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 6, 2011 Posted October 6, 2011 Hi prunelle, Take a look here Scans. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
tgray Posted October 6, 2011 Share #2 Posted October 6, 2011 Sounds like pretty large scans. Find out what they are going to charge you before you agree to it. For a point of reference, I think 2000 x 3000 scans to 4000 x 6000 scans are an appropriate size. And I think you should be able to get a whole roll developed and scanned at one of those sizes for $10-20/roll. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
prunelle Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share #3 Posted October 6, 2011 Sounds like pretty large scans. Find out what they are going to charge you before you agree to it. For a point of reference, I think 2000 x 3000 scans to 4000 x 6000 scans are an appropriate size. And I think you should be able to get a whole roll developed and scanned at one of those sizes for $10-20/roll. They sound huge. Get smaller scans and larger ones of the keepers. 6Mb 1800x1200 pixel files will be fine on computer displays like a normal laptop.Pete I'm talking about high definition/8 bits scans. The price for 200 Mo files is 22 € for 40 negatives and more (no limit indicated). The smallest scans they propose are 45 Mo. What about the scanner they use? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted October 6, 2011 Share #4 Posted October 6, 2011 If you are going to spend that kind of money, don't waste it on 8 bit scans. You must get 16 bit Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
prunelle Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share #5 Posted October 6, 2011 If you are going to spend that kind of money, don't waste it on 8 bit scans. You must get 16 bit The idea is giving all the photos I took in one year to the lab for scanning. It should be about 36 x 12 = 432 negatives minimum to be scanned for 22 € (32 in 16 bits). Do I need 16 bits scans for b&w photos? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalArts 99 Posted October 6, 2011 Share #6 Posted October 6, 2011 What is your intended output? To determine size/quality, I would first decide on what the most extreme end of your output might be (e.g., a 30x40 Lightjet print?) Or if you simply want to digitally archive them for now and produce something on the extreme end in the future, you can get a scan done again later (e.g., a wet scan on a high dynamic range drum scanner) and simply get usable monitor viewing size files for now. You have to weigh costs over what you actually need at the moment. The iQsmart is a flatbed inverted CCD scanner designed for fast production. It scans quickly and is a good device for production houses where speed/cost is an issue in the workflow. But an important factor despite the equipment is the skill of the scanner operator and the quality of the scans. A 150k USD scanner is also capable of producing lousy scans. Therefore, I would have one or two negatives scanned just as a test to see if the quality for the price is up to your own standards before I committed the whole batch to that particular lab. Prices vary depending on the nature of the lab. When I was a scanning operator (wet mount drum scans) at a high end company (we produced work for some of the world's best known artists, and produced exhibition quality files and prints) our prices were: 1) $1.00 per mb, 100 mb minimum ($100) for exhibition scans, tagged or untagged 8 or 16 bit RGB or grayscale and color matched. 2) $.60 per mb, 83 mb minimum ($50). Scans over 500 mb are $.75 per mb for custom scans, tagged or untagged 8 or 16 bit RGB or grayscale and color matched. Scans were cleaned of both scan-based artifacts as well as minor film-based artifacts. Charges for cleaning major film-based artifacts (e.g., clip marks) were quoted on a per image basis. 11x14 proof prints of the files were $90 each. Scan sizes were based on final output. As you can see, what you need out of a scan is based on your intended output. That's the only way to determine how much to spend and what size, etc.. Otherwise it's very difficult to say what is the best (price and quality) for anybody unless they can tell you why they need scans of their film in the first place. e.g., what does "high definition" actually mean in your case, etc..? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pop Posted October 6, 2011 Share #7 Posted October 6, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Do I need 16 bits scans for b&w photos? Yes, you do. If you go to the bother of having them scanned at those solutions, you will want to squeeze the last bit of information out of those files. If, on the other hand, you just want to have a digital index with pictures in the size of - say - 1024 on a side, the a color depth of 8 bits would be quite sufficient. I've scanned some photographs from around 1924 and I can testify that even with my lowly Epson home scanner there's a lot of difference between 8 and 12 bits (that's what my scanner seems to deliver). You also get some insurance against a less than perfect exposure in the scanner which easily could left you with a factual color depth of 6 bits. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalArts 99 Posted October 6, 2011 Share #8 Posted October 6, 2011 If you are going to spend that kind of money, don't waste it on 8 bit scans. You must get 16 bit That's not always set in stone. It depends on the image and what is the final output (and the output device), and editing skills. There are pros and cons with 16 bit workflows. But again, the scan parameters (size, quality, bit depth, cost) can only be effectively determined by what is the final output. i.e., what are you doing with these files. That is the starting point. When producing something, one needs to work backwards. In other words, you start with the final product in mind and work backwards as to how to get that final product. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
