Problem scanning B&W

Ive just bought an epson v500 and started scanning over the weekend. The slide films looks great....the xp2 I shot also scans very well.... but I tried scanning Ilford Delta 400 and it looks rubbish. Here's an example.



The whole role looks like this. There's strange stains on it....you can see at the top there's wierd bars of strange different shades....I'm not sure how to explain it... you'll see it.

Anyway...is this a setting>? Ive tried scanning at both 16 bit greyscale as well as colour and the result is the same. This film wasn't developed my me...I took it to prism in north melbourne....the big stain on the left hand side is actually on the negative. But it's very grainy and generally rubbish....I know its ISO 400 but this is a bit much. Any tips would be appreciated. Im beginning to think whoever developed it didnt know what they were doing.

Setting on this scan were scanning to 24bit colour to Tiff file. resolution 2400. converted to greyscale in photoshop.

Looks like a processing problem to me. Looks like those stripes may result from uneven developr flow thru sprocket holes (if 35mm): inadequqte afitation or insufficient or exhausted developer.

I think that Mike is right on ... looks like sprocket hole developer streaks to me ... can you describe your development process in detail but succintly?

MikeSeb said:

result from uneven developr flow thru sprocket holes (if 35mm): inadequqte afitation or insufficient or exhausted developer.

Click to expand...

and nice lisp there mike ;-) Sorry, just watched "bruno" on the weekend ... so my mind is recovering

thisispants, can you perhaps post a full histogram of that film as seen in your Epson scan software? For example, I get histograms like this using ADOX film



so (as it happens) I'm getting a density range which maps nicely to my scanners reproduction range ... which is good. If the histogram is bunched up it may be over exposure / underdevelopment or some combination of that

MikeSeb said:

Looks like a processing problem to me. Looks like those stripes may result from uneven developr flow thru sprocket holes (if 35mm): inadequqte afitation or insufficient or exhausted developer.

Click to expand...

Yep, 8 sprocket holes across the frame, these look evenly spaced and count for 8.

Maybe dodgy processing by the lab... labs always have given me shitty processing... on C41 normally though, my b&w was fine... do -all- my film at home now from b&w, c41 ro E6.

Anyway I have had severe "grain" before randomly from my V500 too, something to do with the resolution I selected and scan options, some kind of interferrence pattern I gather.

Anyway, try scanning at 3200 dpi (pull down in photoshop after), and 16-bit grey scale, also make sure digital ICE is off, and turn off all other options to test.

Improper agitation or lack of in the first 15-25 seconds of development would be my guess.

bob carnie said:

Improper agitation or lack of in the first 15-25 seconds of development would be my guess.

Click to expand...

I agree with Bob. In case you want to print this negative you could salvage it with some Photoshop work.

Don Bryant