35mm's Snapshots
- Thread starter 35mm
- 1,929 comments
- 131,379 views
- 5,080
- Panama City, FL
I was just coming to ask how you got your film digitized. I've been shooting Velvia slide film (50 and 100F,) which is incredible when projected, but very difficult to get digitized satisfactorily. To me, anyway. The only time I asked for a CD from the processor I got frames that were literally VGA resolution!!!! 640x480 and cropped, since film is 3:2.
I have a Nikon LS-2000 (about 300 bucks a few years ago, SCSI interface) and Vuescan software, with which I can scan negs or slides to JPG, TIFF, or DNG, or I can scan from the Import menu in Photoshop. It seems, though, that once you try to digitize the film, you encounter all the same issues you have with digital in the first place, primarily a low dynamic range - featureless blacks and blown whites. My images seem to come out softer than the slide, too. Also, my scanner is 2700 dpi, which sound like a lot, but it only results in about 6MP per frame, which doesn't leave a lot of resolution for cropping when you're used to the 16MP from the digital SLR you carry around. Something in the 4000dpi range seems to be well out of my price range for the foreseeable future.
Lastly, it's hard enough to match colors between cameras, screens, and printers, now you want to add color accuracy in film scanning???? It's enough to make you scream!!!!!! I might spend a half-hour per frame on the images I want to digitize just in the scanning process, before I even load them into Photoshop for anything else! If you're getting good hi-res images on your CDs, you may feel like you're giving up some control, but the images you're posting look phenomenal, and for a lot less work than you'd be doing with your own scanning. My 2-cents' worth on that!
Lastly, I can't quite make out what lens that is on the D600 in that very narrow-DOF shot. I like the shot, and I like to see someone besides me playing with old glass! I have a 50mm f:1.4 that needs to be AI-converted (I can use it on my F4 with stopped-down aperture-priority metering) and an 85mm f:1.8 that has been converted to AI so it meters correctly, and mounts on my digital as well. Whoever converted the 85 didn't put the aperture scale on the ring, so the periscope on the F4 doesn't see the f-stop setting.
- 7,843
- Leiria
- jpfctf
- jpfctf
First of all, I have very little experience with scanning film, but it's enough to have an idea that it's a painful process.
(I tried only with a very cheap and small scanner which gave me terrible DR and color reprodution.)
Now I must say I didn't expect to hear such a thing from a Nikon Coolscan. I thought these were supposed to be the top game of scanners - and that's what the price suggests!
It is not the first time that I hear someone saying that "my" scans are good scans. It is true that they look nice (I do little to no post-processing to these) and the resolution is equivalent to around 7.5MP. But 10€ a pop...!? Can you imagine? I'll go bankrupt if I want to start shooting film more often.
(By the way, the EXIF on these scans shows "FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD. - SLP1000SE", in case you're interested.)
All things considered, I'm now thinking about doing this work with my D600. Have you heard about this technique?
I see lots of people scanning their film with their dSLR's. With great results, too.
Here's a couple of links for you:
http://petapixel.com/2012/05/18/how-to-scan-film-negatives-with-a-dslr/
http://petapixel.com/2012/12/23/why...our-film-using-a-camera-instead-of-a-scanner/
(I may have to buy a macro lens, but with the money I spend on film developing/scanning, it might be worth. Just need to get a set-up working and try this on film that I already have developed.)
About the lens on the D600, it's the Nikkor AI 55mm f/1.2.
I'm using the following right now:
AI 20mm f/3.5
AI 35mm f/1.4
AI 55mm f/1.2
AI 135mm f/2.8
And I just love to go out and be able to use these lovely lenses either on my D600 or my FE2. I've never been so happy with my set-up as of now.
(Just trying to switch my AI 135mm f/2.8 for a AI/AIS 135mm f/2, that's all
)
(I tried only with a very cheap and small scanner which gave me terrible DR and color reprodution.)
Now I must say I didn't expect to hear such a thing from a Nikon Coolscan. I thought these were supposed to be the top game of scanners - and that's what the price suggests!
It is not the first time that I hear someone saying that "my" scans are good scans. It is true that they look nice (I do little to no post-processing to these) and the resolution is equivalent to around 7.5MP. But 10€ a pop...!? Can you imagine? I'll go bankrupt if I want to start shooting film more often.
(By the way, the EXIF on these scans shows "FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD. - SLP1000SE", in case you're interested.)
All things considered, I'm now thinking about doing this work with my D600. Have you heard about this technique?
I see lots of people scanning their film with their dSLR's. With great results, too.
Here's a couple of links for you:
http://petapixel.com/2012/05/18/how-to-scan-film-negatives-with-a-dslr/
http://petapixel.com/2012/12/23/why...our-film-using-a-camera-instead-of-a-scanner/
(I may have to buy a macro lens, but with the money I spend on film developing/scanning, it might be worth. Just need to get a set-up working and try this on film that I already have developed.)
