Scanning 35mm without the negs

samBAKER

samBAKER

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Sam
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Hey all,

I've been looking at negative scanners like the Epson V500 for scanning my 35mm photos in, at this point I always thought I'd have to go to some shop to get my film converted into the negs, but I've been reading descriptions of multiple pieces of equipment and they word it like theres an option to either scan in the film OR the negs, does this mean you can scan the 35mm film straight in without having to get them turned into negatives?

If so, could someone recommend some affordable piece of gear that scans in the film without needing the negs, I don't need it to be a massive resolution, as I'm just starting out and only really want them at a medium'ish size for viewing on my laptop.

Cheers,
Sam
 
er you do have to develop the film first
film => negatives !

hello & welcome :wave:
 
Thanks for the speedy reply!

So as I thought, you still need to get them developed and stuff?

Is there any alternative to the V500 that is cheaper which you think will suit me?
 
I use the v500 and its very good, it also does medium format that you will inevitably move onto :)

Tesco do colour c41 processing for £1 but it ain't great. You could also develop your own b&w negatives very cheaply and easily.

Welcome to the forum :)
 
Jessops sell a few negative scanners ranging from £69 upto around £230
Think it's Summit and Plustek but I could be wrong.
 
Is it easy to develop my own colour negatives? Or is that a completely different ballgame?

Whats the difference between a £69 scanner and a £230? The quality when blown up or printed?
 
The resolution I believe
The £69 one is a 3,600x3,600 dpi
The £2__ one is a 7,200x7,200 dpi
 
So for someone who just wants to get them on to his laptop and have them, say, wallpaper sized, would one of the £69 ones be alright?
 
samBAKER said:
Is it easy to develop my own colour negatives? Or is that a completely different ballgame?
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It's much the same as developing b&w film - different chemicals, but it can be done at home with the same basic equipment. What makes it trickier is that there's less room for variation in the temperature of your chemicals throughout the developing process, although there are ways to overcome that.

Colour negative film is usually developed by the C41 process. You need to be a bit careful about handling chemicals and breathing in fumes as some of the chemicals are carcinogenic. It's the printing which is a real problem with colour negative film- very expensive, and can be very time consuming.

Colour reversal (slide) film is a better bet. It's a safer process (E6) and once the film comes out of the developing tank you're done - no printing stage - just scan the slides.
 
Is it wise to be developing my own negatives when I'm in a dorm at university? Or does it not really matter?
 
You'd have to be pretty careful and scrupulousy clean about cleaning up after you if you're using communal sinks and wash basins.

Does the university have a darkroom?
 
The uni might have a darkroom but I doubt it'd be accessible to me as a music tech student, plus our uni is divided up into different campus's so it would mean getting a bus to the campus to do it and I don't think I get much jurisdiction on other campus's, i'll found out about that though

There's a shop near my uni called snappysnaps that I'm hoping will develop my film into negs for a low fee, I think i will save up for the V500

Thanks for all the help!
 
Your uni probably has a photography society, join that and you'll probably get darkroom access. Then you can ditch the colour distractions and shoot, dev and print B&W!
 
Hah, I appreciate B&W photos but my preference is with low saturated colour :D
 
I have the Epson V700 and it's excellent,. I think you'd be well advised to save up for the V500 as it does medium format too, and it will produce good results. If you go too cheap with a scanner it will only turn out to be the weak point in your process.
 
Kev M said:
Your uni probably has a photography society, join that and you'll probably get darkroom access. Then you can ditch the colour distractions and shoot, dev and print B&W!
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That's exactly what I did when I was studying Architecture at Cardiff. Popped over the road to the Students' Union to use the darkroom there as a member of PhotoSoc.
 
as you are just starting out get them put onto a disc when you have them developed ,then you can decide if thats the way you want to go before splashing out on a v500 .
 
and dont forget to come and visit us in the film section :)
 
donutagain said:
as you are just starting out get them put onto a disc when you have them developed ,then you can decide if thats the way you want to go before splashing out on a v500 .
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That's actually what I've been doing for a while but I can't afford to keep doing it like this, hence the idea of getting the V500 :) Although, I think I might get the V300 because I don't think I'll have much use for the mid option
 
Oh it'll save you time and money alright but its not as much fun.

Andy
 
kimaldis said:
I'd just get a digital camera. It'll save you money in the long run. It'll certainly save you time.
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Not really a solution to what the OP is asking really, is it...



If you've no plans to shoot medium format then the V300 will do the job you want it to for a good price! It'll certainly be good enough to scan photos to use as a desktop wallpaper anyway, and at 4800dpi you should be able to produce decent prints from the files too.
 
The V500 is being replaced by the V600 so don't wait too long as it will disappear.
 
kimaldis said:
I'd just get a digital camera. It'll save you money in the long run. It'll certainly save you time.
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I've got a Canon EOS400D and I've been using my friends Nikon D90 but I still prefer the look of a nice 35mm camera, not to say I don't like digital cameras but I see them as being different to each other, and my preference in the photography I would like to achieve is better done with a 35mm camera.
 
If you plan on scanning a lot get the best you can afford. I rarely use my V300 but works very well for my use - easily good enough for wallpaper sized images.
 
kimaldis said:
Watching a scanner at work is fun?
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No, watching a scanner is tedious in the extreme, however, a decent scanner can be loaded up with 12-18 frames of neg's, and left to do it's stuff. One coffee is usually long enough for it to have done a couple of images, which you can start and work upon. What IS fun, certainly in my mind, is haivng total control of the process - from selection of the film to record the image on, through the whole mass of decisions that may be made within the camera, then to developing of the film - certainly with B&W, the selection of the right developing solution and procedures can have a larger influence on the image produced than the film selection. Okay - with colour, there's not quite the same scope for tinkering, but if you regularly push or pull film, processing your own can be a very handy skill. There's also the options for cross processing or bleach bypass (processes that have been hijacked by dijikal users as highly trendy photoshop effects). The scan/photoshop/print part of the process for me is a compromise, as I've currently not got the space to set up a proper wet printing setup. However, it's still good to have the facilities to control the eventual output - the PRINT - note, not the .jpg file for posting online, but a honest to god, tangible, hold it in you hands piece of paper with YOURur image on it. Not your vision, processed by Mr Nikon/Canon/et.al. 's technicians preferred settings, printed with the Asda machine's standard sharpening settings.

Okay - I'll admit it - I'm a control freak when it comes to Photography :lol:
 
kimaldis said:
Watching a scanner at work is fun?
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Noooo :thinking: taking fillum photos is fun, watching a scanner is not necessary as it works without being looked at. :cuckoo:

Andy
 
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