V700 scanning

[lxdesign]

I love my V700 scanner ... does an excellent job with 4x5. I was told that there was no point in using Digital ice with black and white negatives -- and that it can actually do reverse damage to the final output. So I ran a scan yesterday .. and seemed to be ok.

It has been a few years since I did any 4x5 scanning, and I am surprised with hand-developed negatives how much scratch removal I have to do in photoshop.

[yeknom02]

I have scanned very few 4x5s, but I have found that the Digital ICE messes up the black and white shots that I have taken on 35mm and 120. I wonder if large format is different due to the thicker, more resilient negative.

[David Aimone]

I've been using it for a couple of months and haven't noticed any issues with 4x5 or medium format negatives. I don't do 35mm though.

David

[Ken Lee]

Digital ICE relies on using the Infra Red channel. With color films, the film and dyes are transparent to IR, while dirt is not. The software detects the difference and interpolates to fill the gaps. Apparently, the method is less effective with B&W.

[David de Gruyl]

I'd be more interested in knowing why you have so many scratches. How do you process your negatives?

I've had very good experiences with the V750, although I do have to religiously clean the scanner platen if I don't want to spend all day spotting for dust. No surprise there. I don't use ICE.

[Heroique]

...I was told that there was no point in using Digital ICE with black and white negatives...

Digital ICE is supposed to be a “no-no” w/ b/w film – but it sounds like your personal results are satisfactory.

Epson Scan, if that’s what you’re using, also offers a “Dust Removal” option for b/w film, even if its results are not as good (or so Epson says).

Your comments made me go back to my Epson reference guide, which lists the document types supported by Dust Removal & Digital ICE:

Dust Removal:
— Color negative film
— Color positive film
— Monochrome negative film
— Monochrome positive film

Digital ICE:
— Color negative film
— Color positive film
— Photograph (reflective)

Additional notes about Digital Ice:
1) Kodachrome color positive film is not supported.
2) Digital ICE is not available when Film (with Film Area Guide) is selected as the Document Type in Professional Mode.
3) Only chromogenic monochrome negative film is supported when scanning monochrome film.
4) Do not use Digital ICE when scanning an image printed on plain paper or the scanned image may be blurred.
5) When you scan images using Digital ICE, the scanned images may become softer in texture.
6) If you use Digital ICE (or Dust Removal) to scan items that do not contain any dust or scratches, the scanned image may be distorted or blurred.
7) You cannot use Digital ICE & Dust Removal at the same time.

It occurs to me that #2 may surprise 8x10 users!

[Nathan Potter]

You can use the Epson 700 Digital Ice on B&W silver negatives but it is largely ineffective since the IR scanning channel does not penetrate the silver particles in the emulsion. Of course where there is little or no density some defects can be sensed. (I don't think the ICE is actually disabled when B&W negatives are selected). Whereas, the dye couplers in color film pass the IR readily.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[jp]

I use a v700 and have found the dust removal feature to really mess up details in photos. Yes it does remove some dust, but if you care about small details, they really get butchered.

The most effective thing I can do to elimate dust in scans is to clean the scanner good before I work. Clean both glass, remove dust from the scanner body and around it. Dust negatives before scanning. Takes time and effort to clean it, but it saves a lot of editing time.

[Professional]

I use V750 and i was always scanning with Digital ICE until i found out that it kill some details there, even some scans coming out weird, so i turned of this option and scan normally, even i turned off Dust Removal option to gain the more details i can, still Epson scanner is less than Nikon film scanner or some film dedicated scanners, so i don't want to weakening the details more than that, i clean the glass of the scanner and wipe it with special tools like liquid or cloth to keep it as clean as much i can, and if there are few dust then Photoshop is my friend.

[lxdesign]

Thanks guys for the replies. I stopped using the Digital ICE -- mainly because it speeds up my scanning time. But yes, I have quite a few scratches in my negs - probably my fault in handling the film when I am putting them in the tank. I use the "taco method" developing the negs in a daylight tank designed for medium format and 35mm. It was taught to me by a friend. Basically I curl the negatives and hold them together using elestic bands - looks like a Taco - thus the taco method. The tank holds 4 negatives at a time. It works. And I spend a bit of time in PS cloning and healing out the spots and scratches. In the end - I have nice clean images.