Best way to preview negatives for scanning

[StevieRose]

Hello everyone
I am new to using a Nikon 9000ED scanner so going through my learning curve. I scan 35mm and 120 BW negatives and have both Vuescan and NikonScan software. I would like to be able to to create a relatively quick set of low resolution scans of my film roll, then choose the one or two "keepers" and do a high resolution scan and processing on those. How do you folks go about that? I realize I could use a DSLR scanning setup to do this, but for know I'm working with the Nikon. Do you do a low rez batch scan first? Do you lay the negatives in their clear pages on a flatbed scanner? Look at them with your iPhone? What works the best for you? Thanks!

 

[bunip]

In B/W I have a fast look using MegaPhoto on my Ipad or Iphone that let you see in positive the negative; you can also take pictures of what you see. When you have an idea you just scan what you like. It depends on how LOW resolution you can accept for preview. If I had a camera scanning set up ready I'd go for it.

 

[George Collier]

I scan with a flat bed scanner (Epson V850), so I can lay a piece of glass over the roll of film after filing the strips in Printfile pages. I scan at 2x scale @150 resolution. Looks like a standard contact sheet.
then I view this scan in Pshop and make my selections. I can even apply adjustments to selected images with a mask layer.
You might be able to do something similar with a DSLR (or smart phone) with the page of negs on a light table or back lit somehow and view likewise.

 

[Les Sarile]

This is what 36 frames in strips of 6 frames of slide film in film holder would look like direct on glass of Epson V700. Too big to fit on 8X10 opening. 600dpi only takes a little over a minute to scan.

Full roll of Fuji Astia on Epson V700 by Les DMess, on Flickr

This is what 36 frames in strips of 6 frames of 35mm color negative would look like direct on glass of Epson V700. bunched up to fit on 8X10 opening but could have overlapped it some more to fit. 600dpi only takes a little under a minute to scan and takes longer to assemble.

Full roll Kodak Portra 400UC on Epson V700 by Les DMess, on Flickr

A complete DSLR setup would take a faster scan of the color slides but the color negatives would probably take longer with the inversion process. The Nikon D850 has built-in color negative inversion so that may prove faster. B&W inversion is simpler and would take a little longer then the color slides to process.

I also have the Coolscan 9000 so don't judge these poor results to what you can get out of it.

 

[Alan9940]

Before I setup a DSLR outfit for digital scanning, I would just lay a page of negatives on the glass of a flatbed scanner and scan/print the whole sheet. Now, though, I digitally scan an entire roll, import/convert in LR, then pick out my favorites for further consideration.

 

[gone]

I digitally scan an entire roll, import/convert in LR, then pick out my favorites for further consideration.

That's what I do, the 35mm negs are too tiny for me to see what's going on w/ just a loupe, so I scan a whole roll of B&W film to decide which might be good to print. I call it proof printing, the negs are just given a little more contrast in PS, that's it. On the Nikon scanners I owned, along w/ every other film scanner, you just went into your scan settings and made low or high rez scans, whichever you wished.