# Is it possible to scan a negative and get a file I can print from all the time?



## tricityterror (Mar 13, 2013)

Hello,

I was wondering if it was possible instead of bringing a negative to my photo lab to get prints from everytime, if it was possible to scan it at a super high quality, and thus be able to print from it with an email (Or at the very least a dvd/flash drive), and have it look as good as printing from the negative. I am talking a c41 negative to get a color print. And if it is, what type of scan is that? What do I need to know?


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## MetroRuss (Mar 13, 2013)

I bought this from Costco online but have not used it yet. Sry no review to offer.


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## Ysarex (Mar 13, 2013)

Yes it's possible. You do need a good quality scan from a film scanner designed to do that job well. Custom labs will often have the hardware and provide the service.

Joe


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## vintagesnaps (Mar 13, 2013)

I agree, it's possible either to do it yourself with a good scanner or have a lab do a hi-res scan (which could cost more than a lower res scan). I've found it depends on the quality of the original, and to me the prints from a digital copy of an image look different than on traditional photo paper done using C41 developing, but the quality can be comparable. 

I find there to be more difference with my B&W photos I did in the darkroom - if I compare the two - but seeing the digital print separately it can look as sharp etc. as the darkroom print.


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## cgw (Mar 14, 2013)

It's called a drum scan and it costs $. Depends on the film size: 35mm or 120? If you want quality, ask around about pro labs in Oakland or SF. Hi-resolution scans will produce better prints.


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## hfb (Mar 14, 2013)

I bought a Factory refurbished Epson Perfection V700 Photo a week ago from Epson. I have scanned some 120 negatives and am very pleased with the results. I scanned them at 2400 DPI. It will go up to4800 DPI about as good as the best film.. Not cheap but easy to use. It has the hardware to do 35mm also and normal flatbed scanning as well.


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## tricityterror (Mar 14, 2013)

cgw said:


> It's called a drum scan and it costs $. Depends on the film size: 35mm or 120? If you want quality, ask around about pro labs in Oakland or SF. Hi-resolution scans will produce better prints.



Thanks, gives me a good google lead. Looks like it might cost me 45 dollars a frame.


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## Ysarex (Mar 14, 2013)

tricityterror said:


> cgw said:
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> > It's called a drum scan and it costs $. Depends on the film size: 35mm or 120? If you want quality, ask around about pro labs in Oakland or SF. Hi-resolution scans will produce better prints.
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When you've had C-41 negatives printed did you pay $85.00 per print to have them done at a custom lab? If not then odds are you really don't need to get a drum scan. No question a good drum scan is the at the quality high end and you can't do better. But what if you could reduce the cost by 90% in exchange for a 10% reduction in quality?

There are lots of scanning services out there that use dedicated film scanners and will give you a very good 4000 ppi scan of a 35mm negative for under $5.00.

Joe


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## cgw (Mar 14, 2013)

Ysarex said:


> tricityterror said:
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Sorry but the price/quality quotient isn't all that flexible. The OP needs to find a lab in their area and talk over their options. Flatbeds are OK for 120, not so great for 35mm: both do better with height-adjustable after-market neg holders. Aside from Noritsu or Fuji-equipped labs, there aren't many hi-quality dedicated film scanners outside of Imacons.


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## Ysarex (Mar 14, 2013)

cgw said:


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I don't agree. I'm not talking about flat-bed scanners. I'm talking about something like this:





I know Nikon and Canon etc. don't make them any more, but that doesn't mean all the labs that have them stopped using them. There are plenty of service labs out there that will deliver a 4000 ppi 48 bit scan of a 35mm neg scanned with a similar device for under $5.00. For example: Imagerylab - Pricing of Slide Scanning, Film Scanning and Medium Format Scanning Services.

I have an Imacon scanner at the college and I have the Nikon scanner pictured above. The Imacon scanner is better -- it d*mn well should be -- but it's not that much better. The price/performance curve gets real steep when you start squeezing out that last 10%.

For reference here's a full-res 3000 ppi scan of an ISO 200 35mm color neg scanned at 8 bit with a Canon FS4000 dedicated 35mm film scanner: http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/073/9/a/la_salle_by_skoparon-d5y1qyg.jpg  That is a raw scan without even spotting. Some sprucing-up in Photoshop and it will make a respectable print that I'm betting will satisfy the OP. A better scan can be had for under $5.00.

Joe


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## cgw (Mar 14, 2013)

Ysarex said:


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Nikon no longer services Coolscan 8000/9000 scanners in N. America--good luck if it punks out. The only thing comparable is the new--and largely unreviewed--Plustek OpticFilm 120. That Canon's an oldie! Should be someone in the Bay area who can help the OP.


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## Ysarex (Mar 14, 2013)

cgw said:


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Yep, mine is still working just fine and so is that Canon FS 4000, I'm just out of film to scan. Like I said, just because they're discontinued doesn't mean they're not still in service.

