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Thread: Scanning Huge Archives - Help!

  1. #11
    Peter De Smidt's Avatar
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    Re: Scanning Huge Archives - Help!

    Well, 'archival' can mean a bunch of things. One of them would mean to make copies to minimize the chances of loss. Scans stored on, say, M-discs in various locations would lessen chances of total loss due to flood, fire..... But is the archive simply to allow people to see the photos on a computer screen, or is it so large prints can be made in the future?
    “You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
    ― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know

  2. #12
    bob carnie's Avatar
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    Re: Scanning Huge Archives - Help!

    Quote Originally Posted by Peter De Smidt View Post
    Well, 'archival' can mean a bunch of things. One of them would mean to make copies to minimize the chances of loss. Scans stored on, say, M-discs in various locations would lessen chances of total loss due to flood, fire..... But is the archive simply to allow people to see the photos on a computer screen, or is it so large prints can be made in the future?
    Pretty much how I see it .. The OP needs to get a handle of what she has , and the equipment she has can do the job... Down the road, the techie's (myself included) would like to see the use of a better scanner for making large prints.

    This is a pretty standard approach for large archives, to see what is there then after consultation decide what to do.

  3. #13

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    Re: Scanning Huge Archives - Help!

    I have a 1640XL out where I work and find it completely adequate. Archiving and cataloguing is one thing, scanning for museum prints may be another. But the 1640XL can do that first step just fine. Then if curators etc. want large prints at maximum resolution you can do the expensive scans shopped out to folks who have that expertise. The 1640 is plenty good enough resolution for magazine articles and posting things on the web. Does your scanner have the heavy lid that has the light inside it for transparency and negative scanning? All I've ever needed was the software that came with the scanner. You've got what you need to get started.

  4. #14
    Peter De Smidt's Avatar
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    Re: Scanning Huge Archives - Help!

    If the idea is to simply have a catalogue of the images, then a digital copy camera system with one shot per negative could do a good job very quickly. Do all of one size at a time. This involves a little more setup than a scanner, but once that's done you can probably do a scans very quickly. This is especially appealing if one already has a good digital camera.
    “You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
    ― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know

  5. #15

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    Re: Scanning Huge Archives - Help!

    Quote Originally Posted by Corran View Post
    If you are happy with the scanner in terms of performance, keep it, and then send off the important frames you want to print up to a professional to get the most out of them. This only becomes problematic if you need to scan hundreds of images at that quality level, at which point it would be cheaper to get a good scanner (but the Epson V800 will not give you great results on smaller formats), not to mention that the scanner operator is half the battle.
    Yes - I think I'll just keep the scanner. I can do a lot of scans on it at once and can at least do some quick archiving and then, as you say, either purchase a good scanner or send out the best transparencies that I want enlarged. Thank you!

  6. #16

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    Re: Scanning Huge Archives - Help!

    If you do go the "better scanner" route I think you should consider a large commercial flatbed rather than a drum scanner because the workflow of mounting is so much simpler and faster and results can be quite good indeed. Mounting is pretty simple - basically just laying or taping the film on the glass or on a mask sheet. Basically just load up the glass and let the scanner churn away. You could also get a mounting station and an extra sheet of scanner glass and just load up a couple of scanner carriers but the mounting time is so much faster than the scan time you might be OK with just one glass carrier.

  7. #17

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    Re: Scanning Huge Archives - Help!

    This makes a lot of sense. I HAVE the scanner....so why not? It's going to be quite a learning process for sure! There are tens of thousands of images and I've already started the process of looking at them on a lightbox and seeing what I have. I REALLY appreciate your post. Thank you.

  8. #18

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    Re: Scanning Huge Archives - Help!

    Quote Originally Posted by bob carnie View Post
    Hi Suzzane

    Use the scanner you have to digitize your mothers work and once this huge task is completed you will have a better idea and experience in the whole scanner, PS editing , archiving process.
    You will at some point know or conclude which images are important to print.. Then you can do selective high rez scans with a more appropriate scanner to make huge prints.