About the lens on the D600, it's the Nikkor AI 55mm f/1.2.
I'm using the following right now:
AI 20mm f/3.5
AI 35mm f/1.4
AI 55mm f/1.2
AI 135mm f/2.8
And I just love to go out and be able to use these lovely lenses either on my D600 or my FE2. I've never been so happy with my set-up as of now.
(Just trying to switch my AI 135mm f/2.8 for a AI/AIS 135mm f/2, that's all
)
- 5,080
- Panama City, FL
My biggest issue with my Coolscan seems to be color management. Do I do that in the scan or later in Photoshop? Even scanning directly to DNG (RAW) I seem to do better getting white balance and levels done during the scan, with maybe just a tweak in PS.
I'm going to check out those links, thanks.
I'm going to check out those links, thanks.
- 7,843
- Leiria
- jpfctf
- jpfctf
^^ Good question...
Another big question on scanning film (for me) is how to get rid of the film's natural color (orange/brown/ambar)...
I'm guessing dedicated scanners already deal with that problem but using a dSLR, that could prove to be a big problem.
I may buy some cheap extension tubes and try to do it properly some day.
Another big question on scanning film (for me) is how to get rid of the film's natural color (orange/brown/ambar)...
I'm guessing dedicated scanners already deal with that problem but using a dSLR, that could prove to be a big problem.
I may buy some cheap extension tubes and try to do it properly some day.
- 5,080
- Panama City, FL
Yes, the scanner can profile the film. Not only whether it's negative or slide, but there are even specific film profiles in my software, i.e. 40-eleven types of Kodacolor, several types of Ektachrome, etc. Each works just a little bit of a different color profile.
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- 7,843
- Leiria
- jpfctf
- jpfctf
I see. But I'd like to know the secret behind it. It must be a mix of controlling the RGB channels individually, split toning and WB. We'll see... I've bought some cheap extension tubes yesterday off eBay. I'll give everything a serious try in a month or so.
Nikon FE2
Nikkor AI 55mm f/1.2
Fujifilm Superia 100
Nikon FE2
Nikkor AI 55mm f/1.2
Fujifilm Superia 100
- 6,131
- London
- SomaEightyFour
- MrVerloc
Re: film base colour - use benneh.net's Vuescan scanning guide, you basically select a blank area (the leader/in between frames is a good area) and use Vuescan to lock the film base colour from that. If course, that won't really work if you're using a DSLR to scan though.
- 350
- Getting There
Hopping in for the first time to say that your stuff is utterly amazing. You are obviously very, very talented, especially composition-wise. Keep it up!
Also, you should shoot more film in my opinion, because of all the shots on here, they're always my favorites. It's just the tones and the pleasant grain... oh well I could go on all day long.
Definitely look into that dSLR scanning method as well, it seems very much worth it from what I've seen.
👍
Also, you should shoot more film in my opinion, because of all the shots on here, they're always my favorites. It's just the tones and the pleasant grain... oh well I could go on all day long.
Definitely look into that dSLR scanning method as well, it seems very much worth it from what I've seen. 👍
- 7,843
- Leiria
- jpfctf
- jpfctf
Two things contribute to that, I guess:
- firstly, the bokeh on these older lenses is way more harsh than modern lenses. They are more dramatic and are onion-shaped, whereas a modern lens is normal much more softer/creamier.
- secondly, there is, indeed, a weird combination of grain (from the scanning, I guess) and added sharpness from flickr's resizing that lead to that effect.
Thank for the input. 👍
*bows humbly*Hopping in for the first time to say that your stuff is utterly amazing. You are obviously very, very talented, especially composition-wise. Keep it up!
Also, you should shoot more film in my opinion, because of all the shots on here, they're always my favorites. It's just the tones and the pleasant grain... oh well I could go on all day long.
👍
Thank you, sir.
Answering your second part, with film, ones thinks more before taking a shot. That, added to the film "soul", makes it look more special, I guess.
(also, the digital photos before this film set where from vacations on a foreign country. And in those cases, and for various reasons, I tend to share more "quantity" than "quality".
- 7,843
- Leiria
- jpfctf
- jpfctf
Nikon FE2
Nikkor AI 55mm f/1.2
Kodak ColorPlus 100
Cool background story here:
See that package on the floor? This guy's girlfriend surprised him by arranging a date to meet him at this botanical garden. But she was hiding behind a tree and just left that "package" in the middle of the floor. I happened to be there and watched the whole scene.
I didn't understand what she was doing at first. She then looked at me, smiled and made the international "shush, don't tell anyone" sign. I understood, smiled back and stayed out of the way. When he got there, he was completely puzzled and his surprised face was priceless.
She appeared some time afterwards and they hugged and kissed for a long time.
Quite a touching moment.
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