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Soren Mork
4-Jan-2006, 22:33
I just bought a Nikon Cool Scan 9000ED and was wondering if anybody has any experience with wet mounting negatives in a scanner like this; and if it is possible at all.

David Rees
5-Jan-2006, 13:11
With the standard (non-glass) holders which ship with this scanner would I be correct in assuming this might be quite difficult?

I have the previous generation (8000ED) and use it to scan both 35mm and 120 format film. With the latter, I wasn't happy with the 120 film flatness acheiveable with the medium format holder, so I invested in the glass holder (869G, not the 869GR, which has glass AND rotates). With this holder, I've never hsd any trouble with film flatness -- the grain is in focus across the entire scan, even with a 6x9.

Though your needs might be greater than mine, it might be worthwhile investigating whether you can pick up one of these holders. They do crop up on eBay from time to time. Might give you the scan quality you need without the hassle of wet mounting. At the least, I imagine you'll need one to attempt wet-mounting.

I hope you find your 9000 useful. My 8000 has been superb for more than 4 years, and 15,000 scans now. Only wish I could get something as good to give me 4,000dpi on a 5x4 slide!

Soren Mork
5-Jan-2006, 13:27
David,
Thanx a lot for your response! I also invested in the glass holder, but still have to tape down my neg's. I totally got rid of Newton Rings, etc and my scans are INCREDIBLE. Actually the 9000 is so amazing that for magazine's and posters size's it is giving me better scans than most Drum scanners!!!! My problem is that I'm also shooting Advertising campaigns and a lot of time they do Bill Boards as well. I know there are ways to do the scan's on the 9000 sufficient for Bill Boards. A Retoucher told me about Wet Mounting of neg's but it is still hard for me to understand how to do that and not mess up the scanner. Also I still don't get what Wet mounting has to do with file size's good enough for Bill Boards?
Soren

David Rees
5-Jan-2006, 13:38
Soren,

It seems that you are getting better results from your 9000 than I get from my 8000 (and I'm very happy with my scans thus far). Not surprising, really, since it is a later generation scanner.

I must admit, I'm not sure what you would gain from wet-mounting, if you are already getting sharp, detailed scans at 4000 dpi from your scanner. There may be a small percentage w.r.t. resolution to be gained, but I for one am not sure I'd want to risk liquid inside my scanner -- certainly not designed for it.

Let us see what the more knowledgable people on this forum come up with. I'm sure it will be interesting and informative!

Soren Mork
5-Jan-2006, 13:48
You might want to look into some helpfull software to enhance your scans. "Extensis" have 2 programs thet look pretty interesting:
PXL SmartScale (approx.$190) and Photo Imaging Suite (approx.$500) depending on your needs. The program will make you able to enlarge up to 1600% without noticeble reduction in print quality. Also LaserSoft Imaging makes Silverfast (different versions for different needs). Anyway, thanks a lot for your attention. Can't wait to hear other peoples experiences!
S!

Eric Jones
5-Jan-2006, 21:46
There is a product specifically designed for wet mounting film for your Nikon 8000 & 9000. It is made by a company called Image Mechanics. If you go to Freestyle Photo's website and search for it, the listing will turn up. The price is $500. Having owned a drum scanner, wet mounting does help a lot. It has since died and repairing it was not worth it to me. I now wet mount all my stuff with AN glass and scan on a flat bed. The wet mount does perceptibly increase sharpness maybe 10% but the biggest help is in spotting. The fluid tends to lift and push any dirt, oil, etc, away from the film. The fluid also seems to help smooth the grain, especially on higher speed color neg. Hope this helps.

Eric

P.S. I think Aztek also makes a similar product and also a photog, I believe of the last name Grecko, had a holder as well. I'm not sure if one of these became Image Mechanics but some additional searches may turn up something for you.

Soren Mork
8-Jan-2006, 17:20
Eric,
Thanx for the tip!!! I'll definitely look into that!
Soren