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Hards80 · Dec 8, 2004, 10:54 PM

i have been considering a flatbed scanner (mostly due to price) as a means to convert my 35 mm negs to digital for enhancement, etc...

i have been reading on the internet about all the post scan manipulation needed to remove the orange hue inherent to the negative.. is this true?

also, there seems to be some information out there concerning the variability of emulsions and how this can affect the quality of scans... how much of an impact is this?

and finally, i have read horror stories about it taking 90 minutes to scan 12 negatives at full resolution.. is this something i should expect from a scanner such as the canoscan 8400 or epson 3170?

thanks for any help you can give me.. if its too difficult, i may just say f# it and buy a 20d ... heheh.. i wish...

slipe · Dec 9, 2004, 1:04 AM

Any current flatbed scanner that is designed for film and slides handles the orange just about perfectly.

A dozen negatives at 3200 PPI will take around 36 minutes on the 3170. If you have a reasonably fast computer and plenty of RAM you should be able to do other things while it is scanning. http://personal.inet.fi/private/luuk...70_page_4.html

I haven't read much about emulsion differences. I have a dedicated film scanner and it hasn't been a problem. Don't see why it should be on a flatbed.

PeterP · Dec 9, 2004, 10:53 AM

I have the 3170 and it scans slides and negs with no problem. You have to tell it what you are scanning in the scan dialog. After that the software does it all.

Yes at full rez does feel very slow, I use it mostly for making batches of toe-nails (bigger thumbnails) for record keeping and web display, it is pretty quick at the lower rez settings. For the higher rez stuff I also have a dedicated scanner.

You do need a good confuser, and USB2.0. on USB1 it barely seems to move :?

Hards80 · Dec 9, 2004, 9:29 PM

thanks guys... despite the assurances about the orange hue, i think i have almost talked myself into splurging for a scan dual iv.. since i plan on having the lab just process the negs and then i will scan and print the ones i choose.. i think it will be worth it to have the extra speed and save me some frustration..

Greg Chappell · Jan 4, 2005, 9:26 PM

You will like the film scanner better, but what I am seeing with this newer flatbed technology is very promising.

I was using a Canoscan FS4000US film scanner until I bought my two DSLR's this year. I sold that scanner, but recently bought a new flatbed to scan documents, the Canoscan 4200F. I tried the built-in film adapter and was pleasantly suprised with the results with a few Velvia slides. See this thread for an attached example:

http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/v...70&forum_id=45

I had scanned this slide also with the Canon film scanner & compared the two. They are pretty darn close, which suprised me. Since doing this slide and first writing this response I've scanned another 20-25 Velvia slides of varying subjects that I had previously scanned with the Canon film scanner. I've decided I could indeed live with the quality this scanner provides with Fuli Velvia slides. It's indeed a pleasant suprise to me how well this does. Here's a few additional images I've loaded to my portfolio on another website- all Fuji Velvia slides scanned with this $99 Canoscan 4200F flatbed scanner:

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=462439

Negative film however has not worked as well. I think I'll stick with my digital SLR for anything above ISO 50.

radioflier · May 24, 2005, 6:50 PM

I don't quite understand when, where, and how the overall orange cast of color negative film is removed - is it in the scanning process and done by the scanning software, or is it done in the image software such as Photoshop or PaintShop Pro?

I realize this question is real basic, but I currently don't have a scanner that I can try (and figure these things out for myslef). Thanks!

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Dec 8, 2004, 10:54 PM	#1
Hards80 Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 9,046	i have been considering a flatbed scanner (mostly due to price) as a means to convert my 35 mm negs to digital for enhancement, etc... i have been reading on the internet about all the post scan manipulation needed to remove the orange hue inherent to the negative.. is this true? also, there seems to be some information out there concerning the variability of emulsions and how this can affect the quality of scans... how much of an impact is this? and finally, i have read horror stories about it taking 90 minutes to scan 12 negatives at full resolution.. is this something i should expect from a scanner such as the canoscan 8400 or epson 3170? thanks for any help you can give me.. if its too difficult, i may just say f# it and buy a 20d ... heheh.. i wish...

Dec 9, 2004, 1:04 AM	#2
slipe Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Indian Rocks Beach, FL Posts: 4,036	Any current flatbed scanner that is designed for film and slides handles the orange just about perfectly. A dozen negatives at 3200 PPI will take around 36 minutes on the 3170. If you have a reasonably fast computer and plenty of RAM you should be able to do other things while it is scanning. http://personal.inet.fi/private/luuk...70_page_4.html I haven't read much about emulsion differences. I have a dedicated film scanner and it hasn't been a problem. Don't see why it should be on a flatbed.

Dec 9, 2004, 10:53 AM	#3
PeterP Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 3,397	I have the 3170 and it scans slides and negs with no problem. You have to tell it what you are scanning in the scan dialog. After that the software does it all. Yes at full rez does feel very slow, I use it mostly for making batches of toe-nails (bigger thumbnails) for record keeping and web display, it is pretty quick at the lower rez settings. For the higher rez stuff I also have a dedicated scanner. You do need a good confuser, and USB2.0. on USB1 it barely seems to move :?

Dec 9, 2004, 9:29 PM	#4
Hards80 Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 9,046	thanks guys... despite the assurances about the orange hue, i think i have almost talked myself into splurging for a scan dual iv.. since i plan on having the lab just process the negs and then i will scan and print the ones i choose.. i think it will be worth it to have the extra speed and save me some frustration..

Jan 4, 2005, 9:26 PM	#5
Greg Chappell Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Dallas, Texas USA Posts: 6,589	You will like the film scanner better, but what I am seeing with this newer flatbed technology is very promising. I was using a Canoscan FS4000US film scanner until I bought my two DSLR's this year. I sold that scanner, but recently bought a new flatbed to scan documents, the Canoscan 4200F. I tried the built-in film adapter and was pleasantly suprised with the results with a few Velvia slides. See this thread for an attached example: http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/v...70&forum_id=45 I had scanned this slide also with the Canon film scanner & compared the two. They are pretty darn close, which suprised me. Since doing this slide and first writing this response I've scanned another 20-25 Velvia slides of varying subjects that I had previously scanned with the Canon film scanner. I've decided I could indeed live with the quality this scanner provides with Fuli Velvia slides. It's indeed a pleasant suprise to me how well this does. Here's a few additional images I've loaded to my portfolio on another website- all Fuji Velvia slides scanned with this $99 Canoscan 4200F flatbed scanner: http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=462439 Negative film however has not worked as well. I think I'll stick with my digital SLR for anything above ISO 50.

May 24, 2005, 6:50 PM	#6
radioflier Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 6	I don't quite understand when, where, and how the overall orange cast of color negative film is removed - is it in the scanning process and done by the scanning software, or is it done in the image software such as Photoshop or PaintShop Pro? I realize this question is real basic, but I currently don't have a scanner that I can try (and figure these things out for myslef). Thanks!