Need your advice

**bbarna** · 27-Jul-2012, 10:42

I am about to make a 15x enlargement from one of my 4x5 slide (Provia 100F). The area to be enlarged is only 18x51 mm and this should end up as 27x76.5 cm on the final print. What method would you use? Traditional darkroom or scanning and digital printing? Should I go for a drum scan or an Epson V700 can cope with the problem? If the drum scanning is the way, can you please suggest someone who would do the job for me (preferably in Europe, the Netherlands)? Unfortunately, my budget is quite limited.
Thank you very much for your help.
Regards, Barna

**timparkin** · 27-Jul-2012, 14:28

Originally Posted by bbarna

I am about to make a 15x enlargement from one of my 4x5 slide (Provia 100F). The area to be enlarged is only 18x51 mm and this should end up as 27x76.5 cm on the final print. What method would you use? Traditional darkroom or scanning and digital printing? Should I go for a drum scan or an Epson V700 can cope with the problem? If the drum scanning is the way, can you please suggest someone who would do the job for me (preferably in Europe, the Netherlands)? Unfortunately, my budget is quite limited.
Thank you very much for your help.
Regards, Barna

I'd get a drum scan. with 4000dpi you'll be getting about 280dpi. Your Epson will do a reasonable job if you've shot it at f/32 ish or more but if you've shot it at f/22 ish or less then you've probably got detail beyond a 2000-2400dpi scan. A drum scan will definitely get a better result. I do drum scans and there is a bloke on the isle of white that does them too (David Whistance) and we're both reasonably priced at about £15-20 per scan.

You'll also be able to sharpen the file better if you get a higher resolution scan (i.e. less noise). There are other drum scanning services - a colleague runs a Heidelburg and gets cracking results - he can scan at 10,000dpi ... you don't see any more detail at that resolution but you will get a very smooth result which will take more sharpening without showing noise.

Tim

**SCHWARZZEIT** · 27-Jul-2012, 14:53

For a high quality 15x enlargement you would require a scan of about 4500 ppi. At this resolution a good drum scan will look much better than any Epson scan, not only in detail level but also in tonality and color.

I am based in Berlin and do offer drum scans. My website is HIGH-END-SCANS. It's only in German at this point. The English version is still in translation progress. But I included an English pdf that covers what I offer. I've dealt with international client from many European countries including the Netherlands. Feel free to contact me via Email or PM if you're interested or do have any questions.

-Dominique

**bbarna** · 7-Aug-2012, 11:50

Hi Tim,
Can you please delete some of your messages from your inbox because your quota has exceeded and I cannot send you any message :-)
Regards,
Barna

Originally Posted by timparkin

I'd get a drum scan. with 4000dpi you'll be getting about 280dpi. Your Epson will do a reasonable job if you've shot it at f/32 ish or more but if you've shot it at f/22 ish or less then you've probably got detail beyond a 2000-2400dpi scan. A drum scan will definitely get a better result. I do drum scans and there is a bloke on the isle of white that does them too (David Whistance) and we're both reasonably priced at about £15-20 per scan.

You'll also be able to sharpen the file better if you get a higher resolution scan (i.e. less noise). There are other drum scanning services - a colleague runs a Heidelburg and gets cracking results - he can scan at 10,000dpi ... you don't see any more detail at that resolution but you will get a very smooth result which will take more sharpening without showing noise.

Tim

**Lenny Eiger** · 8-Aug-2012, 09:53

I do drum scans for people from all over the world. I just completed one for a bloke in Australia. (Trying to get the right terminology there ;-) I can do a 8,000 ppi scan for you, on my Aztek Premier, if you like.... It makes a 6 Gig file, but its chock full of detail and all good stuff. The thing about the higher pixels is you get a small amount of more resolution, but you get all the pixels at that resolution. I like it for those very large files...

Aztek states their actual optical rez is 7300 or so, close to that 8,000.... Whether that's actually true or not, you won't lose by going large...

Lenny

**Bill_1856** · 8-Aug-2012, 11:33

For best quality, you still can't beat a Cibachrome (Ilfordchrome) done professionally with whatever masking is necessary. Since you're not doing your own printing, it would also probably be the least expensive.
That's a heck of an enlargement -- it better be one Fine Image!

**Ivan J. Eberle** · 8-Aug-2012, 16:05

Ilfochromes with and without masking were all I did for some years but those days are behind us, I'm afraid. Aside from the quality issue, who's stockpiling materials to do Ilfochromes professionally yet? Unlike some of the RA4 papers, unexposed Ilfochrome badly color shifts and crosses as it ages, and there's not much to be done about it other than use fresh paper-- which is fast becoming a problem. (Too, Pan Masking film has not been made in many years.)

**Bill_1856** · 8-Aug-2012, 19:44

My Cibas actually DARKEN a little with age, not fade, but this process seems to have been stopped on the ones which I lacquered. They remain as archival as my DyeTransfers.