Negative scanner

wschwetz · 2007-04-05T10:09:39+00:00

Liebe Leute. ich möchte mir einen Negativscanner zulegen (auch für Dias natürlich). Da ich mich nicht auskenne und auch die Entwicklung so schnell voranschr...

wschwetz

Hi everyone. I’d like to get a film scanner (for slides as well, of course). As I don’t know much about this and the development is advancing so quickly, can anyone recommend a model that isn’t too expensive? I’ve heard that prices have dropped significantly, but after having a look on eBay, I didn’t get that impression. Wilfried

Wolf_XL

Hello Wilfried, When it comes to price, the most important factor is, of course, what quality standards you have for the device and what you intend to use it for... If you just want to print from a negative or slide every now and then, you’ll end up with a different device than if, for example, you want to switch your workflow to a hybrid approach. For the occasional print, flatbed scanners with an integrated transparency unit would certainly suffice. I myself use an Epson Perfection 3170 Photo for this – it allows me to scan material up to 6x9 format.

Claudius

There is an old but excellent scanner that can easily be found on eBay for under €100. It is the Agfa Arcus 1200. This scanner is notable for its large transparency unit, which can even handle 4x5 negatives, and the fact that it scans film/negatives without a glass platen . Here is a fairly detailed description: http://www.photoinfos.com/Scanner/agfaarcus1200.htm Hamrick Vuescan is a decent, up-to-date scanning software for this device, available for both macOS X and Windows. The only drawback: the required SCSI connection. Retrofitting this in desktop PCs is no problem, but with laptops you must use either a USB-SCSI adapter (not without its issues!) or a CardBus-SCSI adapter. For Macs, a FireWire-SCSI adapter would also be an option.

TimoMattern

Hello everyone, I have a Minolta Dimage Scan Elite 5400. It’s a dedicated film scanner, not a flatbed scanner. The quality of the scans is, in my opinion, beyond reproach. Prints up to 30x40 are excellent; I would buy the device again in a heartbeat. As far as I know, it’s no longer available new, but I’ve already found units on eBay for around 250

Claudius

This is certainly a very good solution for 35mm film. However, as soon as medium format or larger formats come into play, a dedicated film scanner becomes very expensive. More affordable flatbed options include the Agfa Arcus 1200, which I mentioned earlier, or the following models that are currently still in production: Canon 9950F, Epson 4990, Epson V700/V750 ... but their prices are also a bit of a shock at first. Then there is the Plustek OpticPro ST64+ for around €200, which was tested in c't 17/2006 with rather mixed results. As seems to be the norm with scanner manufacturers whose names end in -tek, the software supplied is rather poor, and the scan results aren’t exactly renowned either. You can find some test scans here: http://www.heise.de/ct/testbilder/scanner_0617/.

SCKStef

Hello, I have the EPSON mentioned above, which has served me well so far, except for special formats like panoramas or GF. I scan the special formats using a Duoscan; it’s not the fastest, but it can scan anything up to A4. And just to have a look at what’s on the film, or for the web or prints up to A4, it’s enough for me... the second-hand machines are still affordable too (€100–200). The downside is the need for a SCSI interface... Regards, Stähane.

Schwedenstahl

Hello, I’ve bought an Agfa Arcus II. I’m not entirely familiar with digital processing, though. I manage to get quite decent scans, but I have to say I find it easier to enlarge a colour photo. I reckon I’m probably doing something completely wrong. Could someone explain the process to me, or perhaps point me to a useful link online? On the one hand, I’d like to archive my negatives; on the other, I’d like to be able to easily and cheaply select which ones I’ll enlarge later. Regards, Marwan A quick addendum: I use the following formats: 18x24, 24x36, 6x6 Regards, Marwan