I need some input on the best way to scan in glass plate negatives and BW negatives of approx. 5x7 or so size. My negative scanner will in no way handle these and my flat bed doesnot have a transparency adapter,so, what type of flatbeds w/trans. adapters are you folks using and how well are they working for you Thanks in advance, Tom

Well, I don't use any transparency adapter, so this is at best an indirect answer to your question.

If there is no transparency adapter available for your current scanner, it will be expensive to get a new one, since scanners with larger than 4x5 transparency adapters are rather expensive.

Alternatively, how about going to your local custom lab and ordering contact prints? There's nothing sharper in the photographic universe than a contact print. Have them make it a little lower in contrast than one normally would for viewing. Then simply scan the prints.

But, if you're looking for a hardware recommendation, I'm asking Santa for an Epson Expression 1600, which has a huge transparency adapter available. When buying any high(er) end scanner, I'd check to make sure there's a Lasersoft Silverfast module available for it (best scanning software. period).

But that's for rich people. I'd investigate the contact prints :)

I looked into contact prints however the nearest place which does a consistant and reliable( as in not scratching/damaging the negatives-NO KIDDING I could tell you some horror storys about that) work is about 500 miles away and trying to send anything fragile through the mail here could be considered a mild species of insanity. I will look up the data on the Epson you mentioned. I was looking at the Linocolor line but the prices even for a "cheap" are substantial. Thanks for the tip. Tom

Hi Tom,

I'm using an Acer 1240UT. It's relatively new, and I haven't put it through it's paces, but I'm happy with the scans. I did find two old negs (B&W) that wouldn't scan well while using the Mirascan software (which comes with the scanner), so I bought Vuescan, which I think is a steal for the money ($40.00). The scanner will scan reflectives up to 11 X 14, and negs/transparencies up to 5 X 7. Optical resolution is 1200, so if you're scanning anything larger than 35mm, you should be able to get pretty big enlargements with it. I should mention that I bought it through e-bay, and I paid $103.00 plus $15.00 shipping. It was new with warranty. The scanner is around $150.00, or a little less on the net. It doesn't get a lot of heavy use, so it should last me a long time. I have no idea about longevity when using it regularly.

Ed

Ed Thanks for the info. I'LL check out the specifics and see what it looks like. Thanks again, Tom

Tom,

If you're interested, here's a link that you might want to take a look at:
http://www.scantips.com/acer.html

Ed

Ed, GOOD link and GOOD info!!! Well worth checking out. I got some tips there that will be useful. Thanks!! Tom

My pleasure ;)

Ed