B&W neg scanning question

This autumn, I’m planning on going to Japan on an assignment. I’ll be required to stay there for four months in order to digitize a suitcase-worth of digital negs dating back to 1930s. And I have some questions.
Thanks to a donation, I’ll be able to purchase a lap-top, a negative scanner and media of my choosing in order to scan, store and bring the images home.
What should I be looking for? Do I need a lot of horse-power in the lap-top? Do I need a callibrated screen (since I’ll only be scanning, and not processing the images)?

What type of storage? DVD-RW? USB HDDs? Since I’ll be traveling by plane, I’m thinking maybe HDDs are not such a safe option, but we’re talking a LOT of data…

I’m not sure how I’ll crop/print the images. The files will be scanned at maximum optical resolution of the scanner, and I suppose they’ll be saved in a lossless format because the films might be slightly damaged by now (survived WWII), so I want to have a good starting point for restoration work.

What negative scanner should I get? I’m thinking something compact, certainly a 35mm film scanner.

Also, any resources on film scanning? Especially B&W.
I’ll be leaving in September, but I want to be as prepared as possible by that time. TIA for any info!

In article <ccj9u8$lar$ says…

This autumn, I’m planning on going to Japan on an assignment. I’ll be required to stay there for four months in order to digitize a suitcase-worth
of digital negs dating back to 1930s. And I have some questions.
Thanks to a donation, I’ll be able to purchase a lap-top, a negative scanner
and media of my choosing in order to scan, store and bring the images home.

What should I be looking for? Do I need a lot of horse-power in the lap-top?
Do I need a callibrated screen (since I’ll only be scanning, and not processing the images)?

What type of storage? DVD-RW? USB HDDs? Since I’ll be traveling by plane, I’m thinking maybe HDDs are not such a safe option, but we’re talking a LOT
of data…

I’m not sure how I’ll crop/print the images. The files will be scanned at maximum optical resolution of the scanner, and I suppose they’ll be saved in
a lossless format because the films might be slightly damaged by now (survived WWII), so I want to have a good starting point for restoration work.

What negative scanner should I get? I’m thinking something compact, certainly a 35mm film scanner.

Also, any resources on film scanning? Especially B&W.
I’ll be leaving in September, but I want to be as prepared as possible by that time. TIA for any info!

You don’t say way format film you want to scan.
You might repost the question in comp.periphs.scanners as well. You also will have to be sure that whatever you buy works with Japanese electrical system (100 Volts – 60 cycles).

—
Robert D Feinman
Landscapes, Cityscapes and Panoramic Photographs
http://robertdfeinman.com
mail:

Sorry, sorry. 35mm is the format.

I’ll be getting my equipment in Japan, so there’s no problem with voltage (110V). Besides, I’ve been there many times so I drag around a transformer whenever I go there.

On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 15:24:41 +0200, "Branko Vukelic" wrote:

Sorry, sorry. 35mm is the format.

I’ll be getting my equipment in Japan, so there’s no problem with voltage (110V). Besides, I’ve been there many times so I drag around a transformer whenever I go there.

OK, well the scanner doesn’t need to be one with ICE because you can’t use ICE on B&W. Unless a fair proportion are in colour, just buy something like the latest Minolta Scan Plus.

Don’t worry about the screen on the laptop. All you’re doing is using it to process and store. So, make sure you get the biggest hard disk you can.

Getting a DVD drive with a laptop is harder, but there are some coming out now. Personally, I’d use DVD simply because I wouldn’t be confident of the survivability of external HDDs given the good kicking items usually get from airport staff, and CD is way too small.
—

Hecate

veni, vidi, reliqui

On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 15:24:41 +0200, "Branko Vukelic" wrote:

Sorry, sorry. 35mm is the format.

I’ll be getting my equipment in Japan, so there’s no problem with voltage (110V). Besides, I’ve been there many times so I drag around a transformer whenever I go there.

OK, well the scanner doesn’t need to be one with ICE because you can’t use ICE on B&W. Unless a fair proportion are in colour, just buy something like the latest Minolta Scan Plus.

