Film Speed and scanning

[joeyrsmith]

Hi all,
New to LF and starting to get very involved.
From my past post readings I gather that a thinner neg will improve scanning.
My outputs are totally digital for for work I sell.
Simple question is --- How far can I go before detail is lost. I do not have a densitometer/darkroom, so it will be by eye.
Using Delta 100, Arista.edu 100. D-76, ID-11 for right now. Its been 10 years since I got my hands wet. I need to keep it simple until I nail it down.
Have been printing with mixed results. Starting to confuse me a bit.
Thx for any input
Joey

[Gem Singer]

You're correct about thinner negatives scanning easier than denser negatives.

However, the old adage about exposing for the shadows and developing for the highlights still holds true.

If it's not in the negative, it won't be in the print.

Look into developing film in a two bath (compensating) developer.

Also, films that are processed in Pyro developers (PMK, Pyrocat, WD-2D) seem to be easier to scan.

[paulr]

Thin in this case means lower contrast. you don't want the shadows to be too dense in the neg. You still want good density in the shadows ... that's where you'd lose detail if things got too thin.

So make sure you have plenty of exposure, but a bit less development than what's traditional.

In my experience, negs that print easily on #3 paper scan beautifully.