Best Drum Scanning Service?

As I'm getting into 8x10 B&W, I'm looking into scanning the negatives. I was all ready to buy an Epson 11000XL for wet mounting my 8x10 negatives until I saw in the specs that the max res that this scanner and the V850 will do is 12,800 x 12,800 pixels. Most of my work will be 40x60 or bigger. So I'm looking at scanning the negs at 2000+dpi. At 2400DPI this would put the file at 19,200 x 24,000 pixels.

Now I'm looking at drum scanning services. I realize this is the best way for large prints from what has been posted in the forum. I looked at drumscanning.com and they charge $110. Others that I have looked at are about $220. Does anyone have one they have used and would recommend? Sometimes the cheapest is not the best. I appreciate your input. Thanks...

Contact Lenny Eiger here on the forum, he comes highly recommended by many here.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll send him a PM. Thanks!

I've used Tim Parkin's service two times. He's great.

There are drum scanning services and then there are drum scanning services. I've been doing high end drum scans for the last eighteen years. You want an artist on the operating end of your scanner and someone who really understands all aspects of scanning, AND you want to have a scan and scanner that is fully color managed and an operator able to deliver scans in whatever color space you request and not just assign a profile to the file the scanner spits out. For black and white scans you typically want the either in 16bpc gamma 2.2 Grayscale or in a 2.2 gamma color space like Adobe RGB, but not sRGB which has a modified gamma curve. Pixel for pixel, the scan from a good drum scanner will be far better with smoother gradations and sharper detail than any flatbed scanner, but 8x10's are a bitch to mount on the smaller scanners as there's not a lot of extra room to tape. And if you're getting a Howtek/Aztek scan, the closest optical res for an HR8000/Premier is going to be 2666.67 ppi and if it's an SM4500, it will either be 4000 or 2000 with nothing available in between. ICG and Hell are going to have slightly different specs.

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Originally Posted by Sasquatchian

There are drum scanning services and then there are drum scanning services. I've been doing high end drum scans for the last eighteen years. You want an artist on the operating end of your scanner and someone who really understands all aspects of scanning, AND you want to have a scan and scanner that is fully color managed and an operator able to deliver scans in whatever color space you request and not just assign a profile to the file the scanner spits out. For black and white scans you typically want the either in 16bpc gamma 2.2 Grayscale or in a 2.2 gamma color space like Adobe RGB, but not sRGB which has a modified gamma curve. Pixel for pixel, the scan from a good drum scanner will be far better with smoother gradations and sharper detail than any flatbed scanner, but 8x10's are a bitch to mount on the smaller scanners as there's not a lot of extra room to tape. And if you're getting a Howtek/Aztek scan, the closest optical res for an HR8000/Premier is going to be 2666.67 ppi and if it's an SM4500, it will either be 4000 or 2000 with nothing available in between. ICG and Hell are going to have slightly different specs.

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I appreciate your input and I agree with you 100%. I was a pre-press manager for 20 years. Resolution and profiles were something that we always had a hard time trying to get customers to understand. "Why can't you use that file? It looks good on the screen." Ahhh, all day long. Anyway, do you offer scanning services? If so what are your rates? Thanks...

http://www.lightwork.org/services/

55/scan on a howtek, run by people who know what they're doing.

If you are looking for someone in the Midwest Tom Fritz Studio in Milwaukee does a great job.

I'll check them out, appreciate it!

http://analogue-arts.com/

Based in London, UK so probably not idea for OP.

Why not go directly to the source. Give Evan Lippincott a call www.aztek.com . He's the BEST.

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Originally Posted by Ari

Contact Lenny Eiger here on the forum, he comes highly recommended by many here.

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Does he still offer scanning services? I tried to "look him up" online, but his website is down.

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Originally Posted by MultiFormat Shooter

Does he still offer scanning services? I tried to "look him up" online, but his website is down.

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I do still offer scanning services. My Premier had a preventative maintenance last year and its running like a well-oiled machine. Thanks for the kind words, Ari.

Sorry about the web site being down, there isn't much info there anyway since I started to redo it and then ran out of time. I made a little change in there last week and somehow Apache didn't start up again. I just got notified and its back up... (Thanks, Peter).

I am happy to answer any questions, either here, or if you'd like to contact me directly. I can be reached at eiger@eigerstudios.com or 707-763-5922 (please note that I am in Pacific Time Zone, please don't call at 4 AM)

Nice to check in again, hope everyone is well.

Regards,

Lenny

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Originally Posted by Lenny Eiger

I do still offer scanning services. My Premier had a preventative maintenance last year and its running like a well-oiled machine.

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Awesome, get to hear you're still going strong! I have a few E-6 chromes that I would like to get scanned in the next month or two.

Am I doing the math incorrectly, a 16-bit bw scan at 19,200 x 24,000 pixels would be a 900gb file? I'm nuts right?

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Originally Posted by nonuniform

Am I doing the math incorrectly, a 16-bit bw scan at 19,200 x 24,000 pixels would be a 900gb file? I'm nuts right?

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Not correct math.

I use 2666 for 8x10, that's 26,660 pixels for the 10 inch edge and 21,328 for the 8 inch edge. It comes out to about 3 gigs in 16 bit RGB. If I wanted to convert to B&W, it would be one of those channels, usually the Green, and it would be 1/3 of the size, name 1 Gig.