prunelle Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share #9 Posted October 6, 2011 ... Therefore, I would have one or two negatives scanned just as a test to see if the quality for the price is up to your own standards before I committed the whole batch to that particular lab. ... Thank you for your advice. I can't give them only two negatives to scan; it would cost me 46 € (200Mo files in 16 bits)!!! I must give them more than 41 negatives if I want to pay "only" 32,50 €. The more negatives I give them, the less the cost per negative. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted October 6, 2011 Share #10 Posted October 6, 2011 The idea is giving all the photos I took in one year to the lab for scanning. It should be about 36 x 12 = 432 negatives minimum to be scanned for 22 € (32 in 16 bits). So you are planning to pay €9000 to get 12 films scanned? I don't think you realise that the scanning charge will be per scanned frame. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pop Posted October 6, 2011 Share #11 Posted October 6, 2011 recommended 200 Mb,(10,300 x 6,850 pixels, 300 dpi) files. I asked them what machine they use and they answered me that it's the Kodak Waitaminute! They recommend scanning a 35mm film frame to 75 Megapixels? That's 285 lines per mm. You can produce portraits of the individual grains of your emulsion at that resolution, methinks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
prunelle Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share #12 Posted October 6, 2011 So you are planning to pay €9000 to get 12 films scanned? I don't think you realise that the scanning charge will be per scanned frame. Okay, nobody seem to understand that it will be the same price whether I give them 41 negatives or 410 or 1000... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted October 6, 2011 Share #13 Posted October 6, 2011 I doubt that. You must check before you leave 1,000 films with them. Why would they offer a fixed price regardless of the work involved? Question yourself whether you need ALL of your eatoves scanned. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted October 6, 2011 Share #14 Posted October 6, 2011 I assume they are sleeved, in strips? Regards, Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalArts 99 Posted October 6, 2011 Share #15 Posted October 6, 2011 Okay, nobody seem to understand that it will be the same price whether I give them 41 negatives or 410 or 1000... The Creo iQsmart is a flatbed scanner primarily for pre-press work and over-sized sheet film and flat art. They are batch scanning your negatives and not scanning individual frames. You might want to contact them again to be certain as to the product you will be actually getting. Also why do you want these negatives scanned? To archive, to preserve, to print, for the web, etc..? It is a question they should be asking you, and you should ask yourself, too. It's like anything, there are several ways to achieve an end goal. But what specifically is the goal here? And again, "high definition" is a relative term. I've said it enough times, and so I won't ask that question anymore. Good luck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StS Posted October 6, 2011 Share #16 Posted October 6, 2011 Please find the Google translation of the price lists for two labs below for your reference: Google Translate Google Translate Stefan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pop Posted October 6, 2011 Share #17 Posted October 6, 2011 Okay, nobody seem to understand that it will be the same price whether I give them 41 negatives or 410 or 1000... Understanding is not believing. That would be an insane business model. I rather suspect that the figures you are quoting are unit prices. Rather high ones, at that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted October 6, 2011 Share #18 Posted October 6, 2011 Please find the Google translation of the price lists for two labs below for your reference: Google Translate Google Translate Stefan As an example, that's €3.70 PER FILM, if you do it in bulk. Not for ALL films. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted October 6, 2011 Share #19 Posted October 6, 2011 Okay, nobody seem to understand that it will be the same price whether I give them 41 negatives or 410 or 1000... Don't be ridiculous. By the way, I have a bridge for sale if you're interested... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
prunelle Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share #20 Posted October 6, 2011 Don't be ridiculous. By the way, I have a bridge for sale if you're interested... Okay, I'm stupid and you're intelligent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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