scanner suggestions

[Ces1um]

Hi everyone,

I'm fairly new to developing and printing my photos-just finishing up a two month black and white film course at a local art college. I have access to a fully stocked darkroom and I've enjoyed printing and physically sharing photographs with friends and family. That being said, I still find a need to be able to digitize photographs to email or post my shots. My needs are not professional but social so I don't require the "best of the best". That being said, I don't want to buy something so cheap that it breaks within a week. I shoot 110 and 135 so I have to scan those formats. I am sure some of you out there scan your work. Have you got any recommendations for a scanner? Flatbed or stand alone unit? I would very likely scan only one roll per week. Any constructive answers would be greatly appreciated.

I know I could have a lab develop my film and scan at the same time, but where I live that process takes over a month. I'm just not that patient.

 

[gzhuang]

Scanning film is heresy. Watch out.

 

[calebarchie]

APUG will refuse to answer you which is silly really. But given your circumstances and requirements, just scanning your wet prints with any ordinary flatbed sounds adequate, that way there is minimal processing needed too.

 

[HiHoSilver]

A cheap scanner is what enabled me to escape lab fees - which killed my ability to shoot very much. While nothing touches an optical print, being able to shoot trumps the no-touch ideal. Amazon had a sale on the V600 for $200 new & that settled it. Its not perfect. For those who's budget doesn't include perfect, its alot of bang for the buck. If budget allowed, the next price point seems to be about $5-800 for a flatbed w/ better software. I'd have to defer to experience for the fancy scanners.

 

[RobC]

away satan

 

[CropDusterMan]

The funny thing is, everyones web pages and photos posted on APUG are scanned.
Although I print all of my B&W, I scan my neg pages for contacts and it has made
my life easier. You will have a lot of people respond negatively to your post here,
because this site is dedicated to film and wet-printing.

"The files are in the computer".

 

[Ces1um]

interesting responses... Haven't been called satan since I lived at home with my mother. For the record I prefer Lord Of Darkness. More regal sounding. Flatbed sounds like the way to go. I'll steer clear of those $100 stand alone scanners then. Thanks for the help! Much appreciated. Just to appease the forum, I'm going down to my bathroom to develop some tri-x in my paterson tank using my newly acquired new55 R5 monobath developer. I'll print some 8*10's in NSCAD's darkroom next week. I'll even hand dip them instead of using their automatic processor. Since I don't have a scanner I guess I have to make about 30 copies of one of my photos to share with my extended family across the country. There goes about 30 bucks in paper. I hope I don't like TWO of my photos...

 

[HiHoSilver]

Hey Ces1um, I love it that you found the bug for film. I've not printed in decades & like several, have some constraints on gettign the darkroom space. As you've already found, discussion can get colorful, if not raucus. Alot of us are of a geezerly persuasion & sometimes talk like crotchety old farts. You will also find incredible help & kindness here too - way beyond most sites. Most here have forgotten more than I'll ever know. I say this to give a feel or perspective on when it gets colorful. The concentration of skill & talent, I've not seen duplicated.
'Glad you're here & hope you have an obscene amount of fun. 'Hope to see some of your images soon.

 

[RobC]

if you go and ask at dpug (the sister site to this one) you may get a sensible answer

http://www.dpug.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=6

 

[Ces1um]

if you go and ask at dpug (the sister site to this one) you may get a sensible answer

http://www.dpug.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=6

Just took a look over there- seems you're right.

 

[RobC]

Lord of Darkness, it's all part of the initiation process

 

[MattKing]

Nothing inherently wrong or evil with scanning - it is just off topic for discussion on this Analog Photography User Group.

DPUG is quite quiet, and the software is due for an upgrade.

When that upgrade is finished, the plan is that your question here would end up being gently moved over to DPUG.

But for now, this thread will probably be closed or deleted.

 

[Ces1um]

Nothing inherently wrong or evil with scanning - it is just off topic for discussion on this Analog Photography User Group.

That's fair enough. Until this morning I didn't realize dpug existed. My reasoning for posting on this site was I was dealing with an analog source (my 35mm negatives). I figured this group would be the people to ask as surely some of you scan your photos (as pointed out by another member all photos posted on this site were scanned). I'll spend some time over at dpug seeing if someone has already asked this question before posting a new thread. Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[Lee Rust]

Flatbeds are OK, but troublesome for strip film. I had a really nice film scanner, but it stopped working and couldn't be fixed, so now for everything from small film formats to large prints I use a 12 mp DSLR with macro lens & extension tubes, mounted on a copy stand. Not perfect, but quick & flexible with fewer software hassles.

It is ironic that talk about the Devil word is discouraged here, but it's really just as undeniable as any other kind of climate change. Someday I may get another Demon camera with more of those damned piXels, but then I'll have to get a newer, faster computer. The upgrade path goes on into Eternity if you succumb to the temptations. This is the most evil part of the Digital Devil's bargain.

Analog photography is a mature tech that has gone just about as far as it can go, but it's the Devil we know... a familiar and enjoyable comfort in an age of excess and confusion.

 

[RobC]

Ah but the argument is not that there is climate change becasue there has always been climate change but rather why there is climate change which is a different photomultiplier altogether.

 

[HiHoSilver]

'Would seem a benefit if the credentials for the one site worked for the other. That might be naive - I've not had to deal w/ any issues it would raise. 'Would seem to make it easy for digital questions to simply be put on the digital site.

 

[Lee Rust]

I'm convinced that digital climate change is completely anthropogenic.

 

[MattKing]

'Would seem a benefit if the credentials for the one site worked for the other. That might be naive - I've not had to deal w/ any issues it would raise. 'Would seem to make it easy for digital questions to simply be put on the digital site.

That too will happen with the new software.

When I registered at DPUG I just used the same user name.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

away satan

Go back to your room and play with your grey / gray card...

 

[Theo Sulphate]

The funny thing is, everyones web pages and photos posted on APUG are scanned...

We don't have to tolerate viewing such digitization! I'll have you know that when I'm viewing APUG, the output of my computer is sent to a projector where the aerial image is captured and photographed in Polachrome, processed immediately, and then projected onto a screen. This browsing method consumes quite a few processing packs, but it's worth it.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

I'm convinced that digital climate change is completely anthropogenic.

If we can bring digital change back down to 1994 levels, the analog ecosystem will heal itself and grow.

 

[SuzanneR]

As others have said, just about any flatbed scanner will work for scanning prints so they can be shared here or elsewhere online. Any number of Epsons will work, I have a V700, but used an Epson Perfection 4870 for awhile as well. Beyond information about getting your prints scanned for the gallery, this is subject is off topic for APUG, but can be gone into greater depth at our sister site, DPUG.

 

[CropDusterMan]

We don't have to tolerate viewing such digitization! I'll have you know that when I'm viewing APUG, the output of my computer is sent to a projector where the aerial image is captured and photographed in Polachrome, processed immediately, and then projected onto a screen. This browsing method consumes quite a few processing packs, but it's worth it.

Had a good laugh over that one Theo!