You calculations are likely leading you to 900 Megabytes... not Gigabytes.

Lenny

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Originally Posted by mactastic

http://analogue-arts.com/

Based in London, UK so probably not idea for OP.

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Ideal for me though...thanks for info!

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Originally Posted by arca andy

Ideal for me though...thanks for info!

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You'd might want to check out www.drumscanning.co.uk

I've used them a couple of times and they are great, they're also much cheaper.

Check this out here: http://www.bwmastery.com/blog/2016/b...lodima-digital

I've done a lot of work figuring out the best input curves for many black and white films and adjust them as needed for each negative. I typically scan 8x10s to 1660-2000 SPI but can go higher if needed. The great thing about this scanner is the ability to scan ULF negatives like 11x14, 8x20 or 12x20 negatives.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by macmaster77

As I'm getting into 8x10 B&W, I'm looking into scanning the negatives. I was all ready to buy an Epson 11000XL for wet mounting my 8x10 negatives until I saw in the specs that the max res that this Large scanning service and the V850 will do is 12,800 x 12,800 pixels. Most of my work will be 40x60 or bigger. So I'm looking at scanning the negs at 2000+dpi. At 2400DPI this would put the file at 19,200 x 24,000 pixels.

Now I'm looking at drum scanning services. I realize this is the best way for large prints from what has been posted in the forum. I looked at drumscanning.com and they charge $110. Others that I have looked at are about $220. Does anyone have one they have used and would recommend? Sometimes the cheapest is not the best. I appreciate your input. Thanks...

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Hello,
I also want to buy Epson but still confuse about the printer. I also want to print large image with super clearity but drum scanning is not so clear as epson. I personally feel that epson is good against drum scanner.....

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Originally Posted by jasonst

Hello,
I also want to buy Epson but still confuse about the printer. I also want to print large image with super clearity but drum scanning is not so clear as epson. I personally feel that epson is good against drum scanner.....

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I have been using the Epson V800 for months now and I have been very pleased with the results. I scan at 16bit grayscale at 2400DPI. This gets me a working file of about 52x62 at 360 DPI which is the native resolution of my 44" Epson 9880. Hope this helps. Thanks!

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Originally Posted by jasonst

Hello,
I also want to buy Epson but still confuse about the printer. I also want to print large image with super clearity but drum scanning is not so clear as epson. I personally feel that epson is good against drum scanner.....

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I am sorry, I personally think you need to show how you came to that conclusion. There is no way in the world the epson is remotely close to the drum scan. When I was scanning 8x10s on the 750, the MOST I would go is 16x20. The drum scan will easily go to 60" inches without breaking a sweat. I am scanning really really good 2 1/4s to 60"x60" and there is no way you could make a decent 16"x16" print from an Epson flat bed scan of these. Anyone who says otherwise hasn't seen a good drum scan. If you'd like me to prove it contact me privately and maybe i'll have you send me a negative.

came to thread late but Really like the membership 55/scan idea some of the prices are ridiculous.

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Originally Posted by jasonst

Hello,
I also want to buy Epson but still confuse about the printer. I also want to print large image with super clearity but drum scanning is not so clear as epson. I personally feel that epson is good against drum scanner.....

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I’d have to second what Richard has said. There’s absolutely no way an Epson scanner can match a good drum scan... not only in resolution but in shadow detail as well.

Ethan

I've not used them, but you might check out Agx Imaging in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. (http://www.agximaging.com/).

Does anyone know if Lenny Eiger is still doing drum scans?

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Originally Posted by MultiFormat Shooter

Does anyone know if Lenny Eiger is still doing drum scans?

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Here’s a link to his website, the about page states the he's currently doing scanning, but not printing. Looks like he’s moved to Santa Cruz.

http://eigerstudios.com/

Roger

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Originally Posted by MultiFormat Shooter

Does anyone know if Lenny Eiger is still doing drum scans?

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i am still doing scans... And yes I moved to Santa Cruz a couple of years ago.... thanks Roger, for pointing that out. I put the address below:

I'm pretty busy these days, doing all kinds of non-Photograph things to make a living. Yet the scanner is still here, is working smoothly and I'm about to do some scans this afternoon....

Wishing you all well,

Lenny Eiger

EigerStudios
565 Western Drive Apt A
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

www.eigerstudios.com
707-235-6899
eiger@eigerstudios.com

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Originally Posted by Lenny Eiger

i am still doing scans....

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Great to hear! Hopefully, I will have items, in the next few months, if I can finally get good weather, and get out of the house.

Shit, our cheap little Howtek's are way better than even those behemoth Crossfield's that used to populate service bureaus and certain labs. I was shocked when L.A. Natural History Museum had a Crossfield scan made of a 6x8 cm Velvia at 8000 that they didn't like. Told 'em that I didn't know if the Howtek would be better, but it turned out that it was so much better in ever regard that I actually got paid for that one. Even though I've done thousands of scans for others over the years, these days it's only my own stuff - I'm still finding images - and good ones that I've somehow missed over the last 22 years of drum scanning.

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Originally Posted by mactastic

http://analogue-arts.com/

Based in London, UK so probably not idea for OP.

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But useful for members at this side of the ocean! thanks for the link!