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old brownie film..scanning..help
old brownie film..scanning..help
I'm amazed at the quality of b/w pictures that my mom took with her
brownie camera in the 40's to 50's. The film is preserved in pristine
condition.
Now I want to scan all her negatives, but I'm not sure what flatbed will
accept the film format. First of all can someone tell me what the format is
that the Brownie's used? Can you recommend a flatbed scanner? I scan 35mm
negs on a Nikon V, so I have some knowledge of the terminology and work
flow. I'm just not sure which flat bed has the right film holders for the
format of my mom's negatives. I'm sure the largest size I want to print
will be 5x7. Other than that I'll be burning the images to cd for family to
use for their own purposes...be it web albums or slide shows.
BTW, I also shoot 120 with my Mamiya rb67, and still have an urge to try 4x5
LF, so spending a little extra on a better scanner is a possibility. Yes I
know flat bed is inferior to a drum scan.
Any suggestions?
I'm amazed at the quality of b/w pictures that my mom took with her
brownie camera in the 40's to 50's. The film is preserved in pristine
condition.
Now I want to scan all her negatives, but I'm not sure what flatbed will
accept the film format. First of all can someone tell me what the format is
that the Brownie's used? Can you recommend a flatbed scanner? I scan 35mm
negs on a Nikon V, so I have some knowledge of the terminology and work
flow. I'm just not sure which flat bed has the right film holders for the
format of my mom's negatives. I'm sure the largest size I want to print
will be 5x7. Other than that I'll be burning the images to cd for family to
use for their own purposes...be it web albums or slide shows.
BTW, I also shoot 120 with my Mamiya rb67, and still have an urge to try 4x5
LF, so spending a little extra on a better scanner is a possibility. Yes I
know flat bed is inferior to a drum scan.
Any suggestions?
Re: old brownie film..scanning..help
I wrote:
> I'm amazed at the quality of b/w pictures that my mom took with her
> brownie camera in the 40's to 50's. The film is preserved in pristine
> condition.
>
> Now I want to scan all her negatives, but I'm not sure what flatbed will
> accept the film format.
There were lots of film formats used in the 1940's and 1950's. Brownie
was a name Kodak used for many different cameras.
There are several articles out there (STFW) about scaning 4x5 and other
large format negatives on a regular flat bed scanner. Basicly the
technology is the same.
The trick to using a flatbed scanner is to determine the actual resolution
of the scanner. Many scanners claim to produce 4800 dpi scans, but they only
scan at 1200 DPI. They create the extra pixels by interpolation,
the mathematical calcualtion of what should be there (at least as
far as the program can do it) from what it does scan.
If you do a scan at the highest native resolution of your scanner you
should be fine.
Another thing to be careful about is that the programs that come with
flatbed scanners often do not scan black and white negatives properly.
Programs such as Vuescan do a much better job.
The best way to scan a black and white negative is to scan it in full color
and then reduce it to grayscale in photoshop.
If you do print them, note that many inkjet printers print black and white
prints better in color mode than black only. If you print in black only
you are stuck with the color of the black ink (which usually has a
magenta cast) and you can adjust it if you use color ink. The best
way of course is to use a multi ink black system such as Epson's.
Geoff.
--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm@mendelson,com N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http :// geoffstechno.livejournal,com /
I wrote:
> I'm amazed at the quality of b/w pictures that my mom took with her
> brownie camera in the 40's to 50's. The film is preserved in pristine
> condition.
>
> Now I want to scan all her negatives, but I'm not sure what flatbed will
> accept the film format.
There were lots of film formats used in the 1940's and 1950's. Brownie
was a name Kodak used for many different cameras.
There are several articles out there (STFW) about scaning 4x5 and other
large format negatives on a regular flat bed scanner. Basicly the
technology is the same.
The trick to using a flatbed scanner is to determine the actual resolution
of the scanner. Many scanners claim to produce 4800 dpi scans, but they only
scan at 1200 DPI. They create the extra pixels by interpolation,
the mathematical calcualtion of what should be there (at least as
far as the program can do it) from what it does scan.
If you do a scan at the highest native resolution of your scanner you
should be fine.
Another thing to be careful about is that the programs that come with
flatbed scanners often do not scan black and white negatives properly.
