I'm exploring a combination of digital and wet photography...scanning my B&W 4x5 negatives, doing the contrast control and other manipulations in Photoshop, the n creating a negative for contact printing via the imagesetter method described in Dan Burkholder's books. As best as I understand, about 300dpi at the output print size is an optimum resolution to aim for. So, even for 11x14, a 900 dpi o r so scan should be fine. Any suggestions on a "best" scanner that's affordable ?
I've been doing some reading on scanners and am interested in Lf forum friends responses....but based on what I've read, a good scanner in 4x5 starts at 10k U.S. This is sticker-scary, any other opinions?
there are several high-quality negative scanners available. however, none of them are what i would consider affordable for individuals, since they are typically designed for professional graphic use. i might suggest that you consider visiting your best local graphics house, and make an arrangement with them based on how many negs you will be bringing them on a regular basis. no upfront costs, no maintenance costs, and you are getting the services of a professional that makes sure it is done right every time. how are you planning to print your images? in my business, it is essential that i produce archival b/w prints. is there any electronic printing process and paper selection for digital printing that can rival the print quality or cost-per-print of a normal fiber- base silver print?
I think the Microtek scanners (www.microtek.com) fits your requirements properly at a reasonable cost ~$1000. My concern with 4x5 wouldn't be DPI, but rather Dmax.
below is a list of some film scanners, with a couple of current prices. as pointed out above, the microtek is one of the lowest priced units that can handle 4x5 (more like $2500 than $1000, however). it should be evident from the price that this unit is not technically comparable with units such as the leafscan or the nikon.
4x5" Film Scanners:
Kodak PCD Scanner 4045 Leaf Leafscan 45 Microtek ScanMaker 45t - $2750 Nikon LS-4500AF - $8995 Polaroid SprintScan 45 - $8849
Large Format Scanners:
Agfa SelectScan Plus Agfa DuoScan Agfa Horizon Ultra Linotype-Hell Topaz Scitex Smart 342/342L Scitex Smart 720/730 Plus
You might want to look at the UMAX PowerLook III. It is a prepress flatbed scanner that also comes with a transparency adapter (essentially a second top with a light source in it) that converts the scanner for scanning film. It comes with film holders from 35mm through 4x5. It is capable of doing 1200 x 2400 scan (true optical resolution). Dmax on it is 3.4 which is not bad for a flatbed scanner. Comes with good scanning software and can be found for around $1150 on the Internet (try pricescan.com for comparative shopping). After that, your on your way up to however much you think your wallet can stand. UMAX also makes the PowerLook 3000 which does 3080 x 3080 resolution and costs about $5800. As they say in racing - how fast do you want to go, how much do you want to spend?
assuming (and this is a $15K assumption) that price is no hurdle, The Imacon scanner is the one to go with. Since I can't afford one I use a lab that has one. I have also made a point of making a good relationship with the craftsman who is a master of the scan. His name is Carl Champagne, he is based at AZ llp. Lab in Houston, Texas and he can be reached at 713.862.6343. Barry is a really super nice guy and does beautiful work at a reasonable (to me) price.
the microtek image maker 4 is an excellent choice, not the highest end, but certainly good for prepress and printing from digital. It scans from film or print without additional cost---only $500.00. Beware! digital doesn't have near the range of paper and film for dodging and burning, its as limited as color in that regard.
For a reasonable budget a flatbed scanner is an alternative to consider. From a 4x5" negative one can get sufficiently large files at 1200 dpi (if Your computer can handle such files...)
In principle, the "drawer" type is better than the type, where negetives/dias are scanned through the glass like paper originals. Some Mikrotek and Agfa Duoscan models have that construction (maybe they are the same design). The scanner reads the negative from top and not through any glass.
Just said, I have had pleasant results with Mikrotek Scanmaker III and the top assembly. I just think, that an Agfa would be even better.
Sakari
And ... if price REALLY is not a consideration. Then the one to go with is the Heidelberg Tango - at I believe, $67,500. Then of course, there are those accessories...
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