What do most of you use to scan 120mm film?

[myopia]

Need your advice on how u guys normally scan your 120mm negatives or slides besides bringing it to the shops? Are those flatbeds by Canon or Epson any good?

Or should I do prints first then scan them in by the prints....

Also if budget only around $200 what are my options?

Heard somewhere that flatbeds colors and sharpness are really bad compared to used dedicated film scanner, etc. minolta dual scan (35mm)....

I shoot both 35mm AND 120mm film.

Thanks for help ahead....I see so many nice 120mm photos being showcased here....just wonder how everyone deal with resolution and grain..

Definitely cannot afford Imacon yet...haha!

 

[xylestesins]

Thanks for setting up the thread bro, i kinda have the same question as you too.
I was thinking of getting dedicated 35mm and a flatbed for mediumformat, but is that needed at all?

I'll most probably do web postings only, prints will be at a maximum of A5 size if i do them, usually 4R though. But i have to fulfill my pixel peeper nature as well. ;p

For mediumformat i'll be shooting slides, such as the Provia/Velvia 100 or E100 types.
For 35mm i'll be doing traditional B&W films like Tri-x, Neopan or HP5, very rarely c-41. Heard that dedicated is better for this, but how much better?

So far the choices are the usual, like v500, v700, canoscans, but i'm looking for more opinions. More importantly, should i get seperate scanners? My budget is somewhere around the v500's pricing now, but i'm ready to bite the bullet and save up for seperate scanners that can give me better quality, but that's only if they will satisfy me well

Currently i send my film to scan at fotohub (yes i know they don't have such a good rep for it).
I'm somewhat satisfied with their 16base scans (jpegs @ 2-3mb), but wondering if my own scanner can give me better. I don't want to keep 30mb-100mb files, but i don't mind getting something around 10mb each. Another issue is price, when i came back from my last trip overseas and paid around $160 to develop and scan a batch of slides. For me the price is pretty steep and will continue to get worse as i shoot further.

Any of those more experienced can tell me more?

Btw, i'm an 18 year old student, so please give reasonable budget advice

 

[ndroo]

I use an Epson V500. Prior to that, I was using a Microtek which is around $200 and the results from it were pretty good (for my standard la ... hehe).

 

[xylestesins]

Were the scans for 35mm/B&W better than that of the v500's?
If so, by roughly how much? xD

Your standards is good already leh. Haha i love your site. And of course, your mods.

 

[myopia]

Wah microtek...hard to find already...somemore $200 range...where to buy? haha!

 

[myopia]

I read reviews on the net in comparison between flat beds and the minolta dual scan...the minolta beat the flatbed flat....but that is only for 35mm....thus since i shoot both 35mm and 120mm, I feel that economically it is more wise to invest in flatbed that can handle both type of film...but yet I dont wan to compromise on quality...hence my dilemma. Any one out there using flat bed and very satisfied with results..enuf for blowing up and editing and cropping digitally?

 

[chiif]

having used coolscan IV & canoscan 8800F, my advise is... if you are scanning to post on flickr or on the web, the 8800F is good enough. All you need to do is sharpen your photoshop skill and your pictures should look decently nice. Unless you are doing it for professional jobs, the V700 is kind of extravagant for home use.

With some post processing knowledge, a flatbed scan from 4400F will look just as good as any picture taken with the full frame digital camera on the web.

 

[enivre]

I've printed 3ft prints with scans from my V700, no issues. Some people who have seen the prints are surprised I scanned with a V700. I am however using a mounting station from betterscanning, so that could be one factor.

I've also compared my V700 scans with that of an Imacon. While the Imacon does have an edge in terms of sharpness, the V700 comes really close but at a fraction of the cost.

I do however wish I had an Imacon or a Nikon Coolscan 9000, but money isn't easy to come by these days (or ever for that matter).

If all you want is web res scans, can I also suggest you setup a lightbox with a macro lens on your DSLR and fire away. I do that when I need quick "scans" and I can get decent results from this. It'll save you money and time, not to mention it might even look better than if you scan and don't know how to process the scan properly.

