Film to digital questions

[mkg]

Hi, I'm brand new to the forum. I live in Carlisle, PA and have recently retired. This has given me the chance to re-enter the world of photography. I started with an Olympus OM-1 and OM-2Sp before moving to an Olympus E-20 and going digital. However, I pulled the OMs out of the closet a few weeks ago and was amazed at how much I missed the mechanical feel and physical precision of these fine cameras. I have shot three+ rolls of film and sent them off to Dwayne's Photo in Parsons KS for processing to a CD.

The one advantage that digital has is the immediacy of a result. No sending film away and waiting. My questions are (1) can I have color negative film developed only locally and (2) then scan the negatives to my Mac for processing in PhotoShop. I suppose the better question would be (3) which scanner - and I cannot afford a film only scanner - would do a good job? My ultimate output would be printed photos up to, say, 11x14.

I've looked at most Epson scanners and find the Expression 1670 attractive (and now $379 from Epson) , but dated. Newer and less expensive ones leave me confused as to what one can reasonably expect in the way of a level of quality. Ease of use is not as big an isse. Quality is.

Many thanks for any information that anyone may provide.

MKG

[Canuck935]

Welcome to the forum! I can't really recommend a film scanner since it's been years since I've owned one. The thing with consumer film scanners is that it is a time consuming process. So painfully slow that I got rid of my scanner for good and now that job I leave to the labs.

If you have a local lab that you want to use that is fine. They should be able to offer you good quality scans for an additional charge, or if you become a good customer and get to know them well you may be able to convince them to do higher quality scans for you at no additional charge.

There's also mail-in places that specialize in scanning film, like Scan Cafe for example.

That being said, if you really do want ultimate control over your scans and you are willing to put in the extra time and effort, then a film scanner just might be the better investment for you.

[mkg]

Thanks for the link. I saw their page before and passed it by. Based upon your comments, I'll give it another look.

MKG

[Xia_Ke]

Hi mkg, welcome to PR

Glad to hear you taking those old beauties out of retirement as you enter into it :thumbsup: If you don't mind taking the time to do it yourself, I would pick up your own scanner. I have an Epson 4490 Photo that works great. Here's a 35mm shot (taken with my Oly OM ) from the scanner:



The 4490 will run you about $150 new or the newer version, the V500, will run about $200 and give a little higher resolution. It can take a while but, to cut down time I usually load in 2 strips of 35mm (12 frames) and do a preview scan. From there pick out which ones are worth doing a full scan. Depending on how much you plan on shooting, the scanner can pay for itself quite quickly over having a lab do it. I would have no qualms with printing a 35mm shot 11x14 with a scan from this scanner.

[mkg]

Say, great advice and a great photo. Thanks a lot.

MKG

[Xia_Ke]

Actually I should add the stipulation that I would have no qualms printing 11x14 so long as the neg is clear and low grain to begin with. I've shot some 35mm Tri-X pushed to 3200 that I feel would be a little grainy at 11x14. All depends on how picky you are I guess.

Don't forget to come back and share some shots when you get a chance :thumbsup:

[mkg]

Just placed an order for an Epson V500 scanner - at 1/2 price from Epson. Let the scanning begin....

Thqanks for your encouragement.

MKG

[cameron665]

Aaron, nice scan from your 35mm neg. What dpi do you scan at for 35mm and 120?
I have V500 and am on the learning curve.

[Xia_Ke]

Hi Cameron. I usually scan either format at only 2400dpi. I don't print from my scans so no need to go bigger. Really no need for me to even scan that big since I only have the scanner just to share shots online. If I were to print from my scans though, I would scan at 4800dpi which is the maximum optical resolution of my scanner. It all depends on what size you want to print to. There's no need for that high of a resolution if you only want to print 5x7's. One thing I wouldn't do is bother with the interpolated resolution. If you have Photoshop or Lightroom, I would just use the scanner's maximum optical resolution and upsize with either of those programs.