    Bob
    This makes a lot of sense. I HAVE the scanner....so why not? It's going to be quite a learning process for sure! There are tens of thousands of images and I've already started the process of looking at them on a lightbox and seeing what I have. I REALLY appreciate your post. Thank you.

  9. #19

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    Re: Scanning Huge Archives - Help!

    Quote Originally Posted by Jac@stafford.net View Post
    I've been charged with managing massive scanning projects and the best approach is to pare down the lot in a critical stepwise manner.

    All slides can be viewed with a very good loupe on a light table. That has sufficed for editors for years. For negatives, scan at low resolution of the MF and LF media and just adequate resolution for 35mm. Lower resolution speeds the process greatly. Finally pare down the first pass. Choose the better for higher resolution scans.

    For the best loupe I defer to the group. You want one large enough that fatigue does not become an issue.

    Get back to us!


    Yes, I purchased a lightbox - a very thin one - and can easily slip it under all the transparency sleeves. It's fabulous! And fast! I have a couple of loupes already, so this works great. Thanks much!

  10. #20

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    Re: Scanning Huge Archives - Help!

    Quote Originally Posted by Pere Casals View Post
    The V800 and V850 are very competent scanners, I strongly recommend you acquire one for that job.

    As you are to scan transparencies take the V850 as it includes Silverfast Multiexposure feature that it is very interesting for very deep shadows in the tranparencies http://www.silverfast.com/highlights...posure/en.html

    If you take the V800 you may purchase separately a software upgrade to have the Multi-Exposure.

    For 4x5 and 120 the V850 will deliver lots of image quality that may exceed what you need or what film had recorded.

    For 35mm I would recommend a dedicated 35mm roll film scanner perhaps a Plustek, the 35mm 8x00 series is cheaper than the 120 that makes MF.


    As the format is larger you need less optical performance, first because a large format scan have lots of image quality even at lower dpi, and secondly because small format lenses have more optical performance and in some cases (tripod used, sharp film and ideal aperture) a higher optical dpi performance makes a diference, also in smaller formats grain structure can be much important in the aesthetics, so a higher optical resolution make also make a difference because that.

    It can happen that you find some transparencies with very deep shadows, it the image is worth and the very deep shadows are important in that image then you may use a drum scanner service for that specialized job. I know a good photographer that had a V750 and a top notch drum, he used the drum for 5% of the images, and he said that half of those times it was not clear if it was worth.

    If you had a scanning business the V850 it would not be the ideal flatbed, for the same reason a restaurant won't normally use the same microwave oven than the one I've have at home, but I would cook the same if having one or the other. Also V850 for personal usage spares a budget that can de used for drum service for the few cases a flatbed comes short.

    Other flatbeds may not be in production, can have repair service problems and may lack drivers for modern operative systems. With the V850 you have 1 year warranty, official service and drivers for Windows 10.

    Another thing is that V850 optimizes less the digital result so a bit of sharpening and curve trim is always effective in Photoshop, while some Pro flatbeds tend to be more intelligent, digitally cooking a bit the image to its best, but presonally I pefer a very raw scan, and perhaps I would apply a different sharpening strategy for the eyes than for the cheek in a portrait.

    In short, I don't know a better choice than the V850 in the new gear market, in a budget, used pre-press gear is risky, and you may complement with a 35mm dedicated Plustek.

    Another choice is buying a Hasselbald X1 and selling it when you finish, this is the luxurious way.

    You can read this:

    https://petapixel.com/2017/05/01/160...s-500-scanner/



    Holy moly! This was incredibly helpful! Thank you for your generosity in sharing all this information. I have decided to go ahead and keep my old 1640XL as a second scanner. At the very least, I can use it to scan her old b&w negatives that I will not be making into large prints. I can actually run two scanners and two computers at once, and this will speed up my workflow. It makes sense to purchase the v850. Then, if there are images that just need that extra *umph*, I can always send out for a drum scan. It's all coming together for me now. I almost purchased the v800...but after your post and doing some more research, I think the v850 is the way to go. THANK YOU!!!!

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