proofing negatives using flatbed scanner

digitn · Feb 13, 2012

I am an APUGer. I would like to scan my negatives digitally and use the scans to proof negatives. By that I mean I would like to save time, chemicals and effort by scanning the negatives digitally and then judging the images on a monitor. I don't want to use the scans to make prints. Nor do I want to manipulate the scanned images. I just want a brief look at the image on the monitor so see if the image is worth enlarging or contact printing. Hence I don't want high resolution scans. Fast is good! Really fast is better! I need to scan 35mm, 6x6 and 8x10 negatives. Is there a product that will handle this task?? Or am I way out in left field? Thank you in advance for your advice.

pschwart · Feb 13, 2012

Anything that can drive your scanner can do this. Photoshop works just fine. I use an Epson V700 because it can scan a full page of negatives on the glass. I make an inkjet proof sheet for evaluating the images and store it with the negative page.

GraemeMitchell · Feb 13, 2012

I've been using a old epson 4990 for this for years. Catalog all of my film w/ a digi contact.

Trickiest part is getting negs to lay flat, especially if you've b&w 35mm w/ any sort of curl. I had a piece of glass cut to lay over the film, and for anything w/ a lot of curl I've these small but heavy weights I made w/ some stacks of quarter I set on both ends of the glass to push it down. W/ really thin negs, I can get some newton rings, which I really don't mind and see past, but I do know you can get anti newton glass custom cut for this too, since I talked to someone who did it, but I'd still probably just opt for a $10 sheet of plain glass again.

Be sure to lightly sand the edge of the glass after you have it cut so you can handle it safely. I also used a piece of tape and taped a small tab on one corner of the glass that makes it easy to pick up and set down.

Doing a 600dpi contact takes under 2min I'd guess.

Aristophanes · Feb 13, 2012

You can get anti-Newton glass for about $10 from a frame supply store.

digitn · Feb 13, 2012

I think my question had more to do with the scanner itself than with other considerations. Is it common to find a scanner that will handle 8x10 negatives? I think I need a "transparency unit." Does anyone sell a LOW RESOLUTION (fast acting) scanner? Probably not. Anyway, I appreciate your replies and will appreciate any further guidance you may have.

GraemeMitchell · Feb 13, 2012

Just look for one of the epson flatbeds that has the ability to scan 8x10 transparency art. The V700 is the nice one, they make lesser ones.

The scan speed will be dependent on resolution. So if you do a full 8x10 at something small like 300dpi it will be fast. Like 30 sec I'd guess, just off the top of my head.

glhs116 · Feb 14, 2012

HP G4050. I don't think there is a cheaper flatbed with a full area tranny adapter.

digitn · Feb 18, 2012

This may sound crazy, but . . . what about using a document scanner???

chuck94022 · Feb 19, 2012

digitn said:
This may sound crazy, but . . . what about using a document scanner???

Document scanners are reflective devices. They bounce light off the document and back into the CCD. Negatives require light to be shown through the negative and into the CCD. The reflection from a negative does not carry enough image information to be useful. They usually come out very dark if not black.

I have tried scanning a negative with the document scanner lid up. The ambient light did push some image information into the CCD but it wasn't great.

I've actually had better luck putting my negative on my light table and taking a shot of it with my digicam. Works in a pinch (like when my scanner is in the shop).

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chuck94022 · Feb 22, 2012

One more thought - my scanner (an Epson 750) broke last week. Static jumped into the USB cable and fried the USB circuit.

While it is in the shop, I've been just putting my negatives on a portable light table and shooting them with my Nikon D200, using the kit 18-200 zoom fully zoomed. I use aperture priority, set the lens to f/8, put the nikon on a tripod and put the light table (a small slate sized unit) on the floor, shooting straight down.

I'm mostly shooting 4x5 sheets, which are easy to manage this way. But strips would work too, maybe with the help of something to flatten them.

For web or proofing this works just fine. I don't like it for final images, but others on the forum have argued in favor of this. I can understand the argument, but I still appreciate the higher resolution I get from the Epson, and I don't want to invest in a higher resolution digicam and document oriented lens.

proofing negatives using flatbed scanner

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