Professional Scanning Services

I have been lurking around this site for a while, but this is my first post here.

I am taking a serious plunge into digital to see if I can match (or exceed) my darkroom prints. So far I've obtained an Epson 3800 printer, and I have an Epson V700 scanner. For comparison scans, I'd like to find a professional scanning service here it the Southwest to try as well. I am trying to the highest quality digital files from my 4X5 negatives shot using TriX and TMax.

Hopefully this isn't a redundant question here, I have looked at the postings here a little.

Does anyone know of a reputable drum scanning service here in the southwest that can develop digital files or highest quality?

Hi

I've had work done by Bruce here and liked it ... he's perhaps too modest to plug himself so:

Bruce Watson
/www.LargeFormatPro.com/
Drum scanning for large format photographers

for an indepth look at some film (negative colour) scanned by him please look at my blog here.

I also have a few Epson scanners (3200, 4870 and 4990) so I think I understand what can be done with your 700 (and I have a mate who has one of them too). You may wish to read a few of my points on my page here and here which may help you get more from your films with your scanner ... (that last link specializes on Nikon but it is the same with the Epson ... prowl around my blog for the others if you're interested ;-)

Drum scanning negative film, especially B&W, is somewhat different than scanning trannies. All drum scanners and their software are optimized for trannies because the advertising / magazine market dwarfed all the other markets, and art directors demanded the WYSIWYG nature of trannies -- for them, time is money and the ability to toss 'em on the light table and make quick decisions was paramount.

That said, there's a sub-class of drum scanners (so-called table top scanners) that were aimed at smaller pre-press houses that required more versitility. These scanners usually have software that is considerably more "negative friendly" and thus make it possible to deal with negatives (color and B&W) effectively.

Finally, there's a sub-sub-class of drum scanner operators who have the right equipment, the interest, and the experience and who enjoy the challenge of scanning negatives and understand how to scan them to bring out their best. I like to think I'm one (thanks for the plug Pellicle). I know Danny Burk up in Indiana and I've seen his work which is quite good. And there's Lenny Eiger out in California who knows his way around negatives too. Oh, and Tyler Boley in Seattle who is the best B&W inkjet printer I've ever seen -- you wouldn't believe his prints, and he drum scans his own 5x7 B&W and customers' film too. Sadly I don't know anyone to recommend to you in or near NM however.

Professional Scanning

Thanks guys, these are really good tips. I'll probably get around to visit with everyone to talk more.

My challenge at this point is not really having enough experience to ask the right questions... Seems to be a fairly specialized field.

Hi

SteveHicks said:

Seems to be a fairly specialized field.

Click to expand...

once upon a time photography was ... digital cameras have removed / obviated / obscured most of the capture side mysticism, but all you need to do to reaquiaint yourself with how specalised it really is, just start speaking to any "normal" person about how to do anything with their images on their digital camera or even ask about what happens when making a simple black and white print ... heck most people I know didn't know that "slides" came from the film in their camera (those who even have a camera which takes film).