Is this too much grain?

http://gallery.photographyreview.com...1010021_2_.JPG

As the title suggests, is there too much grain in this? It's shot on Fuji Superia X-TRA 400. I'm not happy with the scan from the lab. The files are about half the size they normally are, and I don't think they have done a good job with the scan. Normally, the files are around 3360x2240 pixels. This one is around 1840x1232 pixels. I'm going to get it rescanned at a different place and see what it's like.

Let me know what you think.

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Originally Posted by danic

Let me know what you think...

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Well, it's definitely a nice shot. But to judge film or slide grain on a computer screen is really tough.

You have to think of grain as an element of a photo, much like sharpness, focus, color, composition, etc. By its nature, it's neither good nor bad. It's whether it adds to or detracts from a photo that's important.

It should be interesting to compare the new scan with this one...

I agree that it's a nice shot, but I can't really see any grain in such a small image. If you'd like to post a 100% crop, it would be much easier to see.

Superia X-tra 400 is not the finest grain film you can get, although I do like it. Kodak UC400 is probably finer at 400 ISO, but a shot like this was obviously done on a tripod, so you might as well have used 100 ISO film for even smaller grain. I would recommend Fuji Reala 100.

Also, it's possible that the lab over sharpened the image, which could make the grain look worse. If you get it scanned again, you might want to tell them not to sharpen it. Then you can sharpen it as you see fit.

Paul

Thanks for your comments guys :-)

How do you do a 100% crop?

Photophorous: I was thinking of just sticking to 100 ISO film, such as Reala or Velvia. I'm putting the negatives in for re-scanning tonight, I'll pick them up tomorrow some time and see how they go.

I'm really happy with 200 ISO, so I'd like to see what 100 is like.

Sorry I'm so slow getting back to you. What kind of software do you edit with? You should be able to zoom all the way in (where one pixel of image file equals one pixel on your monitor), then drag a box across the image and use a crop function. That would be a 100% crop, and it would give us a close up view of the grain.

But, I think you'll be happier just using a slower film. For high contrast stuff like this, print film will give you more room for error, and Reala would probably produce very nice results. But if you're brave, you might just pull off something really cool with Velvia. Be sure to bracket if you try. Good luck! :thumbsup:

Paul

Thanks photophorous. I haven't picked up the new scans yet. Someone broke into my place and nicked my wallet, so I haven't been able to pay.

I'll do a 100% crop when I get the chance.