A bit of help

I have a student in my ABC of digital class who is using a Nikon f100 and has been having his film developed and scanned for his assignments.

He just discovered this weekend that the camera store that was doing the processing is no longer providing that service.
We have found another small shop that will developed the negatives but takes several days to make a scan for him.

He is thinking about buying a film scanner, but I really don't have the expertise to give him any valuable information. Right now he is using color film.

Any tips.

In the future he does what to take my darkroom class but that isn't going to be of assistance for this session.

If he is buying new Plustek 8100 or 8200. I'd never recommend a flatbed for 35mm (others may disagree). If buying used any Nikon or Canon 35mm film scanner that does not need a scsi controller.

Plustek 8200


Plustek 8100

All depends on the budget, and the volume of film to scan.

Probably the least expensive decent quality option would be an Epson V500 (new @ B&H / Adorama for $150, used or ebay for less, I would guess).

Pacific Image and Plustek make some decent 35mm scanners, but they're not exactly inexpensive:

---Pacific Image 7250u $230
---Plustek 8100 $290
---Pacific Image 7250Pro3 $300
---Plustek 8200i $407

(All prices are @ B&H)

That's about all the affordable choices out there. All 4 of the dedicated scanners will outperform the Epson, resolution-wise.

The 7250Pro3 has the ability to automatically scan full, uncut rolls. The other 3, only strips, and the frames have to be advanced manually. I think the Epson can scan 2 6-frame strips of 35mm at a time.

The second 2 both have infrared dust and scratch removal capability, the first 2 don't.

The Plusteks come with Silverfast scanning software (SE for the 8100, Ai Studio for the 8200). The Pacific Image scanning software is so-so, your student may want to invest in VueScan. While I like Vuescan for it's interface and usability, I prefer Silverfast for converting C-41 negatives using their NegaFix profiles. Either software would be good for scanning slides, but I'd give a slight advantage to Silverfast Ai Studio for slides, which has a more robust it-8 custom profiling workflow than Vuescan (IMO) for slides. But you can also do that externally using IT8 targets from Wolf Faust and ArgyllCMS software. The Epson scanning software is capable, but I don't have a lot of experience with it to offer an opinion.

In short, though, scanning all the frames in a roll (as you would get from a camera store) is a major time investment. The Fuji/Noritsu scanners that are built into the minilabs are way faster in comparison. I don't know where you're located, but is there a Wal-Mart/Sams Club/Target/Costco/Walgreens in your area that still does C-41 in-house and can turn around stuff same-day or next day? Ask a lot of questions @ Wal-Mart, there has been some discussion on other forums that they no longer return negatives, just prints or CD's.

Sorry I can't make a really strong recommendation one way or the other, but I hope this gives you (and him) someplace to start.

--Greg

Sorry I wasn't clear, I wouldn't recommend a flat bed scanner myself. Looking for a film scanner.


We are in Atlanta , so one would think he could find something else besides one place to do the film and the scans.

I will pass along the info, thanks everyone.

Oops I forgot about the Pacific Image scanners.

Being able to scan an uncut roll is very nice as are slide feeders (some nikons with an adapter and maybe others). It is likely that the film will be cut into strips by the lab making the uncut roll feature less useful. Like Greg, I have really grown fond of Vuescan, but it has a very steep learning curve. Unlike Greg, I find Vuescan's conversion of color neg to positive to be the best of any scanner software I've ever used. If the Epson V500 is anything like prior Epsons, you can expect that signal to noise, sharpness and latitude will also be inferior to the dedicated film scanner.

I would also agree that the flatbeds are not the optimum choice, but it is a valid choice.

If your student can find a used Plustek 7600i, 7500i or 7400, that might be an option, too.

8200i = 7600i
8100 = 7400

Only difference is Silverfast 6.6 vs. Silverfast 8 in the 8xxx series. SF 6.6 runs fine on Win 7, so no compelling reason to upgrade, IMO. 7500i is CCFL (fluorescent) light source, while 7600i is LED, I think. No optical differences AFAIK.

Not to go too far off-topic, jd, but can you PM me some info on your color negative scanning workflow in Vuescan? I've had nothing but frustration with it.

--Greg

A DSLR and a bellows is also another option, especially if he already owns the DSLR. I've had good luck with both the D7000 and D800E with the PB4 bellows and an enlarger lens when copying slides. It will work for negatives, but I haven't tuned the system for them. I was getting better results than with the dedicated Canon FS4000 film scanner I started the project with.