Prazio products - source and use

[Deliberate1]

Friends, I would appreciate hearing from those of you who have used Prazio products and where you can buy them. Comparison with corresponding Kami products would be appreciated as well. Thanks.

[Gordon Moat]

I buy direct from Prazio (http://www.prazio.com), though I phone in my orders. I could order through a local photo supply place, though there is no price advantage for me. Ask about their Starter Kit on your first order.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography (http://www.gordonmoat.com)

[Ted Harris]

What Gordon said. Basically, I think their fluids work better, so do their wipes and most of their products are less expensive than similar offerings from Aztec.

Very nice people too.

[Capocheny]

What Gordon said. Basically, I think their fluids work better, so do their wipes and most of their products are less expensive than similar offerings from Aztec.

Very nice people too.

Hi Gordon, Ted...

Hope you and your families had a great holiday celebration...

Out of curiosity, have either of you ever tried the Lumina from Scanscience? Here's their website:

http://www.scanscience.com/files/lumina2.html

With regards to the Prazio... are you using their Oil Spray or the Gel?

Thank you.

Cheers

[IanMazursky]

I use Kami SMF. IMHO its the best product ive used. I have tons of the Prazio stuff here. I have used there gel and the oil. To messy to clean up. Both of them.

Kami SMF is easy to clean and is stocked by almost every pre press supply company. Prazio is not. Im not knocking Prazio. I use the gel on damaged film all the time.

I also use Tesa tape and Photex scanner wipes.

If you need a vendor for Kami, let me know. I know some in NY area.

[Gordon Moat]

Hi Gordon, Ted...

Hope you and your families had a great holiday celebration...

Out of curiosity, have either of you ever tried the Lumina from Scanscience? Here's their website:

http://www.scanscience.com/files/lumina2.html

With regards to the Prazio... are you using their Oil Spray or the Gel?

Thank you.

Cheers

Hello,

I have not tried the Scan Science spray, though it might be another alternative. I have the Prazio mounting oil, gel, and their anti-newton spray. I have only used their gel twice, mostly just in testing to see if it was much different than using oil; discovered that there was not, though my understanding it the gel is better on deeply scratched or damaged film.

The oil worked great on film, and on some old glass plate negatives. The Prazio anti-newton spray has (so far) been a little tougher to use, though I expect with more practice to get better with this. Clean-up after using the spray is very minimal, since it evaporates quickly.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography (http://www.gordonmoat.com)

[Capocheny]

Hello,

I have not tried the Scan Science spray, though it might be another alternative. I have the Prazio mounting oil, gel, and their anti-newton spray. I have only used their gel twice, mostly just in testing to see if it was much different than using oil; discovered that there was not, though my understanding it the gel is better on deeply scratched or damaged film.

The oil worked great on film, and on some old glass plate negatives. The Prazio anti-newton spray has (so far) been a little tougher to use, though I expect with more practice to get better with this. Clean-up after using the spray is very minimal, since it evaporates quickly.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography (http://www.gordonmoat.com)

Hi Gordon,

Thanks for the reply...

I'm leaning toward the Lumina because it's relatively odorless, and doesn't appear to cause any drum crazing. Also, if you purchase 8 bottles... they'll include a pump sprayer, which should make applying the fluid that much easier. Apparently, it's just a fairly simple spray to cover the negative.

Lastly, in theory at least, they say it's pretty much residual free... but I think it makes sense to still wipe down the neg afterwards.

With your comment about the Prazio spray... are you using the stand-alone mounting station? What difficulties have you experienced with their anti-newton spray?

Thank you.

Cheers

[Ted Harris]

I prefer the Prazio products to Kami because Kami evaporates much faster, too fast IMO. I use the anti-newton ring spray a lot and find it easy to work with although you need to be careful not to use too much. I also find both the oil and the gel to be easy to work with and ot difficult to clean up. I still find that, on either the Cezanne or the IQsmart 3, there is little to be gained with ay of these liquids unless you have scratches you need to deal with.

[Bruce Watson]

I still find that, on either the Cezanne or the IQsmart 3, there is little to be gained with ay of these liquids unless you have scratches you need to deal with.

Really? I find fluid mounting to be half the value in drum scanning. For me it does more than just fill in scratches. It adds a hard-to-describe silky smoothness. Non-fluid-mounted scans look to me as if the original film base was a very fine sandpaper, while a fluid mounted scan looks as if the original film base was a beautifully clear glass.

Fluid mounting is the reason I drum scan film for even very small enlargements. I might not be able to see the increased resolution and sharpness of the PMTs at the small enlargement, but I can see the increased smoothness of the fluid mount.

[Lenny Eiger]

Really? I find fluid mounting to be half the value in drum scanning. For me it does more than just fill in scratches. It adds a hard-to-describe silky smoothness. Non-fluid-mounted scans look to me as if the original film base was a very fine sandpaper, while a fluid mounted scan looks as if the original film base was a beautifully clear glass.

Fluid mounting is the reason I drum scan film for even very small enlargements. I might not be able to see the increased resolution and sharpness of the PMTs at the small enlargement, but I can see the increased smoothness of the fluid mount.

Bruce is right.
Fluid mounting makes a huge difference on any scanner. A full half of the fluid being sold is being sold for flatbeds and film scanners. I prefer Kami, it evaporates quickly and I like that....

Lenny

EigerStudios

[IanMazursky]

I too use only Kami SMF for mounting on my Howtek 7500.
Its a time tested and proven product. I would never switch.

I took a look at the Lumina product from scan science. It looks like a good deal for flatbeds but not for drum scanners. The site doesnt have much information about using Lumina with drum scanners but I dont think it would be any better then Kami SMF.
Also The economy is just not there. An 8 oz bottle is $22. Kami is less than $45 for 1 liter.

Kami is unique IMHO and i like the smell. Maybe too much :eek:

[Gordon Moat]

. . . . . . . .

With your comment about the Prazio spray... are you using the stand-alone mounting station? What difficulties have you experienced with their anti-newton spray?

Thank you.

Cheers

Getting even coverage is a bit tough, which is why I think this will work better with practice. I have a mounting station, though I made it myself from Lucite; I have been considering a few modifications to make it easier to use (more weight for one).

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography (http://www.gordonmoat.com)

[IanMazursky]

I agree with gordon.
The prazio products do not flow as easily as the Kami.
Some like that, i do not. I have found that prazio products are better at filling in film scratches and drum defects.

Gordon, what drum scanner do you have? I would love to see a picture of your home made mounting station.
Thats great that you were able to make one yourself!
I have the same weight problem with my Howtek 7500 mounting station.
I took some gaffers tape and taped the side down to the table. It keeps it from sliding around but i wish they designed it better.

[Gordon Moat]

I am using an old Heidelberg Topaz flatbed with the fluid mounting set-up. This is why I made my own mount station, because dedicated fluid mounts for flatbed scanners are not very common, and not inexpensive. Creo makes quite a nice set-up, but theirs involved a removable glass that fits into their scanner.

I did look at some ICG drum mount stations, and the design is quite simple, though the prices are out there. All of them seem to lack weight, so that they move around too easily on a desk. What I will likely end up with is a nice block of wood with the Lucite parts attached to it, then something like Sorbothane to keep it from sliding. I would hate to tape it down to a desk, since I like being able to move it.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography (http://www.gordonmoat.com)