I currently work with Tmax400 that I develop myself in Tmax developper and then scan the negs in with a Minolta Dimage Elite scanner. Printing is done on a HP880c which will be replaced by an Epson 1290 printer.

My question is what is the best film in your opinion to use if scanning is the prime objective. Would the new C41 type b/w films render better results then traditional b/w film?

Please advise Bas

-- Bas Wip (bas@baswip.com), September 28, 2001

Answers

One consideration is if you are using a scanner with an IR channel for dust removal. In that case, the C41 films are the clear winners, as the IR channel can't be used with silver films, but can be used with the dye-based C41 films.

From what I've seen, the look of the C41 films is different than silver films, both in terms of grain structure and tonality - which is "better" is a matter of taste. The C41 films to have pretty remarkable latitiude, though - this is probably easier to exploit with a scanner, and certainly gives you more information (highlight and shadow detail) to work with.

The downside of using chromogenic films, though is their relative lack of stability compared to silver films. They'll last only as long as a regular colour neg, so if archival issues are important to you, stick with silver.

-- Paul Chefurka (paul_chefurka@pmc-sierra.com), September 28, 2001.

I prefer XP2 scanned on my Dual scan to T400CN. T100 scans well for me as well, although the point about using a C-41 film makes sense if you have an Ice capable scanner.

My main film is Supra 100, as Vuescan has a profile for this which is pretty good. I used Superia 100 before, but the greens and blues got lost in the Vuescan generic profile. On my low end scanner, color neg film converted to B&W offers image quality just as good as T400CN, with the advantage of color filtering a little after the event to adjust the look.

-- Mark Wrathall (wrathall@aon.at), September 28, 2001.

I have been using C41 b/w films mostly out of lazyness, and I found that I get far less grain out of TMAX 400cn than the Illford XP2 when scanning, especially when underexposed. Not sure if this is a result of my scanner or the films themselves though. Both of the C41 films seem to scan better than silver based films though. I am using a Acer Scanwit, so this could affect the outcome. I have started trying color negative films then converting to b/w, but have not yet found an acceptable one. Anyone else doing this and have a good suggestion? The flexibility is great, with color filtering available within photoshop before desaturating.

Nick

-- Nick (shredder@daemonworks.com), September 28, 2001.

Try Fuji Press 800 - inexpensive pro-quality colour C41 film with amazingly fine grain and good tolerance for over exposure.

Then if you find you must create a B&W image, then in PShop use the "Channel Mixer" command (under the image / adjust menu) to render a monochrome image with 40% R, 40% G and 20% B - this will give results pretty close to B&W film exposed through a standard yellow filter.

-- Andrew Nemeth (azn@nemeng.com), September 28, 2001.

I can't comment on B&W films, but I can definitely say that my best scan results with color slides seems to come from Kodak E100SW. Past experience with Velvia and Kodachrome have been discouraging. Of course, this could be because the pro lab that is doing my scanning doesn't have their equipment properly calibrated for these films--I don't know. I have read in other places that Velvia is not a good choice for scanning, though...

-- Buzz Andersen (buzz@scifihifi.com), September 29, 2001.

I've been scanning film for 7 years now. What I've found works best for me is 'traditional' B&W films (not Delta/Tmax, not C-41) slightly underexposed and processed normally. There is not a huge difference - I've just found I get better results more easily working this way.

My scanner (Nikon LS-1000) tends to really like the highlights to be down on the straight part of the film curve or they won't separate well, and it will pick up very low-density details in the shadows that would be lost in most silver prints (esp. RC papers).

My experience with the C-41-based B&W films (mostly XP2) is that they scan fairly well, but that they get a lot of grain/noise in the deepest shadows - the reverse of silver films, where the grain is most visible in the highlights. My impression is also that they have decent highlight separation, but are somewhat flatter in the mid-tones.

The biggest headache with the C-41 B&W films, for me, is processing. I can do silver film at 3 in the morning or on a weekend in my bathroom if I want, whereas with the C-41 films I have to take it to a lab or deal with the temperature-critical, expensive, and short-shelf-life chemicals myself.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), September 29, 2001.