|
Paul Romero
professor emeritus
Reged: 04/05/05
Posts: 556
Loc: Reno, NV
|
|
Hi,
I had assumed that I could scan DSO shots and then process them in photoshop, however, after viewing scans of my terrestrial film shots, I am of the view that the ability of professional film developers being able to produce high quality scans of the negatives is poor. Can anyone help me with this issue, or do film astroP folks not process their film in PS?
thx,
Paul
--------------------
Nexstar 11 GPS
8'x10' backyard 'skyshed'
and presenting...."Sweet Pudding", my AM 110mm FLT on 'Max', a MI-250 mount.
travel: BORG 45EDII on an Astrotrac.
"Pablito Clavo un Clavito en la Calva de un Calvito"--by Jose A.
|
ClownFish
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/26/05
Posts: 5600
Loc: Islamabad, Pakistan
|
|
I always process in Photoshop. I have two scanners, a Minolta Dimage ][ dedicated slide scanner that scans at 56,000 dpi and a Canon 4400F flatbed that scans negatives at 4400 dpi. Both doa really good job at scanning.
I have found only one commercial place that scanned my negatives/slides well - they were a mom&pop business in Albuuerque, NM. All my attempts at using a regular store type business (aka Walmart) were poor.
CF
PS: My 4400F scanner cost less than $90. A great value.
--------------------
Learn all about POLAR ALIGNMENT with my Drift Method Tutorial and simulator!! Or visit my Foreign Service Blog!
|
Paul Romero
professor emeritus
Reged: 04/05/05
Posts: 556
Loc: Reno, NV
|
|
Clownfish,
Thanks for touching base. I will look that Canon or Minolta unit up. Do you recommend the Canon, or is it just less expensive.
Cya,
Paul
--------------------
Nexstar 11 GPS
8'x10' backyard 'skyshed'
and presenting...."Sweet Pudding", my AM 110mm FLT on 'Max', a MI-250 mount.
travel: BORG 45EDII on an Astrotrac.
"Pablito Clavo un Clavito en la Calva de un Calvito"--by Jose A.
|
ClownFish
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/26/05
Posts: 5600
Loc: Islamabad, Pakistan
|
|
I LOVE the Minolta, but it costs about $500 on eBay. If You can get under $400 you're doing well. It's very fast and very good! Just costs a lot!
CF
--------------------
Learn all about POLAR ALIGNMENT with my Drift Method Tutorial and simulator!! Or visit my Foreign Service Blog!
|
Paul Romero
professor emeritus
Reged: 04/05/05
Posts: 556
Loc: Reno, NV
|
|
EDIT: hehe, it seems this product has been discountinued per Kodak.
CF,
While looking up the scanners, I came across a review, and it mentioned the KODAK PhotoCD has equally good scan quality. As I already have a HP Photosmart C6180 all in one taking up space on the desk, maybe that would be my best bet.
cya,
Paul
--------------------
Nexstar 11 GPS
8'x10' backyard 'skyshed'
and presenting...."Sweet Pudding", my AM 110mm FLT on 'Max', a MI-250 mount.
travel: BORG 45EDII on an Astrotrac.
"Pablito Clavo un Clavito en la Calva de un Calvito"--by Jose A.
Edited by Paul Romero (04/11/08 01:33 AM)
|
ClownFish
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/26/05
Posts: 5600
Loc: Islamabad, Pakistan
|
|
Give it a try. I set my Canon flat-bed to produce 8x12 images at 600 dpi. That's a full slide with lots of detail to enlarge if wanted. Then I scale it back down to 300 DPI for my prints and down to 72 DPI for posting on-line.
CF
--------------------
Learn all about POLAR ALIGNMENT with my Drift Method Tutorial and simulator!! Or visit my Foreign Service Blog!
|
Paul Romero
professor emeritus
Reged: 04/05/05
Posts: 556
Loc: Reno, NV
|
|
Hi again,
Today, I went to the local outfit that processes my film. I failed to ask for a higher quality scan, so they gave me the base scan (and price of $5). They told me they can scan better ($10) and best (TIFFs for $14/roll). Now I know, and hope to put them to the test soon.
Cya,
Paul
--------------------
Nexstar 11 GPS
8'x10' backyard 'skyshed'
and presenting...."Sweet Pudding", my AM 110mm FLT on 'Max', a MI-250 mount.
travel: BORG 45EDII on an Astrotrac.
"Pablito Clavo un Clavito en la Calva de un Calvito"--by Jose A.
|
Nightfly
super member
Reged: 06/20/07
Posts: 199
Loc: Sullivan, Maine
|
|
Buy a scanner. You'll have more control of the scan. Leaving that to someone with no idea about the image, even with the best scanner in the world may not be better than a cheap scanner in more qualified (your) hands. I bought an Epson 4490 a few years ago for about $200. It does a remarkable job. Of course even the modest cost is justified as I had almost twenty five years of slides and negs to play with.
Good luck.
--------------------
Jim Cormier
Sullivan, Maine, USA
www.nightfly.zoomshare.com
Pentax 67 with 55, 105, 165, and 300mm lenses
|
raydar
professor emeritus
Reged: 06/06/04
Posts: 679
Loc: Perth Western Australia
|
|
I tried all the pro photolabs where I live. All their expensive scanners, mostly Imacon could not scan astro photos. In a nutshell, Imacon scanners are terrible for noise free images.
When they would scan my images, the scans would look good, until I stretched the histogram in photoshop, then AC hum lines, and noise would become visible. Using the same negs or slides, I bought a Nikon Coolscan for $1000, and my scans have been perfect. These high end scanners cannot scan dark negs or slides. I also enjoyed having 100% control over what I was doing with my own scanner. Dedicated slide scanners are worth the investment.
Ray
--------------------
My Astronomy Site
My Astrophotography Website
Cosmotography Clip
Takahashi Epsilon 160
Losmandy G-11
SBIG ST4
Meade8"SCT/LX-50-Milburn Wedge
NikonF2,Olympus OM1,PentaxSPII,
Western Australia
|
Paul Romero
professor emeritus
Reged: 04/05/05
Posts: 556
Loc: Reno, NV
|
|
Hi,
I have some of the "high end" scans back from the processor. Can someone offer me an opinion of the scan, if I send them one in an email? Please PM me.
thanks alot!
Paul
--------------------
Nexstar 11 GPS
8'x10' backyard 'skyshed'
and presenting...."Sweet Pudding", my AM 110mm FLT on 'Max', a MI-250 mount.
travel: BORG 45EDII on an Astrotrac.
"Pablito Clavo un Clavito en la Calva de un Calvito"--by Jose A.
|
AstroBobo
sage
Reged: 07/04/07
Posts: 395
Loc: Zagreb, Croatia
|
|
The high-end scanners can do great astrophoto scans. The problem is in the people in the lab that make the scan. They have probably never been in touch with astrophotos before, so the scans turn out badly because they use settings for daytime photography.
When trying to get good astrophoto scans it's important that you ask for a 16-bit tiff - so you can stretch the image in PS without degrading it. Also, if possible, ask for a multi-pass scan to minimize the noise from scanner's CCD. And try to ask them not to clip the scan in darks and highlights. This is very important, otherwise you will loose information where it counts most in astrophotos.
And don't hesitate to go back to the lab and tell them the scan was not done correctly. If they are professionals, they will know what you are talking about and I'm sure they'll do their best to get it right.
--------------------
Boris Stromar : AD Infinitum member : Zagreb, Croatia, Europe
P75SDHF : P105SDP : MN71 : CGE : STL-11000
http://www.astrobobo.net
|
|
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
