Scanning 35mm negatives

[Peter Wijninga]

When you have 35mm negatives scanned to a CD/DVD in a store, what is the dpi you usually demand/require?

Many thanks for your feedback,
Peter

[thegman]

I tend to take whatever they have, and scan any keepers with my own scanner. In the UK, the likes of Genie will do scans at about 3000x2000 pixels for the usual price. The Darkroom however I think are about only 1500px across, but the service is extremely fast.

I think 1500px is fine just for online use, if you want to print even at smallish sizes, like 10x8, you're better off scanning yourself. I think even a cheapish Plustek will blow away 99% of lab scans.

[dmr]

Originally Posted by thegman

I think even a cheapish Plustek will blow away 99% of lab scans.

My experience over the past year or so is that quality of minlab scans has been getting poorer and poorer. My guess is that since film is becoming less and less common, the operators don't have the experience they did only a few years ago and it shows!

Lately, it seems that the labs that use the Fuji Frontier equipment (getting more and more rare) do a better job but sometimes blow out the highlights. I can often do a very presentable 8x10 or 8.5x11 from a Fuji lab scan.

It seems like lately the Noritsu machines have been producing "mushy" scans, and I think they OD on the ICE or whatever scratch/dust/booboo correction they use.

Yes, the 7 year old Minolta DS IV will do a much better job than most lab scans.

[Lauffray]

Originally Posted by thegman

In the UK, the likes of Genie will do scans at about 3000x2000 pixels for the usual price.

What is the usual price ? I'd like to compare to other places, I find the scans at my lab to be expensive

Does Costco scan as well ? Quick cheap web quality scans ?

[thegman]

Dev + Scan is £5.99 + VAT and postage at Genie, this price is about normal for a semi-pro lab, i.e. they're a decent lab which does E6 and 120, stuff like that, but they're probably not a truly pro lab doing 4x5, drum scans etc. The Darkroom is priced similarly, but the scans are lower resolution, however the service is generally a lot faster.

[John Bragg]

I have recently invested in a Plustek 7400 scanner and it is the best investment I ever made in processing equipment. I shoot mono and after a short period of adjustment and familiarisation, I am able to make respectable scans. My better half has just started shooting film and I get her colour films developed at Asda (Walmart) for £2 per roll and scan them for her. Take the plunge and you wont regret it. There are also plenty of folks on this forum who will gladly point you in the right direction.