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Mark9473
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/21/05
Posts: 2695
Loc: 51°N 4°E
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I have this very nice Nikon FM2N and a good set of prime lenses. I've been doing some daytime picture-taking recently where I had the lab develop the colour negative film and scan it. Major disappointment! Low resolution scan, colours a bit off (could be the film of course), excessive contrast, etc.
I used to like atro-imaging on a tripod when using slide film. However I really want to get the final image into the digital domain.
So what I would like to know is: is slide scanning a good alternative, or is it best to shoot digital if the final result should be digital?
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Mark
Leica 8x20; Vixen 8x42; Swift 8.5x44, 10x50 and 20x80; TS 7x50; Orion 15x63
WO Megrez II 80 FD + Baader 90° T2 Amici
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tommyhawk13
sage
Reged: 09/28/07
Posts: 492
Loc: Jacksonville, Fl
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I have seen several examples on this forum of scanned slides that are amazing. Search this forum for images by Clownfish, Astrobobo, and Suk Lee, and you'll see what I mean.
Once the image is scanned, isn't it technically digital anyway?
I'm very green at this, but my take on the digital vs film is this:
Film is cheaper, but requires more effort during the initial exposure.
I've also seen stacked images from scanned slides. All of the same post processing is done the same way, through programs like photoshop.
I've submitted a piggyback slide to the forum, and someone was kind enough to process it a little further.
Go ahead and shoot some slides & post them, no matter how they turn out. Kodak E200 and Provia 400F seem to be the best choices.
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Meade Starfinder 8,Meade SN-8 OTA, Orion Atlas, and a handfull of film cameras
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Mopman
sage
Reged: 10/14/06
Posts: 283
Loc: Richland, WA, USA
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Hi Mark, Not all scanned images are equal. The scanned images you are likely to get from your local department store will be very low resolution. If you take a few select shots to a camera store and have them do "high resolution scans", the results should match what you would see from a very good digital camera. Be aware the files will be very large, and the service can be expensive. If you plan to do lots of scans, you may want to buy your own film scanner. Here again, not all scanners are equal; I am trying to figure out which one to buy myself. Hope this helps. Mopman
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ClownFish
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/26/05
Posts: 5600
Loc: Islamabad, Pakistan
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Slide scanning does not equal digital imaging in any way.
They are two different beasts.
However, cheap scanning can ruin any attempt to get a good result from film.
If what you mean is : "Can a properly done hi-res scan compare well with a good digital image?", then my answer is "can be". It depends on the resolution and quality of the final processed digital image. most digital images are stacked, and dark subtracted. Once all that post processing stuff is done, film can compete. But it really depends on the data collected in both setups. A good film image can blow away a cheap CCD camera, or a cheap digital imager can blow away the best film image. It all depends on the subject, effort and experience of the photographer. I've never seen film out do planetary or lunar photography with cheap webcams, but I have seen it easily produce better DSO work.
There just isn't no good way to compare the two mediums in one statement.
CF
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Learn all about POLAR ALIGNMENT with my Drift Method Tutorial and simulator!! Or visit my Foreign Service Blog!
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Mark9473
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/21/05
Posts: 2695
Loc: 51°N 4°E
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Thanks guys! You've given me some things to think about. We'll see where it leads me...
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Mark
Leica 8x20; Vixen 8x42; Swift 8.5x44, 10x50 and 20x80; TS 7x50; Orion 15x63
WO Megrez II 80 FD + Baader 90° T2 Amici
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WadeVC
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 2799
Loc: Lodi, California,
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I agree. The majority of supposed "High Res" scans from department or chain stores is and are quite lacking in the terms: "high quality" "High Res" or anything else. As a matter fo fact, most department stores miss the mark considerably in regards to any sort of high-end quality.
I am fortunate that I own a drum scanner (Heidelberg Tango) for my business, allowing upwards to 11,000 dpi. I realize that not everyone can afford or justify this type of cost for the recreational use of Astrophotography; but many high-end print shops do have this type of equipment and many will indeed scan your images for you.
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Orion XTi10 f/4.7
Orion XTi8 f/5.9
Meade NGC 70mm f/10
Orion UltraView 10x50 Wide-Angle Binoculars
My Sketch Gallery
My Astronomy Blog
A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountain top.
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AstroArlo
sage
Reged: 01/29/06
Posts: 383
Loc: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
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Mark:
I do medium and large format landscape photography here in Jackson Hole, and you can achieve results with film scanned to digital that are extremely difficult (impossible?) to do with a digital camera alone. But the film must be very fine grained and the scanner top notch...a Tango drum scanner mentioned in the previous post is a good example. The other caveat is that you must also be making very large prints to notice a difference.
A majority of the professional landscape photographers capture on film, scan to digital, then print digitally, often on a Lightjet printer which uses lasers to "expose" on photographic paper. But as the other posters mentioned, the key is the quality of the scan.
I suggest you check out a few of the good professional photo labs...to start I'd suggest one called "West Coast Imaging" in California. They have information on their site about scanning issues, etc. that will be informative. I've never sent them astrophotos, but their landscape work is top notch. They often have scan sales where you can get a high quality scan for a "reasonable" price.
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Best Regards, Arlo
Grand Cosmic Observatory, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
CATS/CASS - 20" RCOS Ritchey-Chretien, C14, C8
REFRACTORS - 155mm Astro-Physics Starfire EDF w/4" Focuser, 102mm Televue Genesis, 78mm FS Takahashi
ASTROGRAPHS - 8" Lichtenecker Flat Field Camera, 6" JSO Schmidt Camera
MOUNTS - Paramount ME, Losmandy GM200, Takahashi EM-100
CCD/IMAGING - SBIG STS-4, SBIG STL-11000M
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