Don’t worry about the screen on the laptop. All you’re doing is using it to process and store. So, make sure you get the biggest hard disk you can.

Getting a DVD drive with a laptop is harder, but there are some coming out now. Personally, I’d use DVD simply because I wouldn’t be confident of the survivability of external HDDs given the good kicking items usually get from airport staff, and CD is way too small.
—

Hecate

veni, vidi, reliqui

In article ,

says…

On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 15:24:41 +0200, "Branko Vukelic" wrote:

Sorry, sorry. 35mm is the format.

I’ll be getting my equipment in Japan, so there’s no problem with voltage (110V). Besides, I’ve been there many times so I drag around a transformer
whenever I go there.

OK, well the scanner doesn’t need to be one with ICE because you can’t use ICE on B&W. Unless a fair proportion are in colour, just buy something like the latest Minolta Scan Plus.

Don’t worry about the screen on the laptop. All you’re doing is using it to process and store. So, make sure you get the biggest hard disk you can.

Getting a DVD drive with a laptop is harder, but there are some coming out now. Personally, I’d use DVD simply because I wouldn’t be confident of the survivability of external HDDs given the good kicking items usually get from airport staff, and CD is way too small.
—

Hecate

veni, vidi, reliqui

Toshiba is offering several CD-DVD read/write combo drives in their Satellite
laptops. I’m sure that others are about to make this a normal inclusion. USB
is an alternative, though possibly with higher battery drain (I’ve go NO data
to support that thought), than a built-in.

Hunt

In article ,

says…

On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 15:24:41 +0200, "Branko Vukelic" wrote:

Sorry, sorry. 35mm is the format.

I’ll be getting my equipment in Japan, so there’s no problem with voltage (110V). Besides, I’ve been there many times so I drag around a transformer
whenever I go there.

OK, well the scanner doesn’t need to be one with ICE because you can’t use ICE on B&W. Unless a fair proportion are in colour, just buy something like the latest Minolta Scan Plus.

Don’t worry about the screen on the laptop. All you’re doing is using it to process and store. So, make sure you get the biggest hard disk you can.

Getting a DVD drive with a laptop is harder, but there are some coming out now. Personally, I’d use DVD simply because I wouldn’t be confident of the survivability of external HDDs given the good kicking items usually get from airport staff, and CD is way too small.
—

Hecate

veni, vidi, reliqui

Toshiba is offering several CD-DVD read/write combo drives in their Satellite
laptops. I’m sure that others are about to make this a normal inclusion. USB
is an alternative, though possibly with higher battery drain (I’ve go NO data
to support that thought), than a built-in.

Hunt

The only thing available in Japan from Minolta in the way of 35mm scanners is Dimage ScanElite 5400 (a 5400 dpi scanner). There’s also a Dimage Scan Dual III 35mm/APS combo scanner that works with 2820 dpi at half the price of the former.

How significant is the difference in resolution between the two? Can 2820dpi be considered a decent resolution?

The only thing available in Japan from Minolta in the way of 35mm scanners is Dimage ScanElite 5400 (a 5400 dpi scanner). There’s also a Dimage Scan Dual III 35mm/APS combo scanner that works with 2820 dpi at half the price of the former.

How significant is the difference in resolution between the two? Can 2820dpi be considered a decent resolution?

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 09:48:02 +0200, "Branko Vukelic" wrote:

The only thing available in Japan from Minolta in the way of 35mm scanners is Dimage ScanElite 5400 (a 5400 dpi scanner). There’s also a Dimage Scan Dual III 35mm/APS combo scanner that works with 2820 dpi at half the price of the former.

How significant is the difference in resolution between the two? Can 2820dpi
be considered a decent resolution?

What Robert said. I use a 5400 and personally wouldn’t have anything less now because of the flexibility (though I did consider the Nikon LS50 which is OK too).

It really depends as well as size and output, on how good the originals actually are – the worse the are, the more you want to consider the higher res scanner because you’ll want to pull every last detail out of what you have.

—

Hecate

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