Non-RetouchPRO Resources - - Need 35mm neg scanned in SE Ohio

kirkdickinson · #1 08-22-2006, 10:16 PM

I have printing project nearly ready to go off to the printer, and am badly in need of having a 35mm negative scanned high res. I have called around and can't find anybody with a high-res dedicated negative scanner. I have an Epson 4970, but it isn't cutting it. I need much better.

I need to output 10x13 at 375 dpi.

I would really like find someone within an hours drive or so that would scan about 4 negs for me.

I live in Barnesville, Ohio. I am 100 miles east of Columbus, 120 miles south of Cleveland, and 100 miles southwest of Pittsburgh.

Does anybody on this list know someone with a good negative scanner that would help me out within an hour or so drive from me?

Thanks,

Kirk

Kraellin · #2 08-23-2006, 12:32 AM

dirk,

sorry, dont know of anyone that close. however, you might want to invest in a scanner yourself. i use one of these: http://www.scanace.com/en/product/1800u.php

i ordered mine online a while back but not too long ago i saw them for sale at Staples. if your local store has them in stock then you'd be good to go. the cost for mine was $129.00. that was months ago so dont know the current price, but you could check at staples.com, i'm sure.

when i first got it, it was a bit fussy with the software side of it. updated drivers have improved that. they seem to be supporting the things.

i was quite pleased with mine. it can scan optically at up to 1800 dpi and can do 35 negatives and slides and comes with adjustment software for different types of film and some effects.

one caveat on this. microsoft systems dont allow for two usb scanners on one windows type machine, at least not in windows xp. i already had a flatbed scanner on my xp machine and had to put the negative scanner on my windows 98se machine. that's the caveat. the plus to this is, it does work nicely on a win98se machine as well as xp.

craig

duwayne · #3 08-23-2006, 03:00 AM

I don't know what the model 4970 is. I am familiar with the 4870 and I have a 4990. If you are referring to the 4870, it's slightly slower than the 4990 and has a lower Dmax. The optical resolution is the same (4800x9600). I have scanned several thousand 35mm slides (positives) with my 4990 and am very satisfied with the results.

I use it in the Professional Mode with Digital ICE turned on but do not use Unsharp Mask or Grain Reduction. Scanning at 4800 ppi will get you the 10x13 output @ 375 ppi.

After the Digital ICE processing is complete (this takes a while) I use Neat Image to filter our any grain and digital noise and then Photoshop CS for color adjustment and sharpening.

Another alternative is to take them to a camera store. In Columbus we have Cord Camera and McAlister Camera & Imaging. I think McAlister uses a Nikon 5000 film scanner.

kirkdickinson · #4 08-23-2006, 09:39 AM

Duwayne,

Sorry, I do infact have the 4870. I was posting from home and the scanner is at work, so I messed up the number. I purchased the pro pack with the digital ice, Monaco EZcolor2 and SilverFast.

The scans that I have gotten of negs have been ok, but I find that if I go much larger than 8-1/2 x 11, I get too much noise.

I took the stuff to a shop up in Weirton, WV and will see today what kind of scan they got. If it isn't good, I may run it over to Columbus to Cord Camera or McAlister Camera & Imaging. (thanks for the names of two places that can do it if I have to go that far.)

Kraellin,

That looks like a nice little film scanner. Would be handier to use that the flatbed with the neg adapter. The optical resolution of the PrimeFilm isn't high enough for this print job, they say right in their ad:
"..this means that you can enlarge images to approx. 20 cm x 13 cm (7.8" x 5.1") and still maintain the 1:1 300 dpi resolution.."
I need to go up to 10" x 13" which would cut the output resolution down to 150 PPI.

Here is something that I wish I had:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...goryNavigation

Thanks,

Kirk

duwayne · #5 08-23-2006, 11:41 AM

Digital noise is always a problem with scanners and digital cameras. I have even had to remove noise from digital photos from a Nikon D100 camera if I'm doing large prints. I use the freeware Demo version.

(http://www.neatimage.com/download.html).

It works great! Try it with one of your original scans.

I looked at the Nikon 5000 but bought the Epson 4990 instead because I also had some medium format film to scan. In case you haven't seen it, here’s an excellent review of the 4870 by Vincent Oliver in the UK. This is one of the best sights I've found for Digital Photography.

http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/int...870/page_1.htm