BW film for scanning

[altec2]

Maybe this is a hybrid thread that belongs in a different subforum, but if you plan on scanning with an epson 700/750 type flatbed, is there a bw film people find particularly "good" or suited to that technique if printing at a magnification of say 4x.

[Bruce Watson]

Maybe this is a hybrid thread that belongs in a different subforum, but if you plan on scanning with an epson 700/750 type flatbed, is there a bw film people find particularly "good" or suited to that technique if printing at a magnification of say 4x.

All modern B&W films will work about equally well in scanning at this low level of enlargement. You won't be able to tell the difference between the various films in finished prints, until you get up around the 8x enlargement level or higher. At least, I can't tell the difference in prints when I'm drum scanning various films, and I've been doing it awhile and looking for exactly this.

The thing to avoid, IMHO, is "excess" density. If you optimize for darkroom printing (silver gelatin) your film should scan just fine. If you are only going to scan and never print in the darkroom, you can scan a little more out of the film by developing to a little less density. How much less depends on your image/technique/film/scanner/software, but a good place to start would be with a zone VIII density of around 1.0. This will make it more difficult (but certainly not impossible) to print in the darkroom however. What you'll get for your trouble is a bit better separation in the highlights (dense areas of the negative) and a more linear feel in the print as tones progress from darker to lighter.

The joy of it is you don't need to take my word for it. It's easy enough to try it and see for yourself. And you'll have to do exactly that if you want to optimize for your own personal equipment and workflow. Sadly, there's no way to avoid doing the actual work.

[mdm]

The B&W films I know in order (for me) from best to worst for scanning.
Delta 100, Tmax 400, Shanghai 100, FP4+, HP5+, TriX