I'm about to develop a whole bunch of film. Lately for 35mm I have been developing at home and then taking the uncut negatives to a local lab who does an excellent job scanning them on a frontier scanner at a great price. Unfortunately they out source 120 and I have a whole bunch of it. Does anyone have a suggestion for a good lab that can scan these negatives for me at a decent price?
Good lab to scan 6x7 negatives
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I'll second this. I do a lot of my own developing and scanning for black & white as well as color. But when I don't have time, or too much film has built up, I have NCP do it for me. Great outfit.
They seem like a good lab but they charge 50% more to scan uncut film not processed by them. Doesn't really make sense to me.
I don't mean to be unkind, but one also has to realize that this is a cheap, junky scan. It's great for uploading images to the web, and reviewing film that you would like to see so that you can choose those important ones where you want to get a real scan.
Lenny
Lenny
Are you referring to NCP's budget scan or their enhanced scans? I use both and they both work well for what I need.
The OP asked for a good lab. NCP is a good, professional lab that does excellent work. They charge a fair price for their work. If the cost is too high, then I suppose the OP should consider developing and scanning their own work. It really isn't tough, it is just time consuming, so either you are paying your wages or someone else's. The people at NCP do this for a living and they do it well. I like to think I can scan all right but I certainly don't do it for a living. And I shudder to think how much my own scans would cost if I had to charge my own wage.
I have been using NCP for years and I am sure that other have used them as well. I have never considered any of their work "junky." In today's market I seriously doubt that they would still be in business if they did not do good work, in addition to charging a fair price.
Just my opinion.
I guess that NCP is scanning with a Fuji SP-3000 scanner. It's a real good scanner, but optimized for high throughput with 'optimized algorithms and routines . Just checked their data: Enhanced scan for a 6x9 delivers a 7588 x 4815 pixel image. However, they don't mention if it is an 8/24 bit or a 16/48 bit scan. I am scanning the same format with my Nikon LS 9000 @4000 ppi and @48 bit color depth at a size of 13032 x 8697 pixel. This is what I would call an 'enhanced' scan.
In addition it all depends on the scanner operator, and if he offers custom treatment. If not, well, then I second Lenny's statement.
In addition it all depends on the scanner operator, and if he offers custom treatment. If not, well, then I second Lenny's statement.
Okay.
We have two votes in favor of NCP from people who actually use their services.
We have two votes from people who are comparing numbers, but have not actually used the services, who feel the results are "junky."
This is what I recommend.
Send one strip of negatives to three or four labs and have them do the type of scan you are considering. It would be best to use the same strip of negatives if you can. Then compare the results and choose the results you are willing to pay for.
...or maybe Lenny or jens g.r. benthien can make you a better quote. Their scans are reputed to be very good.
We have two votes in favor of NCP from people who actually use their services.
We have two votes from people who are comparing numbers, but have not actually used the services, who feel the results are "junky."
This is what I recommend.
Send one strip of negatives to three or four labs and have them do the type of scan you are considering. It would be best to use the same strip of negatives if you can. Then compare the results and choose the results you are willing to pay for.
...or maybe Lenny or jens g.r. benthien can make you a better quote. Their scans are reputed to be very good.
Excellent proposal!
Let Lenny do the scans - he is way better in scanning than I am. In addition I don't scan for third parties, and I live in Europe, where everything is very expensive <sigh>
There is a misconception here. The key is that scans are not done by a scanner, any more than prints are made by an enlarger or photos are made by a camera. Certainly, if you have a camera (or enlarger) with a good lens you have a better chance of a sharper image. However, photos are made by a photographer, not a piece of equipment.
There are roughly 10 exposures on a 6x7 roll, so these scans are $1.20 apiece. That means the scanner is doing all the work. There is no time for adjustment.
My price for 6x7 scans is $125, literally 100 times the cost of NCP scans. In fact, this is inexpensive in the realm of high end scans. My scans are done at 8000 spi/ppi/dpi, 16 Bit RGB and run about 2.2 Gigs each. Each one is custom-tuned for the image characteristics, and the style of the photographer's work. Each one takes about an hour of my time, and about 45 minutes of the drum scanner's time. The scanner is an Aztek Premier, at $40,000 new, one of the best scanners ever made. If a scan isn't perfect, its redone until it is.
There is no comparison whatsoever between what I am delivering and something one can get for a dollar.
If all you need is a $1 scan, then great.However, the OP asked for "good scans" so I thought I would pipe in here...
Lenny
There are roughly 10 exposures on a 6x7 roll, so these scans are $1.20 apiece. That means the scanner is doing all the work. There is no time for adjustment.
My price for 6x7 scans is $125, literally 100 times the cost of NCP scans. In fact, this is inexpensive in the realm of high end scans. My scans are done at 8000 spi/ppi/dpi, 16 Bit RGB and run about 2.2 Gigs each. Each one is custom-tuned for the image characteristics, and the style of the photographer's work. Each one takes about an hour of my time, and about 45 minutes of the drum scanner's time. The scanner is an Aztek Premier, at $40,000 new, one of the best scanners ever made. If a scan isn't perfect, its redone until it is.
There is no comparison whatsoever between what I am delivering and something one can get for a dollar.
If all you need is a $1 scan, then great.However, the OP asked for "good scans" so I thought I would pipe in here...
Lenny
I think what you just posted is a whole lot more useful than just referring to NCP's scans as "junky." As I already pointed out, in most cases they are more than satisfactory for the majority of my uses, which is primarily printing. I rarely post to the internet and if I find that a digital print from a scan is interesting then I am more likely to print in a darkroom then to go further with scanning.
In a lot of respects you are comparing apples to oranges, not only with regards to the scan being offered, but also with reference to the cost. I certainly cannot speak for the OP as his budget expectation may be entirely different than my own. But I certainly could not afford to have a large number of rolls of 6x7 120 film scanned on a drum scanner.
I do have to say that I believe that your scan prices are reasonable for the type of scan you are offering. If anyone needs a scan of a negative, or group of negatives, that need to retain every iota of detail, then drum scanning is certainly a useful option.
From my own perspective, thank you very much for your enlightening post. It is very useful for me, and likely for others, to know what quality drum scanning costs.
In a lot of respects you are comparing apples to oranges, not only with regards to the scan being offered, but also with reference to the cost. I certainly cannot speak for the OP as his budget expectation may be entirely different than my own. But I certainly could not afford to have a large number of rolls of 6x7 120 film scanned on a drum scanner.
I do have to say that I believe that your scan prices are reasonable for the type of scan you are offering. If anyone needs a scan of a negative, or group of negatives, that need to retain every iota of detail, then drum scanning is certainly a useful option.
From my own perspective, thank you very much for your enlightening post. It is very useful for me, and likely for others, to know what quality drum scanning costs.
Dan, thanks. Point taken.
It is apples and oranges, to be sure. I don't scan whole rolls of anything for anyone. One has to choose very carefully (and ruthlessly edit) to send only the really good ones off to be scanned by an experienced scanner operator. However, when you get a scan that is carefully handled, appropriately manipulated and is dialed in, its all worth it...
Lenny
It is apples and oranges, to be sure. I don't scan whole rolls of anything for anyone. One has to choose very carefully (and ruthlessly edit) to send only the really good ones off to be scanned by an experienced scanner operator. However, when you get a scan that is carefully handled, appropriately manipulated and is dialed in, its all worth it...
Lenny
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