6x7 scans to print 20x15" or similar. Which scanner?

Mahoneyd187

Mahoneyd187

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Danny
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Hey all.

Please bare with me I'm very new to film and slowly but surely accumulating what I need, so my questions will be newbie at best :)

I am wanting to use a 6x7 camera to make some 20x15" prints, or similar size.

Would something like a Canon 9000F or Epson V600 be of sufficient quality to scan for high quality prints of this size?

I'm intending to develop my own Black & white film and scan at home, but I'm a bit worried about where I'm going to store the scanner to keep it safe from dust etc...what do you guys do, just bring it out when you need it? Or use an ioniser or some shizzle?

Many thanks (y)

Danny
 
You worry too much Danny!

Firstly I'd question the need for 6x7 when you're going to crop to 6x4.5 for printing (other than because you can). If you know the size of you output perhaps you'd be better with a 645 camera and put the money saved towards the scanner and printing, chemicals etc.

I think either of those scanners would be fine, just don't get drawn into ludicrous claims of 4800dpi scanning, most of it is *******s and you reach the optical limit of the weakest part of the system long before that. If you scan a 7cm neg at 1800 for example that gives you approximately 4960 pixels along that edge. Print that at 300dpi and you've got 16.5 inches but you don't need to print at 300dpi when you're printing that big.

I treat my scanner as good as the rest of my kit. It's sits on my desk, lid open, **** resting on the glass etc etc. When I come to use it I might wipe the glass with an anti-static cloth and that's it. You will alwyas get some dust somewhere, either on the negative, on the glass or if you're really unlucky in the scanner. That's what photoshop is for and it's a hell of a lot easier than print spotting I can assure you!
 
Hi Kev

Thanks for the info mate.

I'm using this initially for a personal project, I wanna plaster big photographs around my study that'll all for now. As such I'm undecided on output size to be honest, that was just a guestimate, realistically it might be anything from 18x12 right up to 30x30, it depends how much the mrs will let me get away with,lol.

Rather than print size my desire for 6x7 is mainly down to the other benefits from using a larger negative, like dynamic range and tonality etc. I've been speaking to a very well known portrait photographer in Hollywood and his advice was to stick to 6x7 or larger (rz/rz/gx680 in particular). He sent me a 200MB black and white scan from a 6x8 neg of a model portrait he shot, it's really blown me away so I'm pretty certain I want something similar :)

I can always use a 645 back on the RZ/RB anyway can't I?

Am I covered for prints as large as I want realistically?

Thanks

Danny
 
There are 645 backs for the RB/RZ series.

You always have the option of professional drum scanning if youe want the absoulte best scan possible of a selection of negatives.
 
I just bought an RZ67 in "great condition" along with WLF and 120 back. So all I need now is a lens, well excited I can't wait to get my hands on it!!

I might see if I can find someone locally with a V600 or similar who's generous enough to scan a couple of shots for me so I can see the quality. Failing that...you can use a Imacon scanner at £35 for an hour from Calumet or proshop I believe, although I'd have no idea how to use the bloody thing, lol.

I love buying myself presents... :) lol
 
If you are looking at going that big then drum scanning is your best option by a long way.
 
Edtog said:
If you are looking at going that big then drum scanning is your best option by a long way.
Click to expand...

Ok Ed thanks for the info mate, I'll scrap the idea of getting a scanner for now then and just hope I can produce something worthy of paying for a drum scan lol
 
Mahoneyd187 said:
Hey all.


I am wanting to use a 6x7 camera to make some 20x15" prints, or similar size.

Many thanks (y)

Danny
Click to expand...

They will be very good, I've had a 35mm colour neg printed at about 20" X16" and am pleased with it.
 
Mahoneyd187 said:
I'm looking for recommendations on scanning for that size mate, what's your thoughts on that?
Click to expand...

Well I can't help you there as I don't have a colour printer to do 20X15" my 35mm neg was done by a lab, and I used to do B/W prints up to about 24" (and colour prints 8"X10") from 35mm to 6X7cm, the old fashioned way by home dev then enlarger and chemicals.
But I've scanned many of my medium format negs:- 6X4.5, 6X6 and 6X7 but just gave them to family and friends on CD or posted on forums....but no very large prints. :shrug:

RB67, 180mm lens with diffuser over lens, neg is about 25 years old:-

img1024px.jpg
 
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A Nikon Coolscan 9000ED, a film scanner only, will do 16x20 prints with an almost true optical resolution of 4000dpi.
 
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I've a shot on the wall in the hallway, scanned at 2400dpi setting on a Canoscan 8800F, from a 6x9cm MF neg out of a Holga Pinhole camera. It's printed at 20"x30" and while you can see a little grain, it's just enough to tell that it's shot on film, and not enough to be obtrusive. With a proper camera, rather than a £20 plastic box with a hole on one side and a 20 second exposure between you and the image forming, I'm pretty sure that a nice 6x7 neg/slide will scan well enough, even on a decent flatbed scanner, to print happily enough at 20"x15"
 
If you are going up to 20x16 then just spend around £12 and get it drum scanned, well worth the extra small cost, you will see why ;)
Full Pic taken on Kodak Ektar 5x4
full3.jpg


Crop-Epson V700 with better scanning 5x4 mount
epson.jpg


Crop-Drum Scan
drum.jpg


Not an exact crop I know but enough to see the difference..Drum scanner was a Howtek, which produces better scans than a Imacon.

I've printed it to 30"x20" and it's nothing short of stunning.
 
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Ferk me that's some difference there Ed.
 
Edtog said:
If you are going up to 20x16 then just spend around £12 and get it drum scanned, well worth the extra small cost, you will see why ;)

Not an exact crop I know but enough to see the difference..Drum scanner was a Howtek, which produces better scans than a Imacon.

I've printed it to 30"x20" and it's nothing short of stunning.
Click to expand...

Nice price for that drum scan. I looked into a drum scan of one my 4x5s at a local shop. They charged by the file size it produced. So a 48bit was going to cost you more that a 24bit scan and a higher dpi scan more than a lower. In short, a 48bit scan to produce large prints it was going to be about £45 (=$72USD).
 
Interesting to know when a drum scan "pulls away" from a scan using say a V600 or V700 for a print size and same film and same print paper/printer.

E.g. All guesswork:-
6X7cm neg scanned by drum and V700 for a 6X4" print you wont see a difference?
Same but 6X8"print maybe the drum scan will show a slight difference?
Same but 10X12 maybe the drum scan will show more difference?
etc etc
For all formats 35mm to 6X7cm there could be a table, so e.g. If you are never going to go above 10X12, with 6X7cm neg, no cropping and you have a V700 and VG printer, there would no need to have a neg drum scanned?
 
Good point, guess it's around 8x6, but never done a test. Doubt there would be that much difference between the 2 at 6x4.
 
For what it's worth, I regulalry scan 6x7 negs (taken with a Mamiya RB67) on a Canon 8800F and I find the best resolution to use is about 2400dpi. Anything higher and you gain nothing but trouble. Some post-sharpening help and I get files I am quite happy with, though I don't print anything as big as you do. Ultimately, it's about cost. If you're frequently scanning then a flatbed is the best way of doing it for the cost. For the occasional one that you print big, drum scans can't be beaten. Flatbed scans are ok of course, just not so great once you get your nose up to the (big) prints.

I use one of those cloths you get with specs to clean my scanner glass and a rocket blower to dust off the film. No point moving the scanner about, more likely to do some damage that way.
 
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