question about scanning

[zebulus]

Okay, so heres what I was thinking. The reason negatives cant be scanned by traditional scanners is because they have to be lit from the back. Now, Ive been thinking about building a little contraption that lets me mount my negative and light it from behind, like a shoebox with a hole on one side and a diffused light inside. Now say if I took that contraption and laid it flat on a scanner...would it scan?

zebulus added 25 Minutes and 32 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

Something like this:


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/111/2...6a89c43f11.jpg

[The Philos]

Mine scan just fine on my V500; even 4x5s scanned as a reflective document come out fine.

[zebulus]

Originally Posted by ThePhilosopher

Mine scan just fine on my V500; even 4x5s scanned as a reflective document come out fine.

Thats because the V500 is a dedicated negative scanner. Im talking about just a plain jane scanner.

[srwatters]

Dude! Just pony up and find a used V700 or one of the other scanners. You're going to get crappy results that way. Might as well just shoot digital at that point. I'll bet somebody in your area has one you can beg, borrow, or steal... Just ask!

[zebulus]

Originally Posted by srwatters

Dude! Just pony up and find a used V700 or one of the other scanners. You're going to get crappy results that way. Might as well just shoot digital at that point. I'll bet somebody in your area has one you can beg, borrow, or steal... Just ask!

Yeeeeaaaahh I know, im just cheap.

[BWangPhoto]

While something like you have pictured 'might' work, though I question the consistency of what you would get, it is just too easy to find an Epson V500 or better scanner if you plan on using those negatives for prints. An Epson V500 is only about 149.00 give or take and does a great job.

We use an Epson V700 on a regular basis and while it isn't a dedicated negative scanner, it works better than most on medium and larger format negatives that we scan. We do however, use a specific software for scanning and not the Epson Software that comes with the scanner: Silverfast AI Studio. It allows complete control of your scans and allows you to calibrate the scanner as well. (Very critical for consistent output for clients.)

There are so many scanners in the 100-150.00 range out there that have a bac-lit lid for scanning negatives. That would probably be your best option.

[srwatters]

Sort of still on topic...

How do you like the Silverfast software? My V700 came with a 'limited' version and I couldn't get that to work hardly at all on my Mac Pro (OS X 10.5 at that time). Is it worth the $ over EpsonScan for the average Joe?

[BWangPhoto]

We tried a couple of others and this one was by far the best. It allows complete (and I do mean COMPLETE) control over the scan. It is a little intimidating at first, but for color critical scanning this is the program.

We have tried to reproduce the results with EpsonScan and have not been able to do it. We get color correct, excellent scans from this software everytime. It is mainly used with negatives (We don't use 35mm flim, so can't say anything about smaller negatives, but from 6x7 and up this is what we use.)

If you do alot of client work from negatives, this would be a worthwhile investment...the version we use is the Ai Studio IT8 and it is about 400.00 USD. If you donot scan alot of negatives for client work, then it would probably be overkill.

[The Philos]

Originally Posted by zebulus

Thats because the V500 is a dedicated negative scanner. Im talking about just a plain jane scanner.

Not for 4x5 or larger, those scans are fine as well.

[venchka]

Scott,

I get better results from Epson Scan. Probably because it's idiot proof and I don't use all the features. If I knew what I was doing, I might get better results from SilverFast. However, I don't think I would get results commensurate with the ridiculous price. Have you tried Vuescan?

Zeb,

Give it up. Look for a low mileage Epson 4990. Scanners & their software give you control over the scan. You need one. For a few dollars more, buy a scanner that will scan 4x5. You never know when you might have 4x5 negatives to scan.

[Big Dog]

Originally Posted by zebulus

Yeeeeaaaahh I know, im just cheap.

See my signature ...

[johnastovall]

Check out Epson's:

Clearance Center and Specials some very good deals there.

[venchka]

Just make double damn sure, before plunking down your money, that the scanner is built to scan 120 film minimum.

Canon built good film scanners too.

[Almazan]

While using your invention might get you a digital image of your negative, you will not get the same detail as with a scanner. Usually flatbed scanners that are able to scan negatives have two light sources, one on top and one on the bottom. Using a negative scanner you will be able to control bit depth, output size, whether you want to scan negatives or transparencies, and you will also avoid damaging your negatives.