 

[xylestesins]

Suppose i decide to scan only 35mm for now, and my budget is around 300-400, can i get a significant boost in quality for a dedicated scanner at this price compared to a v500's B&W film scan?

 

[powergoo]

Reminds me of the time canon nikon has those 'slides duplicator' for sale.
mayb u can find 1 cheap.....tat is if u can find 1....

 

[agatek]

So far the choices are the usual, like v500, v700, canoscans, but i'm looking for more opinions. More importantly, should i get seperate scanners? My budget is somewhere around the v500's pricing now, but i'm ready to bite the bullet and save up for seperate scanners that can give me better quality, but that's only if they will satisfy me well

Same thing here. Another one is 4490. How do they compare to 8800F?
For the epsons, could you recommend any place where they have a stock and what is roughly the pricing?

 

[singscott]

I strongly sugguest the V700. So far I using my and loving it. In fact it made me shoot finish all my old film stock otherwise they are to be throw away or to be given away to others. With my epson V700 I learning to love film again and scaning for the digital work flow. V700 really give me a solution that cost effective and results comparable better then alot of scaning service out there. But you really need to know how to do it, things like colour management, sharpening and other....... I suggest you do a search on the web

 

[mrfink]

I also strongly recommend the Epson V700 and the betterscanning film holders. If you can possibly push the budget it's great combination. The easy hight adjustment does make a difference.

 

[eosandy]

Need your advice on how u guys normally scan your 120mm negatives or slides besides bringing it to the shops? Are those flatbeds by Canon or Epson any good?

Or should I do prints first then scan them in by the prints....

Also if budget only around $200 what are my options?

Heard somewhere that flatbeds colors and sharpness are really bad compared to used dedicated film scanner, etc. minolta dual scan (35mm)....

I shoot both 35mm AND 120mm film.

Thanks for help ahead....I see so many nice 120mm photos being showcased here....just wonder how everyone deal with resolution and grain..

Definitely cannot afford Imacon yet...haha!

Hi myopia,

I'm using Canon 8800F and it's acceptable for web upload and proofing of negs before printing.

Usually need some PP when scanning if you want to use the scans to print.

Really depends what your intentions are with the digital conversion?

 

[myopia]

Hi myopia,

I'm using Canon 8800F and it's acceptable for web upload and proofing of negs before printing.

Usually need some PP when scanning if you want to use the scans to print.

Really depends what your intentions are with the digital conversion?

Well...mainly to scan into digital format for editing and then for cropping and enlargement to A1 and above sizes....

 

[eosandy]

Well...mainly to scan into digital format for editing and then for cropping and enlargement to A1 and above sizes....

Go for the best you can afford, but I don't think anything around $200 will cut it for A1 size.

 

[plsoong]

Hi Guys,

sorry for possibly making this thread go OT abit.

but where can i get the V700 and the better scanning trays? and roughly how much? in Singapore that is.

I am asking this because I plan to return in June and purchase these unit(s) and lug it back to germany where i can't find crap about scanners. I've shot enuf film to fill my MF sheets but would like to scan some of these.

 

[ronang]

You can get it at http://www.betterscanning.com

Get 2 pieces of the anti newton ring mounting glass with the frame. Prices are listed on the website. This is the only way to flatten your neg/slides on a flatbed. The frame/tray can be adjusted to get the neg into focus with the V700, as it focuses approx 3mm above the glass of the scanner.

 

[enivre]

Well...mainly to scan into digital format for editing and then for cropping and enlargement to A1 and above sizes....

To be honest, you won't get A1 sized scans from a scanner that cost under $200. If you REALLY need it, maybe you can send them to the lab to get them properly scanned.

If $200 is all you can spare, I suggest you just use the lightbox fused to DSLR method I mentioned.

 

[gohaj]

To be honest, you won't get A1 sized scans from a scanner that cost under $200. If you REALLY need it, maybe you can send them to the lab to get them properly scanned.

If $200 is all you can spare, I suggest you just use the lightbox fused to DSLR method I mentioned.

is there a lab in SG that can do proper scan?