hey guys. so...new to the large format world. to have 4x5 slide film sent out and processed...i'm guessing you just send the lab each exposed 4x5 sheet...and they give you back a high res scan? any info and advice on processing and prices would be greatful! thanks! david
Dave - You send your film to the lab, usually downloaded into a spare film box - double boxed, taped shut and labeled that it has unexposed film inside, unless you're using ReadyLoads, in which case you just send those in. If the lab is local, you can probably just bring film holders in if that's the way you shot your film. You need to specify how you want your film processed - Normal, Pushed, or Pulled, pushed or pulled generally being in 1/8 stop increments.
As far as scanning, there are scans, and then there are scans. Frankly, I wouldn't trust any lab to make decent scans of any sized film and certainly not 4x5. You're shooting large format because you want the best quality you can get, and most labs simply don't have the equipment or the knowhow to make scans that are worthy of the best pieces of film. I can get into the particulars to look for if you are interested, but it's not a lightweight subject. All I can say is there's a good reason I've been making my own hi-end drum scans for the last dozen years. Not just to have the control over the quality, but because even in a major market like Los Angeles, it's virtually impossible to get a truly great scan. Just today I scanned two 4x5 transparencies of mine and four Kodachrome slides for another photographer. The 4x5's are easy. The Kodachromes are always a challenge.
Peter Figen wrote:
As far as scanning, there are scans, and then there are scans. Frankly, I wouldn't trust any lab to make decent scans of any sized film and certainly not 4x5. You're shooting large format because you want the best quality you can get, and most labs simply don't have the equipment or the knowhow to make scans that are worthy of the best pieces of film. I can get into the particulars to look for if you are interested, but it's not a lightweight subject. All I can say is there's a good reason I've been making my own hi-end drum scans for the last dozen years. Not just to have the control over the quality, but because even in a major market like Los Angeles, it's virtually impossible to get a truly great scan. Just today I scanned two 4x5 transparencies of mine and four Kodachrome slides for another photographer. The 4x5's are easy. The Kodachromes are always a challenge....Show more →
Peter - don't tell me where you live. I'd love for a few minutes alone with one of your drum scanners.
Luna - I'm using a Howtek 8000 which has had the hardware upgrades that Aztek does - drum support bearing, and optical path alignment - that basically make it an Aztek Premier, but I use Trident software, that despite still running on Mac OS9 is still the best scanning app I've come across.
Corosant - It looks like you're in L.A. too. Stop by sometime.
I'd recommend A&I in Los Angeles and PhotoCraft in Boulder for film processing. They're who I use for 6x7, and I believe they process large format as well. For scanning, West Coast Imaging is excellent. Processing and scanning are two different steps/services.
Still looking at one of those Chamonix models, myself...
I don't process film, but I do make absolutely the best scans in town. You would not believe the crap I was recently told by the scanning department at Icon regarding color spaces. The person I spoke to their was confused at best. As far as A&I is concerned, they have the same scanner and I'll not say any more about that. I did try and run profiles on their LIghtjet a few years ago but their process control was SO bad that making a custom profile didn't matter. You were just chasing your tale.
My attitude is that while the prevailing practice is to try and match your transparence, you can always improve on what you see. That's where a lot of the "art" of scanning comes into play. Knowing how to extract the most out of the scanner and its software and knowing when it's best to hand a slightly "loose" scan off to Photoshop for finishing.
For 4x5's the actual resolution limits of the scanner are not as important as they might be with 35mm or 2-2/4, so the brand of scanner is not AS critical because you're typically scanning in the 2000-2500 ppi range, but when you want or need the most from a particular piece of film, and remember that an 8000 ppi scan from 6x7 cm is around 2.7 gigs in 16 bit, then the differences become something you can really see.
The Howtek/Aztek are great low volume scanners, but the Crossfield and Hells are better suited to the high volume that we don't really see anymore.
I think that BowHaus has a Fuji Crossfield as does Icon. And I'm pretty sure that Icon's only spits out 8 bit per channel files. A lot depends of which hardware and software versions you have.
I really don't know what a used Howtek 8000 goes for. You used to be able to get them for 5-10K, but who knows now. It does look like Aztek has substantially raised the price on a new one but I have no idea what that's done to the used market.
And, on the other hand, a friend of mine has an almost new ICG sitting in his garage that he bought off of eBay for around 3K including shipping. Deals can be had, but you gotta be in the right place at the right time. I got a tip from my buddy with the ICG ten years ago about the 8000. It was in Dallas. I flew there to check it out, packed it up and had it shipped home. A month after I got it the main motherboard went out. It was nearly 5K for a new one. Put it in myself and it's been fine ever since.
Thanks for the detailed answer, Peter. I think personally that at these prices, I would be more interested in a Hasselblad/Flextight scanner. Not quite as much detail, but a lot easier and faster to operate, and still a good cut above the Nikon 9000 et al. For now I will stick with my V750 though.
I feel scanning 4x5 with V750 is closer or similar to scanning 135 with Nikon 9000, i also look for a drum scanner or even Hasselblad Flextight scanner but my budget is bad nowadays, so i should accept my V750 scans.