Programs such as Vuescan do a much better job.
The best way to scan a black and white negative is to scan it in full color
and then reduce it to grayscale in photoshop.
If you do print them, note that many inkjet printers print black and white
prints better in color mode than black only. If you print in black only
you are stuck with the color of the black ink (which usually has a
magenta cast) and you can adjust it if you use color ink. The best
way of course is to use a multi ink black system such as Epson's.
Geoff.
--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm@mendelson,com N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http :// geoffstechno.livejournal,com /
Re: old brownie film..scanning..help
On Mon, 25 Jun 2007 01:52:08 -0600, "I" <mr_jerky_maker@hotmail,com >
wrote:
> I'm amazed at the quality of b/w pictures that my mom took with her
> brownie camera in the 40's to 50's. The film is preserved in pristine
> condition.
>
> Now I want to scan all her negatives, but I'm not sure what flatbed will
> accept the film format. First of all can someone tell me what the format is
> that the Brownie's used?
If the pictures were taken in the 1940s and 50s then it's almost
certainly 120, 620 or 127 film. You say you use 120 so I'm assuming
you'd recognise that (and therefore also 620, which was 120 wound on
smaller spools), although the frame size is probably 6 x 9 rather than
the 6 x 7 you're used to.
127 film is 45mm wide; the 127 Brownies used a variety of frame sizes
from 40 x 65mm to 45 x 60mm. I'm not aware of any scanners that come
with adaptors for 127, although the link below has information from
people who have been in a similar situation:
http :// photo,net /bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=007RqT
If the camera wasn't new in the 1940s then there's a chance it may
have used 116 or 130 film (64 x 108mm and 72 x 123mm respectively).
Treat these as large format.
--
Matthew Winn
[If replying by mail remove the "r" from "urk"]
On Mon, 25 Jun 2007 01:52:08 -0600, "I" <mr_jerky_maker@hotmail,com >
wrote:
> I'm amazed at the quality of b/w pictures that my mom took with her
> brownie camera in the 40's to 50's. The film is preserved in pristine
> condition.
>
> Now I want to scan all her negatives, but I'm not sure what flatbed will
> accept the film format. First of all can someone tell me what the format is
> that the Brownie's used?
If the pictures were taken in the 1940s and 50s then it's almost
certainly 120, 620 or 127 film. You say you use 120 so I'm assuming
you'd recognise that (and therefore also 620, which was 120 wound on
smaller spools), although the frame size is probably 6 x 9 rather than
the 6 x 7 you're used to.
127 film is 45mm wide; the 127 Brownies used a variety of frame sizes
from 40 x 65mm to 45 x 60mm. I'm not aware of any scanners that come
with adaptors for 127, although the link below has information from
people who have been in a similar situation:
http :// photo,net /bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=007RqT
If the camera wasn't new in the 1940s then there's a chance it may
have used 116 or 130 film (64 x 108mm and 72 x 123mm respectively).
Treat these as large format.
--
Matthew Winn
[If replying by mail remove the "r" from "urk"]
Re: old brownie film..scanning..help
That's a good thread. Thanks.
"Matthew Winn" <*@matthewwinn.me.urk> wrote in message
news:8e1v73lml0pptq6rk8eg5s8qn6j7fdu21h@4ax,com ...
> On Mon, 25 Jun 2007 01:52:08 -0600, "I" <mr_jerky_maker@hotmail,com >
> wrote:
>
>> I'm amazed at the quality of b/w pictures that my mom took with her
>> brownie camera in the 40's to 50's. The film is preserved in pristine
>> condition.
>>
>> Now I want to scan all her negatives, but I'm not sure what flatbed
>> will
>> accept the film format. First of all can someone tell me what the format
>> is
>> that the Brownie's used?
>
> If the pictures were taken in the 1940s and 50s then it's almost
> certainly 120, 620 or 127 film. You say you use 120 so I'm assuming
> you'd recognise that (and therefore also 620, which was 120 wound on
> smaller spools), although the frame size is probably 6 x 9 rather than
> the 6 x 7 you're used to.
>
> 127 film is 45mm wide; the 127 Brownies used a variety of frame sizes
> from 40 x 65mm to 45 x 60mm. I'm not aware of any scanners that come
> with adaptors for 127, although the link below has information from
> people who have been in a similar situation:
> http :// photo,net /bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=007RqT
>
> If the camera wasn't new in the 1940s then there's a chance it may
> have used 116 or 130 film (64 x 108mm and 72 x 123mm respectively).
> Treat these as large format.
>
> --
> Matthew Winn
> [If replying by mail remove the "r" from "urk"]
That's a good thread. Thanks.
"Matthew Winn" <*@matthewwinn.me.urk> wrote in message
news:8e1v73lml0pptq6rk8eg5s8qn6j7fdu21h@4ax,com ...
> On Mon, 25 Jun 2007 01:52:08 -0600, "I" <mr_jerky_maker@hotmail,com >
> wrote:
>
>> I'm amazed at the quality of b/w pictures that my mom took with her
>> brownie camera in the 40's to 50's. The film is preserved in pristine
>> condition.
>>
>> Now I want to scan all her negatives, but I'm not sure what flatbed
>> will
>> accept the film format. First of all can someone tell me what the format
>> is
>> that the Brownie's used?
>
> If the pictures were taken in the 1940s and 50s then it's almost
> certainly 120, 620 or 127 film. You say you use 120 so I'm assuming
> you'd recognise that (and therefore also 620, which was 120 wound on
> smaller spools), although the frame size is probably 6 x 9 rather than
> the 6 x 7 you're used to.
>
> 127 film is 45mm wide; the 127 Brownies used a variety of frame sizes
> from 40 x 65mm to 45 x 60mm. I'm not aware of any scanners that come
> with adaptors for 127, although the link below has information from
> people who have been in a similar situation:
> http :// photo,net /bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=007RqT
>
> If the camera wasn't new in the 1940s then there's a chance it may
> have used 116 or 130 film (64 x 108mm and 72 x 123mm respectively).
> Treat these as large format.
>
> --
> Matthew Winn
> [If replying by mail remove the "r" from "urk"]
Re: old brownie film..scanning..help
I wrote:
> I'm amazed at the quality of b/w pictures that my mom took with her
> brownie camera in the 40's to 50's. The film is preserved in pristine
> condition.
>
> Now I want to scan all her negatives, but I'm not sure what flatbed will
> accept the film format. First of all can someone tell me what the format is
> that the Brownie's used? Can you recommend a flatbed scanner? I scan 35mm
> negs on a Nikon V, so I have some knowledge of the terminology and work
> flow. I'm just not sure which flat bed has the right film holders for the
> format of my mom's negatives. I'm sure the largest size I want to print
> will be 5x7. Other than that I'll be burning the images to cd for family to
> use for their own purposes...be it web albums or slide shows.
>
> BTW, I also shoot 120 with my Mamiya rb67, and still have an urge to try 4x5
> LF, so spending a little extra on a better scanner is a possibility. Yes I
> know flat bed is inferior to a drum scan.
Flatbed: Epson 4990
Film scanner: Nikon 8000/9000 (not drum)
--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http :// www .aliasimages,com /rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http :// www .aliasimages,com /rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http :// www .pbase,com /shootin
-- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch.
I wrote:
> I'm amazed at the quality of b/w pictures that my mom took with her
> brownie camera in the 40's to 50's. The film is preserved in pristine
> condition.
>
> Now I want to scan all her negatives, but I'm not sure what flatbed will
> accept the film format. First of all can someone tell me what the format is
> that the Brownie's used? Can you recommend a flatbed scanner? I scan 35mm
> negs on a Nikon V, so I have some knowledge of the terminology and work
> flow. I'm just not sure which flat bed has the right film holders for the
> format of my mom's negatives. I'm sure the largest size I want to print
> will be 5x7. Other than that I'll be burning the images to cd for family to
> use for their own purposes...be it web albums or slide shows.
>
> BTW, I also shoot 120 with my Mamiya rb67, and still have an urge to try 4x5
> LF, so spending a little extra on a better scanner is a possibility. Yes I
> know flat bed is inferior to a drum scan.
Flatbed: Epson 4990
Film scanner: Nikon 8000/9000 (not drum)
--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http :// www .aliasimages,com /rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http :// www .aliasimages,com /rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http :// www .pbase,com /shootin
-- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch.
Re: old brownie film..scanning..help
> I'm amazed at the quality of b/w pictures that my mom took with her
> brownie camera in the 40's to 50's. The film is preserved in pristine
> condition.
>
> Now I want to scan all her negatives, but I'm not sure what flatbed
> will
> accept the film format. First of all can someone tell me what the
> format is that the Brownie's used?
As others already followed-up, there were a number of different
medium format films available then. My mom had a brownie camera
that used 127 film, which was about 3x4 inches. (Unfortunately,
the lens was at most a simple, 2-element achromat, with fixed
focus.)
How about if you measure one of your negatives, and let us
know how big it is?
I have an Epson 4490 scanner, which can scan 120/220 medium
format, but not wider. The 120 film holder has a scan area
of 2 1/4" x 4 3/4". If that's sufficient for you, then the
4490 is plenty good to get all the details from your brownie
negatives. You will not need anywhere near it's 4800 dpi
resolution. I expect that 600 or 1200 dpi will probably be plenty,
considering the quality of images the brownie cameras produced.
> Can you recommend a flatbed scanner?
If you need a wider scan area, then you need at least an Epson
4990 Photo. Also consider the Epson V700 Photo and V750M-Pro.
> I scan 35mm negs on a Nikon V, so I have some knowledge of the
> terminology and work flow. I'm just not sure which flat bed has the
> right film holders for the format of my mom's negatives.
Maybe none of them. You may have to pretend your negatives are 4x5",
and maybe make some kind of adapter to get them to fit a 4x5 film
holder. Or maybe just get a piece of single-strength (thin) glass
to place on top of the brownie negative to hold it flat against the
scanner glass, and forgo the film holder.
Jay Ts
> I'm amazed at the quality of b/w pictures that my mom took with her
> brownie camera in the 40's to 50's. The film is preserved in pristine
> condition.
>
> Now I want to scan all her negatives, but I'm not sure what flatbed
> will
> accept the film format. First of all can someone tell me what the
> format is that the Brownie's used?
As others already followed-up, there were a number of different
medium format films available then. My mom had a brownie camera
that used 127 film, which was about 3x4 inches. (Unfortunately,
the lens was at most a simple, 2-element achromat, with fixed
focus.)
How about if you measure one of your negatives, and let us
know how big it is?
I have an Epson 4490 scanner, which can scan 120/220 medium
format, but not wider. The 120 film holder has a scan area
of 2 1/4" x 4 3/4". If that's sufficient for you, then the
4490 is plenty good to get all the details from your brownie
negatives. You will not need anywhere near it's 4800 dpi
resolution. I expect that 600 or 1200 dpi will probably be plenty,
considering the quality of images the brownie cameras produced.
> Can you recommend a flatbed scanner?
If you need a wider scan area, then you need at least an Epson
4990 Photo. Also consider the Epson V700 Photo and V750M-Pro.
> I scan 35mm negs on a Nikon V, so I have some knowledge of the
> terminology and work flow. I'm just not sure which flat bed has the
> right film holders for the format of my mom's negatives.
Maybe none of them. You may have to pretend your negatives are 4x5",
and maybe make some kind of adapter to get them to fit a 4x5 film
holder. Or maybe just get a piece of single-strength (thin) glass
to place on top of the brownie negative to hold it flat against the
scanner glass, and forgo the film holder.
Jay Ts
neg size is 2 3/8 x 3 1/4
"Jay Ts"
> How about if you measure one of your negatives, and let us
> know how big it is?
I measured my negatives:
Width is 61mm (2 3/8")
Images are apx 60mm X 83mm (2 3/8 x 3 1/4)
>
> I have an Epson 4490 scanner, which can scan 120/220 medium
> format, but not wider. The 120 film holder has a scan area
> of 2 1/4" x 4 3/4". If that's sufficient for you, then the
> 4490 is plenty good to get all the details from your brownie
> negatives. You will not need anywhere near it's 4800 dpi
> resolution. I expect that 600 or 1200 dpi will probably be plenty,
> considering the quality of images the brownie cameras produced.
>You may have to pretend your negatives are 4x5",
> and maybe make some kind of adapter to get them to fit a 4x5 film
> holder. Or maybe just get a piece of single-strength (thin) glass
> to place on top of the brownie negative to hold it flat against the
> scanner glass, and forgo the film holder.
I was under the impression that using glass over the negative caused
"moire"...if that is the correct term to use.
But if glass over negative will work then I could do that.
When you're scanning negs on a flatbed capable of negatives...is there a
certain area of the bed that must be used, where a back light is mounted?
Or is the whole bed area available?
Sorry for the ignorant questions, I've never physicall handled flatbeds
with negative holders other than the cheapos you find at walmart etc.
"Jay Ts"
> How about if you measure one of your negatives, and let us
> know how big it is?
I measured my negatives:
Width is 61mm (2 3/8")
Images are apx 60mm X 83mm (2 3/8 x 3 1/4)
>
> I have an Epson 4490 scanner, which can scan 120/220 medium
> format, but not wider. The 120 film holder has a scan area
> of 2 1/4" x 4 3/4". If that's sufficient for you, then the
> 4490 is plenty good to get all the details from your brownie
> negatives. You will not need anywhere near it's 4800 dpi
> resolution. I expect that 600 or 1200 dpi will probably be plenty,
> considering the quality of images the brownie cameras produced.
>You may have to pretend your negatives are 4x5",
> and maybe make some kind of adapter to get them to fit a 4x5 film
> holder. Or maybe just get a piece of single-strength (thin) glass
> to place on top of the brownie negative to hold it flat against the
> scanner glass, and forgo the film holder.
I was under the impression that using glass over the negative caused
"moire"...if that is the correct term to use.
But if glass over negative will work then I could do that.
When you're scanning negs on a flatbed capable of negatives...is there a
certain area of the bed that must be used, where a back light is mounted?
Or is the whole bed area available?
Sorry for the ignorant questions, I've never physicall handled flatbeds
with negative holders other than the cheapos you find at walmart etc.
Re: neg size is 2 3/8 x 3 1/4
> "Jay Ts"
>> How about if you measure one of your negatives, and let us know how big
>> it is?
>
> I measured my negatives:
> Width is 61mm (2 3/8")
> Images are apx 60mm X 83mm (2 3/8 x 3 1/4)
Aha, seems you have 120/200 film there. 60 x 83 mm is just 6x8 cm
format on 120 film.
Assuming I'm right about that, you can use an Epson 4490, with
it's medium format film carrier, no problem. But you'll still
need the 4990 if you want to do 4x5" format too.
> When you're scanning negs on a flatbed capable of negatives...is there
> a certain area of the bed that must be used, where a back light is
> mounted?
Yes, exactly. For example, the Epson 4490 has a lighted strip in the
cover that illuminates the film from "behind" (actually, top). The
film carriers have positioning pins to make sure the film is lined
up correctly, and the film is scanned, emulsion side up, by the same
mechanism used for scanning reflective art. When not scanning film,
there is a white cover that slides/attaches over the backlight area.
I've worked with one model each from Canon, HP and Epson, and they
all operate basically the same way.
BTW, I went through both a Canon and HP scanner before settling
on Epson. I found that Canon's and HP's quoted "optical resolution"
figures to be exaggerated, and HP's new "6 color" photo scanner
isn't much better (if at all) in color accuracy than any good
3-color (RGB) scanner. Epson seems to be the "good stuff" at
this time. They say 4800 dpi, and it's really much less, but
at least you can get better than 2400.
I don't know if Epson's V700 and V750 are better. Epson says
it can do 6400 dpi for some scans, but I don't know if you get
to tell it when to use 6400dpi, or if it decides by itself.
Anyone know about this?
Jay Ts
> "Jay Ts"
>> How about if you measure one of your negatives, and let us know how big
>> it is?
>
> I measured my negatives:
> Width is 61mm (2 3/8")
> Images are apx 60mm X 83mm (2 3/8 x 3 1/4)
Aha, seems you have 120/200 film there. 60 x 83 mm is just 6x8 cm
format on 120 film.
Assuming I'm right about that, you can use an Epson 4490, with
it's medium format film carrier, no problem. But you'll still
need the 4990 if you want to do 4x5" format too.
> When you're scanning negs on a flatbed capable of negatives...is there
> a certain area of the bed that must be used, where a back light is
> mounted?
Yes, exactly. For example, the Epson 4490 has a lighted strip in the
cover that illuminates the film from "behind" (actually, top). The
film carriers have positioning pins to make sure the film is lined
up correctly, and the film is scanned, emulsion side up, by the same
mechanism used for scanning reflective art. When not scanning film,
there is a white cover that slides/attaches over the backlight area.
I've worked with one model each from Canon, HP and Epson, and they
all operate basically the same way.
BTW, I went through both a Canon and HP scanner before settling
on Epson. I found that Canon's and HP's quoted "optical resolution"
figures to be exaggerated, and HP's new "6 color" photo scanner
isn't much better (if at all) in color accuracy than any good
3-color (RGB) scanner. Epson seems to be the "good stuff" at
this time. They say 4800 dpi, and it's really much less, but
at least you can get better than 2400.
I don't know if Epson's V700 and V750 are better. Epson says
it can do 6400 dpi for some scans, but I don't know if you get
to tell it when to use 6400dpi, or if it decides by itself.
Anyone know about this?
Jay Ts
Re: old brownie film..scanning..help
> Or maybe just get a piece of single-strength (thin) glass
> to place on top of the brownie negative to hold it flat against the
> scanner glass, and forgo the film holder.>
> Jay Ts
I purchased a new 4990 scanner today.
I realized now too that my mother also has 127 format negs.
I don't see any problem for me fabricating a special holder for the 127 and
maybe even the 120 film (each frame is cut separately). I found an very
good online hands on review of this scanner which states the best focusing
plane is 1mm above the scanner's glass. So I'm thinking that sandwiching
the negatives flat on the glass with another sheet of glass is not the best
thing to do. Besides...I don't know where to get anti-moiré glass to use
(as this review says is a must).
I'll post some links to my progress when I get going on this scanner.
> Or maybe just get a piece of single-strength (thin) glass
> to place on top of the brownie negative to hold it flat against the
> scanner glass, and forgo the film holder.>
> Jay Ts
I purchased a new 4990 scanner today.
I realized now too that my mother also has 127 format negs.
I don't see any problem for me fabricating a special holder for the 127 and
maybe even the 120 film (each frame is cut separately). I found an very
good online hands on review of this scanner which states the best focusing
plane is 1mm above the scanner's glass. So I'm thinking that sandwiching
the negatives flat on the glass with another sheet of glass is not the best
thing to do. Besides...I don't know where to get anti-moiré glass to use
(as this review says is a must).
I'll post some links to my progress when I get going on this scanner.
Re: old brownie film..scanning..help
I wrote:
>> Or maybe just get a piece of single-strength (thin) glass to place on
>> top of the brownie negative to hold it flat against the scanner glass,
>> and forgo the film holder.> Jay Ts
>
> I purchased a new 4990 scanner today. I realized now too that my mother
> also has 127 format negs. I don't see any problem for me fabricating a
> special holder for the 127 and maybe even the 120 film (each frame is
> cut separately). I found an very good online hands on review of this
> scanner which states the best focusing plane is 1mm above the scanner's
> glass. So I'm thinking that sandwiching the negatives flat on the glass
> with another sheet of glass is not the best thing to do.
The 4990 may be a little different(?), but each scanner I've used so
far is typical of flatbed scanners. They seem to use lenses with a
very small f/ratio, taking maximum advantage of huge depth of focus to
reduce sensitivity to object placement. For a brownie negative (at
least), being off by 1mm might not make any noticeable difference.
(That is to say, the camera's lens will be the main limitation in
sharpness, by far.)
However, if you want to optimize it, you can try a variable height
film holder for your scanner, available from
http :// www .betterscanning,com
On that site, I read that the focus point for Epson scanners
varies from unit to unit. I did a few tests, and couldn't see
any improvement from modifying the film height for my scanner,
so I'm using just the film carriers that Epson provided.
I did try scanning a 120 negative on my 4490 by placing it directly
on the scanner glass, with a 4x5" piece of single-strength window
glass to hold it down. I didn't see any Newton's rings, but maybe
I was just lucky that time. The scan looked to me to be just slightly
fuzzier than when I used the film carrier. YMMV. If your film fits
the provided film carrier, you should probably use that.
Jay Ts
I wrote:
>> Or maybe just get a piece of single-strength (thin) glass to place on
>> top of the brownie negative to hold it flat against the scanner glass,
>> and forgo the film holder.> Jay Ts
>
> I purchased a new 4990 scanner today. I realized now too that my mother
> also has 127 format negs. I don't see any problem for me fabricating a
> special holder for the 127 and maybe even the 120 film (each frame is
> cut separately). I found an very good online hands on review of this
> scanner which states the best focusing plane is 1mm above the scanner's
> glass. So I'm thinking that sandwiching the negatives flat on the glass
> with another sheet of glass is not the best thing to do.
The 4990 may be a little different(?), but each scanner I've used so
far is typical of flatbed scanners. They seem to use lenses with a
very small f/ratio, taking maximum advantage of huge depth of focus to
reduce sensitivity to object placement. For a brownie negative (at
least), being off by 1mm might not make any noticeable difference.
(That is to say, the camera's lens will be the main limitation in
sharpness, by far.)
However, if you want to optimize it, you can try a variable height
film holder for your scanner, available from
http :// www .betterscanning,com
On that site, I read that the focus point for Epson scanners
varies from unit to unit. I did a few tests, and couldn't see
any improvement from modifying the film height for my scanner,
so I'm using just the film carriers that Epson provided.
I did try scanning a 120 negative on my 4490 by placing it directly
on the scanner glass, with a 4x5" piece of single-strength window
glass to hold it down. I didn't see any Newton's rings, but maybe
I was just lucky that time. The scan looked to me to be just slightly
fuzzier than when I used the film carrier. YMMV. If your film fits
the provided film carrier, you should probably use that.
Jay Ts
Re: old brownie film..scanning..help
I've always wondered: why not make contact prints and scan those?
There must be some reason why this is not worth the trouble or else
people would do it.
I've always wondered: why not make contact prints and scan those?
There must be some reason why this is not worth the trouble or else
people would do it.
Re: old brownie film..scanning..help
Bob Tenney wrote:
> I've always wondered: why not make contact prints and scan those?
> There must be some reason why this is not worth the trouble or else
> people would do it.
I presume that if you scanned at a reasonable resolution for a single neg
then scanning a complete contact sheet would be impractical due to the size
of a resultant image.
Pete
--
http :// www .petezilla.co.uk
Bob Tenney wrote:
> I've always wondered: why not make contact prints and scan those?
> There must be some reason why this is not worth the trouble or else
> people would do it.
I presume that if you scanned at a reasonable resolution for a single neg
then scanning a complete contact sheet would be impractical due to the size
of a resultant image.
Pete
--
http :// www .petezilla.co.uk
Re: old brownie film..scanning..help
Bob Tenney wrote:
> I've always wondered: why not make contact prints and scan those?
> There must be some reason why this is not worth the trouble or else
> people would do it.
There is: quality.
It's just not there in a contact print. So nothing much to scan.
Bob Tenney wrote:
> I've always wondered: why not make contact prints and scan those?
> There must be some reason why this is not worth the trouble or else
> people would do it.
There is: quality.
It's just not there in a contact print. So nothing much to scan.
Re: old brownie film..scanning..help
> What do you mean by "single strength" glass? Do you mean the thinnest
> glass available?
I learned the term from a local glass shop. "Single-strength" is
about 1/8" thick, and is used in mirrors and other places where
the glass will have very good support. And yes, it's the thinnest
they had.
It would be better to use even thinner, anti-fringing glass
made for the purpose of holding photographic film flat.
Jay Ts
> What do you mean by "single strength" glass? Do you mean the thinnest
> glass available?
I learned the term from a local glass shop. "Single-strength" is
about 1/8" thick, and is used in mirrors and other places where
the glass will have very good support. And yes, it's the thinnest
they had.
It would be better to use even thinner, anti-fringing glass
made for the purpose of holding photographic film flat.
Jay Ts
Re: old brownie film..scanning..help
"I" wrote:
>Jay Ts wrote:
>> The 4990 may be a little different(?),
>
> Sorry, I meant to say 4490.
I suspect we can blame Epson's marketing department for the confusion. :-)
Jay Ts
"I" wrote:
>Jay Ts wrote:
>> The 4990 may be a little different(?),
>
> Sorry, I meant to say 4490.
I suspect we can blame Epson's marketing department for the confusion. :-)
Jay Ts
