Scanners

[jgredline]

Hi Folks.
Currently, I have undertaken a huge task of scanning photos as far back as 1954 for my mother in law...Currently I have the HP G3010 and while the slides come out ok, the images themselves are over saturated and over exposed..This is true of even good photos as early as last year...

What type of scanners do you folks use and what is your recommendation. I figured the best people to ask, are film people...

Thnaks
javier

[Xia_Ke]

I'm using an Epson 4490 Photo. Not the fastest scanner in the world but, I have been happy with the results, especially for the price. What film size(s) are you scanning and what kind of budget are you looking at for a scanner?

[jgredline]

I'm using an Epson 4490 Photo. Not the fastest scanner in the world but, I have been happy with the results, especially for the price. What film size(s) are you scanning and what kind of budget are you looking at for a scanner?

Thanks for the quick response! Your scans always come out great, so I should look at the epson.
The film is 35mm mostly, but some I believe is 110? It is appx 1/2 wide.

As for budget, I would like to stay in 3-400 dollar range, but am not opposed to spending more.

[reverberation]

I have a Canoscan 4400F. Its like 99 bucks and it consumes more time per image than a higher priced scanner. The first hundred scans I did I was happy with. The next several hundred completely broke my resolve and I just did quick clones to fix problems with dust and film curl. If I ever get another flat top scanner, I will keep it in a large plastic storage container with small holes cut for the cords. A dedicated film scanner is what I would buy now. Probably one of the Nikons.

[Xia_Ke]

LOL... Gotta love that dust huh? :mad2: I've just gotten into the habit of giving the glass a quick wipe down every time I change negatives and dust hasn't been a big issue since, though there will ALWAYS be a couple spots that sneak by when using a flat bed. There are plenty of good scanners around the price range you have in mind, the problem is finding a scanner, at ANY price point, that will do 110. I did a quick search and found mention on some forums of people modifying their scanner's slide holder to work with 110. There may be some tutorials out there on how to do it. If you want to stick with a flat bed, I would check out either the Canon 8800f at about $180 or the Epson V500 at about $250. If you don't mind spending a bit more, the Epson V700 is really nice but will run you about $500. Another great option would be the Nikon Coolscan V at about $550, which is a dedicated 35mm scanner but, not sure what your prospects are of being able to modify anything to try and scan 110.

[reverberation]

I think thats the procedure I need Aaron, I just need to overcome my reluctance to use paper towels to clean the top. I have cleaned it with lens tissue several times and really feel the top will end up getting scratched if I get into the habit of cleaning it with paper towels. Essentially, my scanner sits next to my computer keyboard, this is a common living area. Its like having an enlarger in the living room.

[photophorous]

What is your mother in law's planned use for the scanned images? Does she want the ability to make large prints, or does she just want digital archives and maybe a few small prints (8x10 or smaller)?

If it's the latter, you're best bet is probably one of the Epson flatbeds like Aaron's. They seem to do a great job for the price. I have a Canoscan 8400f, and I would say it's adequate for small prints and web display, but not great. I suspect the newer Canons are better, but Aaron's 4490 seems to do a much better job than my Canon did. If I was getting a flatbed, I'd go with Epson.

I upgraded to a Nikon Coolscan V last fall, which I was lucky enough to buy used for a very low price from a member of this sight. They're hard to find used, but even at new prices, this is probably the best deal available for making large high quality prints. I can't imagine the scans being much better, in terms of sharpness and detail, but I still have to tweak the colors in photoshop, especially with slides. The Digital ICE4 works very well to remove dust from color film (no such feature exists that works for B&W or Kodachrome). That will save you a lot of time. In general dedicated film scanners will give you the best results, but the latest offerings from Epson are really very impressive too.

I don't know anything about your HP, but typically over-saturation is not a problem with scanning film. That makes me think there is some kind of auto-correct feature that is cranking up the saturation of the raw scan. I recommend reading your manual and seeing if there's some way to turn that off or tone it down. Look for a manual mode and try to decrease exposure and saturation.

As far as scanning 110 film goes, I don't know. I think a lot of people have made customized film holders for that purpose, but I don't know of any currently available scanners that offer a film holder for 110. I'd search Ebay.

Good luck!

Paul

[Xia_Ke]

I wouldn't use paper towels for cleaning. I use a microfiber lens cloth. Works like a charm. I know exactly how you feel for space. My scanner sits on my coffee table, though when not in use I do try to box it back up and it sits beside the couch. My enlarger is in the kitchen right now...LOL Ahhh, gotta love apartment living

[Xia_Ke]

...I upgraded to a Nikon Coolscan V last fall, which I was lucky enough to buy used for a very low price from a member of this sight....

I can't believe I didn't snag that scanner. Was so tempted but couldn't quite pull the trigger at the time. At that price I should have just bit the bullet :mad2:

[photophorous]

I think thats the procedure I need Aaron, I just need to overcome my reluctance to use paper towels to clean the top. I have cleaned it with lens tissue several times and really feel the top will end up getting scratched if I get into the habit of cleaning it with paper towels. Essentially, my scanner sits next to my computer keyboard, this is a common living area. Its like having an enlarger in the living room.

Just get an old cotton t-shirt or something similar. Paper towels will leave fibers behind, plus you'd need a lot. When I started using canned air on my negatives, it made a big difference. Just be careful not to let the propellent spray on them, because that will be counterproductive.

I keep my Coolscan in a plastic bag all the time. When I want to scan, I pull it out, plug it in, scan, and then I put it back in the bag when I'm done.

[photophorous]

I can't believe I didn't snag that scanner. Was so tempted but couldn't quite pull the trigger at the time. At that price I should have just bit the bullet :mad2:

I was shopping for one for a while when I saw that and I knew instantly. At that price, I would have bought it from a bum on the side of the road. Of course, I was happy it was Gary instead.

[Greg McCary]

Though this will not do MF. I am considering one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Plustek-Opti...QQcmdZViewItem

[jgredline]

Folks..
Thanks for all the responses and forgive me for not getting back to you sooner...For some reason I have not been getting my Instant e mail notifications so I thought the well ran dry here in this thread...:blush2:

Allow me to share what I have learned...
First, that it was pretty common to hear that HP makes a ''very good scanner'' but very lousy software...What I did was buy Sliverfast SE...Even though My scanner G3010 was not listed, I downloaded the demo and worked very good, so I bought it..
Now my HP is scanning perfectly....
http://www.silverfast.com/show/version6-5/en.html There was also another software that I downloaded the demo as well and it also worked very good... http://www.hamrick.com/ a budy of mine also downloaded the demo software unto his 15 year old HP and it scans very good...Good as new, fuzzy logic and all...

By the way, I did go out and purchase a New to me Pentax K1000 film Camera from EEEKKK bay and will be in this forum quite a bit more, asking many questions I am sure....After looking at many photos and slides from Film Cameras these past few days, It is easy to see, why people are reluctant to go digital...There is truly something special about film images...I love it....

[Xia_Ke]

That's awesome Javier! Glad to hear about your scanner and the "new" K1000. Looking forward to seeing some slides :thumbsup: