who uses wet scanning?

[stradibarrius]

How many use wet scanning for your best images? Who use the Epson v700 to wet scan?
I have read several articles that state that wet scanning is superior.

[Richard Johnson]

Of course it is superior but you have to weigh the extra work versus results. Better to use the Epson to proof quickly and easily, then send out for drum scans of your best images.

[Daniel Stone]

I find it optimal quality-wise, and if given the choice of wet vs dry scanning on my best shots, I'd go wet all the time if possible.

That's where proof/contact sheets come in handy, even in a digital world :). They can give you a glimpse as to what's on a roll before you start scanning. Especially with roll film where you might have a couple of shots in a series, and determining which one you like best. I think I can "read" color negatives pretty good these days, but having a contact sheet to reference from(that's properly color/density balanced as close as possible to what I want to see in the scan) saves me time, and again, is great as a reference. Especially if I don't have the time to scan it myself, and outsource the scan to someone else.

-Dan

[stradibarrius]

I would think that a dry scan/contact sheet would help you determine which shots were the ones that you would want to wet scan for optimal quality to print.
What is the method you use? I know better scanning has a "kit" but I also watched a video on wet scanning by Gavin Seim, it appeared he used a piece of glass a sheet of mylar and some scanning fluid. I am not sure if he used some sort of frame????

[jbenedict]

I talk with a guy who gave up all film for digital. He's a professional of 15+ years and a really good darkroom printer. He has a very large archive of 8x10 black and white negatives, prints of which many were made in 20x24 and he sold to people for large sums of money. If someone looks in his portfolio and requests a particular print, he can make it digitally in a manner which pleases him and his client and some of these clients have darkroom made prints of his work. I asked him about wet vs. dry and he does dry for about 80% of his work. The wet is reserved for the stuff that is going to be really big or stuff he is trying to get the 'little bit more' out of that he saw when he exposed the shot.

I'm planning on getting an Epson 700/750 scanner and paying this fellow for a few hours of his time to show me how it works and how to make a good dry scan. Once I get happy with operating the scanner, I might try the wet method, again paying for a lesson to see how it is done.

[stradibarrius]

Unfortunately, it cost about $200 to get the basic stuff to try it to see if you like it. If I know that it is really worth it then I don't mind spending the money.

[Peter De Smidt]

The effects vary quite a bit by scanner. All you need is some mylar (art store) and naphtha to give it a try. Don't use this on an important negative. Don't worry much about bubbles .... you'd just be testing to find out the quality difference between wet and dry scanner. Naphtha is flammable, and so take precautions.

[stradibarrius]

Is scanning fluid just Naptha? Are you saying just put the negative directly on the scanner glass and the mylar over that?

[mdarnton]

From the bottom:
Scanner glass
air (o-rings for spacers)
mylar
neg
glass

The last three are stuck together with naptha.

This upside-down thing with o-ring spacers isn't my idea but I can't locate the source at this instant. Works great, though.

[Peter De Smidt]

https://www.freestylephoto.biz/pdf/msds/kami_scanner_fluids/Kami_Scanner_Mounting_Fluid.pdf

Well, how do you scan now? If on the glass, than yes you can mount right to the glass. But that is not usually the best height for an Epson scanner. Get a piece of picture framing glass. 8x10" is great if you're doing 4x5" film. Use tape shims in each corner to find the best height. Cut a piece of mylar about 7x6" for a 4x5" negative. Now you flip the glass holder over. Center the negative. Lift up so one corner of the negative is touching the glass. Squirt some scanning fluid along the edge where the negtive touches the glass. Lay the negative down, taking about 1 second to lower the negative, starting at the edge that's touching. You're kinda rolling the negative down. Place the edge of the mylar about 1" from the the negative, touching the glass. Squirt...lay the mylar down. Push out any bubbles. Flip carrier over. Scan. Danial doesn't use a consumer flatbed, but you can get the idea here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXy7RJwIBAo

[stradibarrius]

Thanks for the information, now I have to decide if I want to try the process.

[Jim Andrada]

Another vote for wet - I use the holder that came with the Epson 750 and it works pretty well on my scanner. I got a kit of stuff from Aztek - Kami fluid, wipes, etc (check it on their website and it works very well. Much less time spotting and i feel like the overall result is quite a bit better. 5 x 7 is about the largest you can use with the Epson kit since the higher resolution lens strip is only about 5.5 inches wide. From measuring the wet mount carrier it looks like it's just possible to scan and stitch Whole Plate in two passes. If I ever get around to making up lens boards for my Kodak Whole Plate camera I'll try it instead of just theorizing about it:<))

[paulr]

On a flatbed, I don't know understand the point of the cover sheet. I've tried it, but it just seemed like two more surfaces to attract dust and another layer of fluid to make bubbles. Just wet-mounting to float glass seems like enough. It guarantees a flat neg and eliminates newton's rings. Between this and using shims to find the plane of focus, you can get slightly better scans than without.

It adds an unfortunate amount of time and effort. I only do it for negs that inspire a healthy amount of confidence.

[Jim Andrada]

I think if you scan 120 film you'll find the film will often pop away from the glass if you don't use the cover sheet. Sheet film often seems to be flat enough not to need a cover sheet.

I think the cover sheet also helps prevent the fluid from drying out and separating around the edges even with sheet film

[paulr]

I think if you scan 120 film you'll find the film will often pop away from the glass if you don't use the cover sheet. Sheet film often seems to be flat enough not to need a cover sheet.

I think the cover sheet also helps prevent the fluid from drying out and separating around the edges even with sheet film

Interesting. That's the first explanation I've heard. I haven't tried wet-mounting any roll film. I'm not even sure how to do it.

[sanking]

Interesting. That's the first explanation I've heard. I haven't tried wet-mounting any roll film. I'm not even sure how to do it.

You would fluid mount roll film the same way as sheet film. The only complication is that some roll films have a lot of curl, which can make it difficult to keep flat. It can be a lot easier to mount curled film around a drum than on a the glass of a flatbed. But here is what you do with a flatbed.

1. Put a few drops of the fluid on the mounting glass.
2. Place the negative or transparency on the glass, emulsion side down, in contact with the mounting fluid.
3. Place a few drops of fluid on the top of the film emulsion.
4. Place a sheet of thin polyester on top of the film, and rub out the bubbles with a roller or with a smooth cloth.
5. Tape down down the sides of the polyester.

Once you have done this a few times the process will seem very easy, and using the polyester cover sheet is hardly more trouble than not. There are several reasons for using the cover sheet. One, you roll over the polyester to expel bubbles instead of having to do this on the film itself, which might scratch it. Second, as mentioned earlier, the edges of the film may lift during scanning if not taped down, and it is safer to tape down the mylar rather than the film.
And third, the fluid layer between the base of the film emulsion and the polyester will fill in scratches on the film which might otherwise show on the scan.

If done correctly fluid mounting will nearly always result in a better scan, but you must work clean to avoid bubbles and dust. If you don't do it right the old saying, "the enemy of Good is Better" may apply.


Sandy