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Archive 2010 · Scanning Film?

joekraft
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p.2 #1 · Scanning Film?

No way. I enjoy using my film cameras much more than my 5D. Regardless of the output.

There's a movie out where some guitar gods get together to talk about their approach to making music. One of them says he wants the guitar to fight him. Comparing my 5D to my Mamiya, I get that now. The Mamiya is a much more participatory experience.

So there are virtues to vintage cameras besides the output.

Feb 10, 2010 at 08:09 PM

panos.v
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p.2 #2 · Scanning Film?

pawlowski6132 wrote:
For the folks scanning their negatives; I'm curious to know how your final images are viwed; Print or Monitor. If both, what %?

Maybe some of you can anticipate my next question.

thanx

Both. I get prints done from the negatives and view on screen what I scan with a V700. That's 35mm and 6x6 120.

Feb 10, 2010 at 09:20 PM

mrladewig
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p.2 #3 · Scanning Film?

pawlowski6132 wrote:
For the folks scanning their negatives; I'm curious to know how your final images are viwed; Print or Monitor. If both, what %?

Maybe some of you can anticipate my next question.

thanx

Both

I have no idea what the percentage is. Online I can track the views, but I don't have a good reference for the number of people viewing my prints where they are on display.

As for the images themselves, I typically do not scan an image if I'm not interested in printing though some images don't make the cut after scanning. At a minimum, I've scanned an image to make a 4X6 print of it for our snapshot album. I would say that at least 50% and probably closer to 75% of the frames I scan will be made into a print.

I have my labs process only on all my film so I don't get any print unless I scan and order the print myself. I think my manual scanning is much better than their auto scanning and its worthwhile to me for my own prints. Its no different than shooting raw on a digital camera and processing for print. It just takes a little more effort.

Feb 10, 2010 at 09:39 PM

pocketfulladou
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p.2 #4 · Scanning Film?

The V700 does a decent job for larger negatives than what you are using (4x5 and larger), but for 645, just rent a Supercoolscan 9000 for a couple days. It's going to blow away the 700. If, you absolutely must use the 700, get a BetterScanning holder so you can adjust the height for better focusing on the scanner. The Epson film holder does not hold the negatives at the ideal distance from the glass.

Also, if you are scanning slides, be sure to get an IT8 calibration target.

Feb 10, 2010 at 09:49 PM

Greg Campbell
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p.2 #5 · Scanning Film?

joekraft wrote:
No way. I enjoy using my film cameras much more than my 5D. Regardless of the output.

There's a movie out where some guitar gods get together to talk about their approach to making music. One of them says he wants the guitar to fight him.

Kinda like making music in this maner?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4UJkl6eaGQ

Comparing my 5D to my Mamiya, I get that now. The Mamiya is a much more participatory experience.

So there are virtues to vintage cameras besides the output.

Indeed. There is so much less "driving (fighting) the camera." IMO, every time you have to 'pull out' of the viewfinder and wade into the digital swamp of endless menus, you are distracting yourself and losing the feel for the photo you're trying to make.

Feb 10, 2010 at 10:04 PM

joekraft
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p.2 #6 · Scanning Film?

Well played Greg. I think I was a freshman in HS reading guitar world when I read this spoof band was going to be coming to the theater in town. That was before DVD and VHS was widespread, so it took me a couple of years before I saw it for the first time.

Kinda like that, but exactly like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sBLir8H2zM

Feb 10, 2010 at 10:28 PM

kidtexas
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p.2 #7 · Scanning Film?

pawlowski6132 wrote:
For the folks scanning their negatives; I'm curious to know how your final images are viwed; Print or Monitor. If both, what %?

Print, computer (flickr), darkroom. All three. I scan most of my semi interesting frames at low res for flickr and such. Enough for a good 4x6 print. Some I scan at 4000dpi for large prints, up to about 18x24. I also print in the darkroom. Who knows what % I view at on the computer.

Printing is the great equalizer. As long as you aren't doing 30x40s all the time (who has the space or money for that?), 35mm DOES look pretty good, whether wet print or scan, provided a decent scanner. Personally, I find a good 11x14 a lot more intimate than some huge print. And as far as the web goes, at 900px wide, anything can look sharp.

Feb 10, 2010 at 11:14 PM

Bifurcator
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p.2 #8 · Scanning Film?

I'm pretty much the same. Although I've recently just been using a digital camera to "scan" the negs and transparencies. Probably only because i made the duplicator myself and I want to use that though. Here's a shot from my latest roll.

This image is copyrighted by the owner

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Duplicating on an 8.1 MP camera as I did here, I get approximately 2360 dpi resolution at 12bit depths (RAW) if I don't zoom in for a crop. Not the best possible I suppose but as you can see not too shabby! And the 100% looks just as clean as this scaled version - to me.

I display them on-line in sizes like this or I print. Truth be told 35mm film (or most digital camera captures) can be enlarged to near infinite sizes without loosing any detail because of the viewing distance that no one ever seems to take in to account. A poster is typically best viewed from 4 to 6 meters away and that's about where we will place ourselves given the space to do so. A freeway billboard is viewed from what, 40 to 100 meters (yards) away? If you can print it to look good at 8x10 from about 35 cm to 45 cm away from your nose you can print it at any size.The perfect human eye in the most optimal environment can not detect resolutions higher than 75 dpi at 1 meter away - or so say the scientists. Although I too like 8x10 or 11x14 the best by far! As Kid Texas says it's more intimate than some huge print! I print using ink-jet printers and unless it's a gallery submission or something I use 5-color printers because they're twice as fast, cost about 40% less, and I can't usually tell the difference. I still have my color dark-room equipment but I haven't set it up in a very long time.

Feb 11, 2010 at 09:39 AM


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