Joe


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## cgw (Mar 15, 2013)

Ysarex said:


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Good luck getting them _serviced_.


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## vintagesnaps (Mar 15, 2013)

That's the case with just about anything - when they stop making a particular model of something and yours wears out you may not have much choice but to replace it eventually. But in the meantime, might as well keep using it... 

Seems like I've read that it's possible now to get a scan fairly comparable to a drum scan without the need for necessarily having a drum scan done, as the quality of scanners continually has been improving. 

I think it would depend on your purpose - for submission to a juried exhibit there could be a need for a better quality scan, but when it comes to a shoebox of old family photos (mine anyway) that could be a 'do it yourself'-er with the home printer. Except maybe for certain photos that would be nice to get restored and framed - the others of my relatives standing in somebody's back yard that makes us fall out of our chairs laughing might be better left in a shoebox.


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## cgw (Mar 15, 2013)

vintagesnaps said:


> That's the case with just about anything - when they stop making a particular model of something and yours wears out you may not have much choice but to replace it eventually. But in the meantime, might as well keep using it...
> 
> Seems like I've read that it's possible now to get a scan fairly comparable to a drum scan without the need for necessarily having a drum scan done, as the quality of scanners continually has been improving.
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> I think it would depend on your purpose - for submission to a juried exhibit there could be a need for a better quality scan, but when it comes to a shoebox of old family photos (mine anyway) that could be a 'do it yourself'-er with the home printer. Except maybe for certain photos that would be nice to get restored and framed - the others of my relatives standing in somebody's back yard that makes us fall out of our chairs laughing might be better left in a shoebox.



Sadly, there haven't been many--if any--innovations in scanners for some time now. Nikon's done with them due to poor sales. Plustek's trying but struggling. It's DIY but DSLR scanning is beginning to pick up steam.


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## imagemaker46 (Mar 17, 2013)

I've been scanning all my old negs and slides over the past few years, somewhere over 10,000 by now.  I stared off using a Plustek scanner that cost around $300, they are still around that price, I had great results with it, I am now using an old Nikon Coolscan V, it works pretty well, was way more expensive  and the scans look about the same, I like the digital ice, helps cut down on having to spend a lot of time cleaning up the dust and scratches.  I scan everything at  4800dpi, as tiff's and then crop and re-size it, save it as a jpeg.


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## lenny_eiger (May 22, 2013)

Sorry to come late to this party, but I just found this forum. I'm in the Bay Area and scan professionally, using an Aztek Premier, a top-off-the-line, 8,000 ppi drum scanner for those of you that are unfamiliar....  All excellent scanner operators will agree that the main difference in scanning at the top level is the operator. It should be someone that understands what you are looking for photographically and targets your scan for your aesthetic. There are many fine scanner operators out there, I wouldn't just send my film to a "lab" to be scanned. They just put it on the drum and let it go. Scanning is much more of an art.

Lenny
eiger@eigerstudios.com
EigerStudios.com
Museum Quality Drum Scanning and Printing


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## webestang64 (May 22, 2013)

Find a lab that uses the Noritzu 1800 series scanners. By far the best film scanner I have ever used. Other than that I recommend the Epson V700 or the Nikon Coolscan 9000.


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## lenny_eiger (May 23, 2013)

webestang64 said:


> Find a lab that uses the Noritzu 1800 series scanners. By far the best film scanner I have ever used. Other than that I recommend the Epson V700 or the Nikon Coolscan 9000.



I sincerely don't mean to give you a hard time. However, the OP was asking for a scan that would get everything that the film has to offer. A Lab is a less-than-optimal choice. None of the scanner options you mention will supply the kind of quality that a drum scanner will, altho' the Nikon will come closest of your choices. Drum scanners are not only significantly sharper, but much more sensitive than CCD scanners. PMT's can sense a few photons bouncing around in the dark chamber. 

Further, most high-end scanner operators will make sure that the information in your image is never clipped, and the best will speak to you directly and tune the image specifically to what you are trying to accomplish aesthetically.

Lenny

EigerStudios.com
Museum Quality Drum Scanning and Printing
​eiger@eigerstudios.com  707-763-5922 PST time zone


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## webestang64 (May 25, 2013)

lenny_eiger said:


> webestang64 said:
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> > Find a lab that uses the Noritzu 1800 series scanners. By far the best film scanner I have ever used. Other than that I recommend the Epson V700 or the Nikon Coolscan 9000.
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No problem....but it depends on the lab.....I use the Noritzu 1800 at the lab I work at and scan 35mm negs to 80mb Tiffs. I've printed 30x40's that look stunning from those scans. But yes......drum scan (if you can afford it) is the way to go.


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## tricityterror (May 26, 2013)

Thank's for all the reply's guys! I just have one photo people seem to want - and don't wanna compromise the negative too much in transport. I trust the lab more than me, but if I had a file I could hustle harder. Great discussion on scanning here.


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