Are positives easier to scan than color negs?

sockeyed · 05-31-2005

I've been using a Konica Minolta Dual Scan IV with great success for B&W negs, but am pulling out my hair trying to get color negs to scan well. The colors never seem accurate or match the prints I have done.

My slides, however, seem to turn out quite well.

Is it generally difficult to get a good scan from a color neg? Is it felt that positives scan better?

BTW, I'm using the bundled software, but I've also tried Vuescan with similar disappointing results.

aizan · 05-31-2005

you just need the right software and color profiles. vuescan has them for most color negs.

sf · 05-31-2005

In my experience, scanning E-6 provides lower quality scans than scanning negatives. My black and white comes out really sharp, but my E-6 always looks soft. That is something people will agree on. Read reviews of film scanners.

sockeyed · 05-31-2005

Where can I find Vuescan profiles for different films? My version doesn't seem to have very many, if any, Fuji film profiles.

Gabriel M.A. · 05-31-2005

sockeyed, I have the same problems with the same scanner. Minolta's software is simply mediocre at best when it comes to getting excellent scans.

Try SilverFast's software. I use SilverFast SE, but I should upgrade to Ai because although it scans in 48-bit mode, the target is saved as an 8-bit (24-bit) color file, and no ability to batch scan, which is why I still do "nonkeeper" scans with Minolta's in-the-box software.

Using Minolta's software to scan color negatives is awful. They really shot themselves in the foot there. I get horrible shadow noise where with Vuescan or SilverFast I get nice gradations. Multiple scanning with Minolta's software does nothing to alleviate this problem.

And yes, overall, scanning chromes (positives) is easier and better than color negatives, since there is no orange mask to deal with, and each film manufacturer has its own version, even each emulsion type's mask varies.

DougK · 05-31-2005

Same bad experiences here with scanning color negs although I don't use a dedicated film scanner. My slides scan great.

RML · 05-31-2005

No such problems at all! I've been using my DS3 for a couple of years now and scan only colour negs, with the Minolta software. Admittedly, the scans are a little soft but a little unsharp in PSP will clear that up.

That your scans' colours don't match up with the colour of your prints has more to do with colour calibration of your monitor than with the Minolta software.

RObert Budding · 05-31-2005

I have both Silverfast and Vuescan "Pro" with IT8 calibration. I prefer Silverfast because you can often get a printable image straight from the scanner. And the Silverfast film profiles work really well.

Want to buy a Vuescan license? Let me check to see if it can be transfered. . .

Robert

Roger Hicks · 06-01-2005

Themirana -- not everyone will agree. With my 5400-II I get good results from both but prefer the results from slides. With the Epson flatbed (1680) the slides are always better.

Cheers,

Roger

Goodyear · 06-02-2005

FWIW, with my Epson 4870 I find it much easier to scan trannies than negs...