Neg Scans : experience with 8 x 10

[Dave Wooten]

Drum or ? Recommendations - Thanks

[Peter De Smidt]

Check out Pali's thread.

[Dave Wooten]

Thank you

[Pere Casals]

Drum or ? Recommendations - Thanks

Yes, follow Pali's thread.

Anyway here you have a good tutorial.
http://www.kennethleegallery.com/html/scanning/index.php


If you scan with a cheap EPSON V850 flatbed you still will obtain an insane amount of information from a 8x10 negative, beyond 300 Mpix effective, so if your prints are not beyond 1.5m you may not notice the effect of a better scanner.

A drum scan service is expensive at 2000 dpi, but at 4000dpi it may cost several $ hundreds. If you are to scan at 2000dpi with the drum then the EPSON has a comparable resolving power.

Another reason to use a drum is having very high densities in velvia and wanting to recover those shadows.

In practice a good 8x10 negative has complete contrast extintion at some effective 2500 dpi or lower, so you may not benefit from an expensive scan.

In small formats a high performance scan shows a benefit easier.

[Dave Wooten]

Thanks: that is exactly what I was wondering

[Pere Casals]

Anyway just make you personal tests, it's important to know things from first hand. The EPSON scans always improve a bit from proficient Photoshop edition, admiting some sharpening. Pro gear tends to optimize the result with its internal image enhancing procedures.

Always save the scan in 16bits per channel TIFF, edit in 16 bits and make a final sharpening after resizing to the final size, for best results final sharpening radius should be optimal for the intended viewing distance.

PD: 8x10 in the v850 is scanned on the bed glass, is you place the emulsion side in contact with glass you'll avoid newton rings, you also can wet mount on the bed glass itself.