Well, it seems like it is time to get a new Creo iQSmart2 or something to be on the safe side. I just can not find my wifes credit card
As some others I can get quite good Imacon X5 scans of my 4x5 film for a VERY reasonable parts (raw scans - no retouching), so I am not getting a scanner any soon. But should I have no other option the Epson V750 or Microtek F1 would be the only realistic possibilities and I would have to live with their limitations. As long as I can shoot film, I will.
Matus
High End Scanners are pretty much out of development since 5 or 6 years now. Consider the legacy of the late Dr. Rudolf Hell. When his scanner product line reached the end of a very long R&D span (which began with the invention of the fax machine, the Hellfax, and ended with the vertical drum scanner, the Heidelberg Primescan) it was a sad day and one I'll never forget. I still keep working and spare parts machines in stock, both the flatbed (Nexscan) and the drum variety...why?... because I've learned there are numerous photographers out there who still appreciate and need this level of quality.
Since leaving my position at Heidelberg in 2003, I have sold about two scanners a year (so yeah, this is NOT how I make my living). Each and every one of these sales was always to a photographer... and the installation was in their private home in most cases. The reason I still bother with them at all is because I grew up working on the Hell scanners. I became a Hell technician at age 22 installing CP341s and DC350s all over the USA and Caribbean. I loved these machines and the quality they produced. I never lost that admiration for them. So if any of you ever needs help with these German tanks, rest assured I will still support any scanner that was manufactured in Kiel until I kick the bucket myself. If you need help with one you've found or you need help finding one, drop me a line here.
What would be the ramifications of building a light table and photographing the negative with a quality SLR in lieu of a flatbed negative scanner such at the V750?
Think about it.Originally Posted by Deane Johnson
12 megapixel camera = 12,000,000 (approx)
25 megapixel camera = 25,000,000 (approx)
4"x5" film scanned at 1200dpi :
Pixels created - (4 x 1200) x (5 x 1200) = 28,800,000
4"x5" film scanned at 2400dpi :
Pixels created - (4 x 2400) x (5 x 2400) = 115,200,000
So, it would appear that a 25Mp camera could get close to a relatively low-res scan; however,it would take one heck of a camera to equal the full-res scan.
Joanna, you're absolutely right. The digital camera is useful for rough scans only. I do 6 MP copies only. But if one was serious about higher resolution then do, say, 4 scans of a 4X5 using a 22 MP DSLR and stich using Photoshop. Multiple exposure is more work and would need a good rectilinear setup with closeup capability but some version of it could be a future path to scanning at higher quality.
Nate Potter, Austin TX.
Thanks. Sort of shoots that idea down.
Well, not quite. The calculation above states that you get your 4x5 with one frame on the digital camera. If you would be able to make a copy stand and a 1:1 macro lens, you would get about 20 frames - and stitch them since it is a perfectly controllable environment. That would give you a lot of pixels, but the process would be very time consuming and you have to have a good lens. But even with 1:2 or 1:3 ratios, you could still get something great this way, only that it is more complicated than put the film into the scammer and let i do the dirty work.
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