Scan focus issue only with positive film?

[John S.]

I am using an Epson Perfection 3200 to scan Velvia 50 and 100, - WinXP prof., the results have been excellent. But now I have other problems resolve, (see Scanners/Windows 8). Please excuse the intrusion.

 

[pellicle]

Hi

Not being able to realize great results from chromes - or for that matter any film type, would be a real bummer . . . but fortunately that's not the case!

I didn't say I couldn't get good results from chromes, just that the effect discussed was apparent on chromes and (not negs) when scanned with Nikon as well as the flatbeds. I've scanned quite a few myself too, but its not the question I'm answering either.

I can get better colour match to "reality" (such as products) with chromes than with negs, but as it happens I'm not doing advertising layouts and 'getting accurate colour' isn't as high a criteria to me as getting an image I like.

Thus I use negs more now

 

[pellicle]

I ditched color negative film a few years ago because slide film was so much easier to scan. Only now with optical darkroom prints I have rediscovered negative film ...

easier to scan? Well, to get the right look perhaps Neg takes more getting to know (and can't be automated with such ease) but dealing with high contrast ... well that's where neg makes something worth while. Chromes are as bad as digital for that.

Stuff such as this just can't really be done with chromes

well ... and get the sun, the sky textures, the shadows and the glints on the snow ...

 

[Rudeofus]

easier to scan? Well, to get the right look perhaps Neg takes more getting to know (and can't be automated with such ease) but dealing with high contrast ... well that's where neg makes something worth while. Chromes are as bad as digital for that.

Slides can't handle high contrast situations well, never could, never will. They do produce beautiful blacks, though, something neither my Coolscan V nor my V700 could ever get out of negatives. Once you fix negative scans to the point that blacks are black instead of grey grainy mush with a nasty color cast, all that "can handle harsh contrasts" beauty is gone. Nope, my negatives are fine, they print beautifully on an optical enlarger.

Stuff such as this just can't really be done with chromes

well ... and get the sun, the sky textures, the shadows and the glints on the snow ...

Whenever I scan such a neg (I love shooting into the sun BTW), my scanner (software) gives me all kinds of colors around the sun (see attached image) and it takes serious post processing to fix it. When I scan slides with similar image matter, there are no such rings of color (see other attached image). And again, these rings I see on negative scans are mysteriously gone when I print them optically.

Scanner and the scanning software seem to have conspired to make my neg scans look like crap, whereas even as complete noob I got acceptable scans from my slides with little effort. Maybe a pro can do more with scans from negatives, but for a noob with little ambition in the post processing area (I don't lug around an RZ67 so that I have to spend hours to fix my scans) slides are much, much easier.

 

[Les Sarile]

This brings me to an observation. My positive scans also get a lot of light bouncing under them. This definitely contributes to them looking like they are out of focus.

Hi
interesting point, and one of the reasons I gave up using chromes for good

Hi

I didn't say I couldn't get good results from chromes, just that the effect discussed was apparent on chromes and (not negs) when scanned with Nikon as well as the flatbeds. I've scanned quite a few myself too, but its not the question I'm answering either.

I can get better colour match to "reality" (such as products) with chromes than with negs, but as it happens I'm not doing advertising layouts and 'getting accurate colour' isn't as high a criteria to me as getting an image I like.

Thus I use negs more now

Just to be sure, there are no such issues with the Coolscans+Nikonscan regarding lights bouncing around and affecting chromes focusing - or for that matter affecting any brand/types of films that I have encountered in almost 20,000 frames that I have personally scanned. The Coolscan's autofocus is impeccable.