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Photo Forum / General Photo Topics / General Topics / June 2008Negative scanner?
I have found many 100 year old negatives of my home town and would like to develope the photos. Iam told they are "photographer negatives" and they are very large ( about 8x10 ). Is there a scanner I could purchase to enable me to print out the photos? Thanks Mark >I have found many 100 year old negatives of my home town and would like to >develope the photos. Iam told they are "photographer negatives" and they >are very large ( about 8x10 ). Is there a scanner I could purchase to >enable me to print out the photos? > > Thanks Mark Why not just take them into the darkroom and contact print them? Many exxcellent photograph have been made without the aid of a computer or scanner. Darkroom technology is mature, alive, and doing pretty well. >>I have found many 100 year old negatives of my home town and would >>like to develope the photos. Iam told they are "photographer [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > computer or scanner. Darkroom technology is mature, alive, and doing > pretty well. Are you serious? Darkroom technology is expensive, time consuming, uses up a lot of resources, requires a darkroom, special lighting and equipment and is dying out fast. Almost any flatbed scanner that also provides software that enables reversing the image would work. It would produce dry, finished images in minutes without a darkroom or the use of water. Let me just say that I am not a photographer Iam an old Bodyman for a Ford Dealership, so darkroom developing is not an option. Just thought the scanner option if cost effective would enable me to print them myself. Thanks Mark >>>I have found many 100 year old negatives of my home town and would like >>>to develope the photos. Iam told they are "photographer negatives" and [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > reversing the image would work. It would produce dry, finished images in > minutes without a darkroom or the use of water. >>>I have found many 100 year old negatives of my home town and would like >>>to develope the photos. Iam told they are "photographer negatives" and [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > reversing the image would work. It would produce dry, finished images in > minutes without a darkroom or the use of water. Wrong, pretty much all around. Equipment for contact printing consists of a piece of glass from the local hardware store, two or three tray-like containers from the housewares section of WalMart. The time required for each print may be 3-5 minutes, with a half hour when all the negs have been printed for washing and drying. As for resources, the two chemicals required neutralize each other when they are dumped down the drain and the water required is about the same as a family size load of laundry for a couple dozen 8x10's. A darkroom? No, a room that can be darkened, nearly. Special lighting could be a red Christmas bulb or no light at all (I usually work in a Dark darkroom). The scanned negatives will not have the gradual subtle tonality of an optical (or contact) print. Depending on how you print them, they will not have the life of a properly processed B&W print, rated at 200+ years. Darkroom tachnology is not expensive, not time consumung, does not use up a lot of resource, and last but not least, is not dying out fast! Try it out before you put it down. After researching your dark room idea and talking to a friend who used to do photography I think I will give the dark room a shot. I guess I thought it was much more complicated than it is. Also I think I will enjoy the process and the photos more having learned something new and created them myself. Report will follow after my attempts in a week or two. Thanks again Mark >>>>I have found many 100 year old negatives of my home town and would like >>>>to develope the photos. Iam told they are "photographer negatives" and [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > a lot of resource, and last but not least, is not dying out fast! Try it > out before you put it down. > After researching your dark room idea and talking to a friend who used to > do photography I think I will give the dark room a shot. I guess I thought [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Thanks again Mark Good for you! If you have darkroom questions, you may email me at the address below. The darkroom prints will be better quality and last longer. The cost of a darkroom print compares favorably (or better than) an inkjet print on quality paper (paper similar in appearence and feel to photographic paper). (To those who want to debate the long-life of photographs compared to inkjet prints, my response is we can compare your 150 year old inkjet prints to my 150 year old photographs. Oh wait, you don't have any 150 year old inkjet prints?)  SignatureKen Hart kwhart1@verizon.net > I have found many 100 year old negatives of my home town and would like > to develope the photos. Iam told they are "photographer negatives" and > they are very large ( about 8x10 ). Is there a scanner I could purchase > to enable me to print out the photos? > > Thanks Mark I believe so. Last time I checked 8x10 slide/negative scanners were quite a bit more expensive than 35mm or medium format. I've used an Epson 4490 which does medium format. I'd suggest you check their web site and see if they have any refurb units for sale which are capable of full page. > I have found many 100 year old negatives of my home town and would like to > develope the photos. Iam told they are "photographer negatives" and they are > very large ( about 8x10 ). Is there a scanner I could purchase to enable me > to print out the photos? > > Thanks Mark I have an old Epson that will do up to 4x5, but I suspect one that will do 8x10 will be expen$ive. Might be easier to put them on a light box and photograph them. Reverse the image in your photo editing software >> I have found many 100 year old negatives of my home town and would >> like to develope the photos. Iam told they are "photographer [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Might be easier to put them on a light box and photograph them. > Reverse the image in your photo editing software You don't need a negative scanner. The least expensive flatbed scanners take at least 8 1/2 x 11 inch negatives or prints- then reverse image using the software. >>> I have found many 100 year old negatives of my home town and would like >>> to develope the photos. Iam told they are "photographer negatives" and [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > take at least 8 1/2 x 11 inch negatives or prints- then reverse image > using the software. How would you arrange a backlight and disable the scanners internal light? If you've ever tried scanning a negative with a normal flatbed scanner you'll know the results are next to useless otherwise. >>> I have found many 100 year old negatives of my home town and would >>> like to develope the photos. Iam told they are "photographer [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > scanners take at least 8 1/2 x 11 inch negatives or prints- then > reverse image using the software. Or you could by some photographic paper, a bare 20w light bulb, a tray for developer, another one for stop, one more for fixer, go into a darkened room with a safelight, put the negative onto the paper, cover up some of the paper with black card, switch the light on for a second, reveal a bit more of the paper, expose for 2 seconds, reveal a bit more paper and expose for 4 seconds (etc.), take the paper to the developer and follow the timing instructions that came with the chemicals until you see a magical image appear before your very eyes, when it's fully developed put it into the stop bathe for a short time, then into the fixer for the required time, rinse of the chemicals in the bath, hang up to dry and be amazed a what amazing quality you can get from an 8x10 neg. That is what Edward Weston used to do and he was quite good. > I have found many 100 year old negatives of my home town and would like > to develope the photos. Iam told they are "photographer negatives" and > they are very large ( about 8x10 ). Is there a scanner I could purchase > to enable me to print out the photos? > > Thanks Mark See - e.g. Epson V700 photo - 8x10 transparency adapter. |
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