It has nothing to do with showcasing work. Using medium format and film in general is about the enjoyment of using that medium to make pictures, if you want to show them and you can't afford a very expensive scanner then something along the lines of an Epson V500 is perfectly acceptable for popping an image up online. If I want anything special scanning then I will send it off to a drum scanner or even better print it from the neg, that's when photos really come alive.
something along the lines of an Epson V500 is perfectly acceptable for popping an image up online. If I want anything special scanning then I will send it off to a drum scanner or even better print it from the neg, that's when photos really come alive.
Perhaps you missed this bit.
Why do people buy medium format film cameras for the higher quality and then to showcase their work they scan it in with a cheap scanner? Fair enough if you are using an X1 or X5, but I could buy a digital medium format set up for what they cost.
You've got a flickr with 3,200+ photos and a link to it.
If only my weak link were the scanning of my negatives!
Well my disaster with my camera (the "wrong" one they sent me apparantly doesn't even work...) has now been improved by my buying another one, this time being delivered from Germany so should arrive within a week or so. I've started the dispute resolution thingie with ebay - initially via the seller (which apparently you have to do first) and we'll see where that goes. Thanks to @steveo_mcg I now know I can reclaim my customs charges
Annoying that I've wasted a roll of 120 but perhaps I can somehow keep it from being totally useless: how best to deal with a film in the holder that I might want to use as a tester for home developing? Any tips or tricks? Ok, it's not for now, but one day I can see myself wanting to get into chemicals and dark bags
Get under the duvet, turn out the lights and... Open the back and rewind it back on to the source spool.
If only my weak link were the scanning of my negatives!
No light at all for film, red lights are for printingI was wondering where you were going with that for a moment!
All joking aside, I have a red-light head torch (hillwalking) - can I use that or do I need to do it properly under the duvet with no light source at all?
I was wondering where you were going with that for a moment!
All joking aside, I have a red-light head torch (hillwalking) - can I use that or do I need to do it properly under the duvet with no light source at all?
since when did you need a scanner to print from a neg ?Yes the cheap scanner, which would be the weak link.
since when did you need a scanner to print from a neg ?
why mention scanner then?Yes the cheap scanner, which would be the weak link.
Why do people buy medium format film cameras for the higher quality and then to showcase their work they scan it in with a cheap scanner? Fair enough if you are using an X1 or X5, but I could buy a digital medium format set up for what they cost.
You don't, but that wasn't what I was saying anyway.
No light at all for film, red lights are for printing
Have you seen the scans from a X5? If you had, you'd now why.
Yeah but it should be good for £14,000.
For negative materail at least a Screen Cezanne or Fuji Lanavia Pro flatbed comfortably beat an X5 specs wise given that its limited to 3200dpi by the time you get to 120 you could most likely pick either up for well under 1000. The Imacon and Flexlight most likely keep a higher value secondhand due to some being currently available as well as sevice backup although Screen will suport its older products at 985 +VAT a visit I doubt most people who paid half of that for a scanner go for it.
Plenty of drum scanners that will exceed any of the above go for a lot less if you are prepared to make the effort to get them running.
Aztek and IGC still make - well claim to make drum scanners I often wonder if they are still selling stock from a few years back the Premier with DPL at least works with windows 7 while I would agree that IGC have to be having a laugh selling "new" equipment that will only run on Mac OS9. Now they are both still expensive certainly 20K plus.
For machines using SCCI that will run on windows £20 for a nice Dell HP workstation box that has a SCCI card in it. Granted lots of the older scanners involve the filthy experience of Mac OS9 easy enough to pick up suitable G4's for under £40 throw away if it goes bang and have a spare to hand.
Hard to say if they are harder to get hold of, often enough drum scanners get skipped or given away and if you know where to look they come up often enough at not insane prices.
Howtek 4500 £685 auction on ebay 2008 complete turnkey system ... thing with Howteks they are not the best built of scanners I can easilly repair this machine (failed after 6 months) but I found some of its limitations irritating so haven't sought out the three HV power suplies it needs
Optronics ColorGetter II Pro £123 ebay auction 2009, now I'm prepared to admit these are an absolutely bitch to get running the requirement to get exactly the right GPIB interface card and get everyrhing talking is fun but all the information is out there the real catch with these is if you just get the 8bit software with it the 16bit is going to cost you something like £850.
Dianippon Screen DT-S1045AI £250 buy it now 8000dpi with an A3 drum complete turn key system that needed "adjustment" service manual is easy to find most people say it takes two people to restring the lead wire took me about 40 minuites to do on my own.
Drumscanners aren't for everybody I guess but having some electronics knowledge I'm happy to fix them myself.
The Howteks are granted tempremental and do require service / maintaince whereas the colorgetter and the screen its basicly give the cover a wipe now and then there is now alignment or maintance required these machines were built to run 24/7 most actual problems encountered with them is due to dry caps in power supplies that are easy to fix.
The Screen has been on 24/7 since Febuary 2013 when I brought it the only failure as such in that time was the bulb for which I had already taken the precaution of having a replacment available cost £5
To get the ultimate best out of any of the takes some time but with the Screen at least its entirely possible to get a decent scan on your first go on auto settings.
So yes they are a pain but nothing has supassed them technology wise and it is highly unlikely anything ever will as the industry they were built for no longer requires them.
My point would be rather than pay £700 odd for a V750 which if you are a critical user you will never be happy with you can if and you have some practical apptitude you can get a much better scanner if you carefully research the used market.
My point would be rather than pay £700 odd for a V750 which if you are a critical user you will never be happy with you can if and you have some practical apptitude you can get a much better scanner if you carefully research the used market.
Scanners ? - enlargers were designed to hold negatives and project the light source through on to graded paper. Watching them develop in front of you, stopping it then fixing it was one of the joys of working under a safelight.
Scanners ! - ok for copying documents but any else is superfluous in my option ! I just cannot see the point in quasi D&P if you have to use a scanner then you may as well be using photoshop !
So you only do B&W then?
Never rule out the quality you can get by actually photographing negatives and slides. Done well, and using a high resolution camera, you can get results that are IMO equally as good as some fairly high end scanners.