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Not much discussion going on in here... Ill add another topic

Im looking at the feasibility of purchasing a film scanner (if not now, eventually I will own one).

At the moment im paying the photolab $18 for 6.4mb JPEGS of my 36exp slide film. ($40 for 20mb filesizes) so spending $1k on a film scanner doesnt seem so silly in the long run.

the above is a new photolab which im trialling, i found the local photolab just cant scan slides properly.

Does anyone have experience with film scanners? What is the typical filesize you would expect from film scanners like the nikon Coolscan range - in particular the 5000 ED?

many thanks,

JD

jdear,
How is about your dream of owning a DSLR? Gone with the wind

yes for now, a luxury i cant afford for the meantime.

So im trying to maximise the use of the equipment I already have make some money out of my prints and then hopefully buy a DLSR for the different applications I will use it for which better film.

thanks for checking up on me birddog

JD

i've used the minotla 5400.
its digital ice and dust removal is really great in removing straches from negatives i didn't really note file sizes at scanned in mode but they were almost 200mb in size.
i think you should hire one out for a weekend make sure that you have firewire or a usb2.0 some units can only transfer via firewire.

I’ve just ordered a Konic Minolta DualScan VI to get all of my slides and negatives copied - then throw them away (the slides and negatives that is) - then sell the scanner

sirhc55
Better still
Rent it out to forum members like me who would be happy to hire it so that I could do the same thing...get my negs digitized.

I'm sure other members would be happy to do the same thing. You would recoup your cost and end up with a free scanner.

"sirhc55's Scanner hire" has a nice ring to it.

Sounds like a brilliant idea to me Matt - thanks

hire it out or change people for your labour in scanning them in for you. The later i had in mind. I know a few old eccentric rich ex-photographers who have lots of slides that they want scanned... must contact them

not sure id actually "throw out" my negs

JD

I've heard the Minolta 5400 is one of the best boxes you can play with, if only because it's one of the highest res 35mm scanners there is (unless of course you own an Imacon scanner)...

That said, the Canon 9000 series do 35mm, medium format, and large format, as well as being a flatbed scanner.

While they won't be as good a quality as a drum scanner or pure transparency scanner, they can be a hell of a lot less inexpensive.

Nnnnsic wrote:...While they won't be as good a quality as a drum scanner or pure transparency scanner, they can be a hell of a lot less inexpensive.

So they cost a lot more?

Cheers

*** Thread resurrection alert ***

Hi folks, anyone compared the quality of scans from a flatbed compared to a dedicated 35mm film scanner?!

I got a few negs I'd like scanned, not too demanding for quality but just not after crap. I can't justify the cost of a dedicated film scanner, and thought maybe one of the low-medium range flatbeds with the ability to do film would suffice. Better yet, the new wave of 'multifunction' aka inkjet printer/scanner/copier/faxes seem to offer good value solution - pity about me not needing the other functions however. Or should I just approach a lab and pay them for the few dozen rolls I'd like scanned? How's their quality like compared to DIY?!

Chi,

this is the lates comparison that I have found of the epson 4990 flatbed scanner against the Minolta Dimage Scan Elite II.

Epson against Minolta

to cut it short the minolta still scans better.

huynhie
Thanks for that interesting thread. I was thinking about getting the Epson one day. Now...forget it!

I have the Epson 4990 Photo. (got a free Espson R210 printer with it )
chose a flatbed over a dedicated film scanner so I could scan photos and also documents for work - OCR.

I have been very happy with it thus far. IT came in handy shooting a recent wedding in Nov when I have over 500 photos on negative which needed scanning in. I now only pay for processing, and scan myself, print off prints at a local photo lab when I want to... getting prints from slide film is bloody expensive!

I can also supply design companies with the larger file sizes they are wanting then the standard photolab can scan at.

Jonathan

jdear
Is it as slow scanning negatives as rumoured?

Jonathan,

I also got that 4990 deal and just today flogged the printer for a ton to a mate.

I have only scanned one 35mm tranny on the 4990 and that was a projection grade dupe so I can't vouch for its performance with miniature format.

Primarily I use it for 4 x 5 and 8 x 10 black & white negs and the occasional colour tranny in those sizes. For the price it is an absolute cracker and fast enough for me.

For colour scanning I use Vue Scan and have had the scanner profiled. For B&W I use the accompanying Epson Software which I prefer.

There seems no issue with speed. Any better scans that I require I have done by a buddy who forked out $45,000.00 for a Creo and uses an oil bath for each piece of film. Fact is I seldom require files of that quality or that size (1.25 Gig) and I hate to prevail upon his generosity too frequently. Although I guess I am in line for a favour or two because I sent another chap to him last week for 9 scans of 8x10 colour negs and he charged $250.00 per scan. The 4990 seems a pretty effordable alternative.

Cheers,