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gian133

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ok i know this has been asked before but i must ask again.
i am interested in getting into film photography. 35mm as well as medium format. i would like to develop the film myself but right now my concern is more about a scanner. i dont have a huge budget($200 is probably the max). i have heard good things about the epson v500 and 4490 to scan negatives.
what kind of quality would i get from using something like those? would i be able to make larger sized prints? any other reccomendations in that price range?

i thought there was a thread similar to this a few weeks ago but i cant find it.

thanks for the help
Gian
 
I use a 4490. Check my flickr link..all my film shots are scanned with it. It's probably not as good as a Nikon Coolscan dedicated scanner, but it also doesn't cost $1000-$5000.

As far as larger sized prints, how large are you talking? I print at 8x10 (8.5x11 actually) with no issues but that's as big as my printer will go.
 
the v500 effective pixels = (6400 dpi)

in resolution that is roughly the same as a camera with a 160 megapixel sensor.
so yes it will be sharp, yes you can print large files, and yes the file will be GIGANTIC haha.

so yes v500 would work i would even have a look at the v300 and see if that would get the job done. Than of course there is the v700pro. :)
 
yea. by large i meant 8x10 or 11x14 max(i think thats the next size up).

also. bhop, it sounds like you print your own pictures. i have heard that its not really cost effective. i was thinking though that the larger prints may be better to print at home?
at the local store its 2.50 for an 8x10.

any comments on this?

thanks for all your help
 
yea. by large i meant 8x10 or 11x14 max(i think thats the next size up).

also. bhop, it sounds like you print your own pictures. i have heard that its not really cost effective. i was thinking though that the larger prints may be better to print at home?
at the local store its 2.50 for an 8x10.

any comments on this?

thanks for all your help

I don't know how cost effective it is, but when I print my own, I have 100% control over the final output. When i've taken some files to a local kiosk to have some 'cheap' prints made, the colors/contrast etc. were off and the images looked horrible. It's probably just a calibration thing, but my monitor and printer seem to match pretty well, so it works for me.
 
Hey, new participant in the discussion ... My question is, are these flatbed scanners better than the dedicated (smaller) film scanners?
 
Hey, new participant in the discussion ... My question is, are these flatbed scanners better than the dedicated (smaller) film scanners?

No, a dedicated film scanner scans the negative into your computer so its not just a copy, theres some processing going on in there.
A flatbed scanner is a 'supped' up photo copier.
 
Hey, new participant in the discussion ... My question is, are these flatbed scanners better than the dedicated (smaller) film scanners?

The scan quality is about the same--it's the same technology. The benefit of a small dedicated film scanner is that it takes up less space, and is enclosed to keep dust out ( and in :-0 ).

I prefer flatbed photo-scanners because they allow me to scan all sizes of film, and I don't have to scan each photo one by one.
 
No, a dedicated film scanner scans the negative into your computer so its not just a copy, theres some processing going on in there.
A flatbed scanner is a 'supped' up photo copier.

This makes no sense at all.. any scan is a copy of the original. Not to mention it's not the scanner itself that's making the processing, it's the scan software. Dedicated scanners are better because they don't have to make compromises and can be optimized for film with special optics, while flatbeds have to be able to scan multiple formats. But depending on your final output goals, certain flatbed scanners can work nearly as well as dedicated scanners.
 
Well, I got a Plustek film scanner (7300) and, at first blush, I'm a bit disappointed - not with the scan quality, but with the 'silverfast' software (or whatever it's called for Mac) which seems to be feature-rich, but is mucho counter-intuitive.
Two specific issues:
1. when I tell it the scan subject is a negative, it forces me to choose a film type, but doesn't list the film I have (Fuji Neopan 100 - B&W) and
2. (and I find this a little offensive as a Mac user) it throws out all menu conventions, like it doesn't have any menus like every other Mac software, to the extent that I can't make it quit when I want.

If anybody has experience with this software and can point me in the right direction, I'd sure appreciate it. I'll play around with it more tonight, but at this point, I may return it and get a Canon flatbed, with (hopefully) more useable software.

Thanks y'all!
 

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