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David Richhart
11-Dec-2003, 16:07
I am considering the purchase of a scanner for negs and chromes. I do not need a pro level scanner. I just want to be able to load my negs and chromes into the computer and occasionally make a print no larger than 8x10. I am thinking about an Agfa Duoscan because of the ability to scan up to 8x10 negatives. Can anyone post a review or opinion of the Duoscan T 1200 before I spend my hard earned money? Many thanks - Dave

David A. Goldfarb
11-Dec-2003, 18:31
These old Agfa Duoscans are a great value. I came by a T1200 for around $25, but it turned out the bulb for the transparency bed was dead. No problem, though since the opaque side worked better than the scanner in my office, so I donated my old scanner to a colleague and moved the T1200 to my desk. Found another Duoscan Solo (not quite as good as a T1200), with working transparency bed for around $100. It works great. I don't particularly print digitally, but it's just fine for the web. At 1000 ppi, you can make a 16-bit greyscale scan of an 8x10" B&W neg of about 150 Mb (color much larger, of course).

Try to find one with the standard glass transparency drawer, and use another sheet of glass to hold down transparencies and negs. This improves sharpness in a major way.

The interface is excellent, allowing you to do many of the same adjustments as you can in Photoshop (curves, levels, gamma, sharpening, etc.), and you can save your settings for different film types.

I think if I were to be shopping for one now, I'd try to get the Duoscan HiD, which has a higher Dmax.

Mark Houtzager
12-Dec-2003, 06:44
I second David's advice on the HiD. Please also note that these scanners are connected to the computer through SCSI - that gave me some issues with my modern software and Mac G4 1.42.

Mike Chini
12-Dec-2003, 07:04
We have a Duoscan T2500 that we'd like to get rid of if you're interested. Let me know:

michaelchini@yahoo.com

James Driscoll
12-Dec-2003, 12:21
just remember....agfa is no longer supporting scanners.

Jan_2899
12-Dec-2003, 12:41
How can newton rings be avoided with the Duoscan? I have the T1200 for making *contact* prints from 8x10's and haven't found any solution for this. And the scanner software, as it's otherwise fine, can't read color negs. Scanning negs with my Duoscan results in pics that are anything but the preview and has different colors on the opposite side of film. Maybe this could be solved with a better software but I don't know if it's possible to get any for this scanner as it has been years out of market.

tim atherton
12-Dec-2003, 12:55
Vuescan for software can often help with the negatives

not sure if you can do it with the draw? but on a top load flatbed I make a raised 8x10 film holder out of that floppy magnetic sheet they use for car door signs, fridge magents etc (got mine from a sign writer - comes in rolls and is 10 - 20 dollars for plenty for this).

two sheets the size of the flatbed with an 8x10 cutout in each - taped down one side to fold closed. usually high enough to keep the film off the plate. Holds the film reasonably tight so it doesn't sag (add a sheet of similarly cut matte to the bottom if it doesn't hold it far enough away from the glass).

As I say, not sure if this will work with the drawer?

David A. Goldfarb
12-Dec-2003, 13:36
The solution for Newton's rings with the scanner is the same as it is for an enlarger--anti-Newton glass, anti-Newton spray, a light dusting of cornstarch or talc (though the latter three make a mess). I don't find I get Newton's rings on the emulsion side, so if I'm getting them on the base side (I sandwich the neg/transparency between two sheets of glass), then I just sacrifice the top sheet of glass and tape down the neg with masking tape.

I haven't tried doing color negs on my Duoscan, but there are settings for color neg film (not many, but it should put you in the ballpark) in FotoLook 3.6. You can download the latest version from the Agfa website for free, if you don't have it.

Jan_2899
13-Dec-2003, 09:52
Thank's Tim, but there's not space enough in the drawer to make any holder for 8x10. And the plane of focus should be on the glass, have you made any test for that? I tested this in an Epson 3200, and the difference with 1 mm (1/25") resulted with visible softness in the scanned picture.

David, how do you manage all the dust with three glass plates? The film included, there will be 8 dust surfaces! As a proffessional darkroom worker for more than 30 decades I consider dust in the digital workflow more severe than ever with analog processes. But otherwise computer working is just terapeutic, no chem, no processing machine, no darkness................Jan

Jan_2899
13-Dec-2003, 09:56
Well, sorry for those 300 years...........maybe it's a little overkill. But from year 1965 today will be correct. Jan (Finland)

David A. Goldfarb
13-Dec-2003, 10:50
I'm using film, so just two glass plates plus the film (still six surfaces, of course), but I manage the dust just like I do with the enlarger or the contact printing frame--anti-static brush and Dust Off. Yes, it's a pain, but the clone tool is easier than the Spotone.

Jan_2899
13-Dec-2003, 11:19
Yet one thing confusing me.........as you know, making contact prints with an AN-glass will make the AN pattern visible. Can't see there's any difference with scanning. Light comes (via a mirror) through the film and glasses to the lens with the same focus point. Please correct me?

David A. Goldfarb
13-Dec-2003, 11:35
There's AN glass with an anti-reflective coating, and there's AN glass with a textured pattern. I have a contact printing frame and a glass negative carrier for a Philips enlarger with coated AN glass (which I sometimes use on the scanner). Interestingly, the AN glass in the glass carrier for my ancient Nikon LS-4500AF (I'd suggest this as another bargain in the LF scanner world, at least for 4x5", but the registration on mine is a bit wonky and so is Nikon service) uses the textured glass, and it doesn't seem to be a problem. Perhaps it depends on how fine the texture is.

CP Goerz
14-Dec-2003, 21:15
I downloaded the latest version of the fotolook software from the agfa site so they stil support the product to an extent. I pop a glass sheet on my 8x10 negs too, never had any problems with rings ever. Its a great way to preview negs before you head into the darkroom.

The light on both reflective and transparency is very even, something I've noticed a few other scanners can't quite manage. The HiD is a nice scanner but it always went out of my price range, maybe one day!

CP Goerz.