I'm frickin' lost

[kier]

OK, so, I got sick of digital. Well not totally, but I know it well enough now to know it's limitations, especially when it comes to experimental or off-the-beaten-path stuff. Like pinhole imaging.

The problem though, is that digital has made me picky. So I'm not going to be happy with something unless I can control every aspect of the process. I'm fine with someone processing my film, but I want some say in how it will be printed.

This is how I came to have a roll of Fuji Reala 100 ISO 120 format (shot in 6X6) put through a Holga that I converted to a Pinhole cam. I love the photos that came out of it. And I have the good fortune of working with someone who has an Imacon sitting on their desk. Sweet deal right?

Well, I've got a problem, and that is massive amounts of grain. These negatives were scanned at roughly 1400dpi. I had prints made from these scans at 8X8 (at 300dpi), and the prints are very grainy - the level of grain is comparable to some old 35mm TMax 400 8X10's I made that are sitting around. I don't have a problem with grain, but that's a bit ridiculous.

So, do I:

1. Tell my friend to make an adjustment on the Imacon? What adjustment?
2. Buy a flatbed scanner like an Epson v700?
3. Just deal with the grain, ya wuss

Until today, I was thinking of the v700, but a lot of folks on here seem to think that's not going to give me sharp and enlargeable 35mm and 120 scans. Oh, and drum scans are just out of the picture - $25 per scan minimum, I ain't made of that kind of cash.

Any and all help/advice is very much appreciated. I'm attaching some samples to illustrate the point. One is a 100% crop (to show grain), the other is a web-sized version of the image (to show context).

Thanks everyone!!!

 

[OldBikerPete]

You shouldn't be getting significant grain at 1400 DPI. I'm scanning Portra VC 5x4 at 2400DPI on an M1 and getting NO grain.
Is it grain or is it sensor noise? At 1400 DPI I suspect that it is mostly noise. Sensor noise can be avoided by causing the scanner to repeat the scan of each line multiple times and average the result for each pixel before advancing the film or scanning head.

 

[kier]

I thought it was grain - can you look at the 100% crop and tell? how does that M1 do on 120 film? can you post a 100% crop?

 

[jslabovitz]

Check for sharpening

I wonder if this is a result of over-sharpening?

The Imacon software has a somewhat annoying default sharpening setting of 250 (I think). Setting it to zero doesn't actually turn it off, although zero is usually fine with me. Your Imacon scanning buddy can set it to -120 for no sharpening. Try that, and see if your result is better.

 

[Jeremy]

The Imacon software has a somewhat annoying default sharpening setting of 250 (I think). Setting it to zero doesn't actually turn it off, although zero is usually fine with me. Your Imacon scanning buddy can set it to -120 for no sharpening. Try that, and see if your result is better.

Having just tested out an Imacon I think the quoted poster has hit the nail on the head. Your results look EXACTLY like what you get when using the default sharpening.

 

[Marco B]

I second all of the remarks above. No, you shouldn't be getting that much grain from a 100ISO film at 1400ppi. Yes, it's likely this is over-sharpening. For some reference material, you can look at this page of my website:

http://www.boeringa.demon.nl/menu_technic_optimalscanningresolution.htm

All of the scans there have been made on an Imacon 949. As you can see, the first scan at a higher 2040ppi of Provia100F is pretty much grainless...

 

[kier]

Awesome! Thanks for this great information everyone!

 

[OldBikerPete]

Here's a 100% crop from an unaltered 2400 DPI scan of a 5x4 Portra VC 160 negative. I would expect the 120 emulsion to be the same but the film base is different.

 

[jd callow]

It looks like over sharpening and an older Imacon that were known for grain aliasing. I had the same problems on a flextight years ago. Turning off unsharp mask will get rid of a portion of the issue.

 

[toyotadesigner]

Grain is the soul of film.

If you scan a Provia 100 F you might end up with 'pepper grain' - those tiny black spots which are typical for the Provia.

I'm scanning on a Coolscan 9000 @ 4.000 ppi and hardly have grain in the final print. Don't be mislead by the grain you can see on your monitor...