Medium and Large format scanning

Large format scanners are expensive and probably an over indulgence for the average hobbyist photographer. So is a flatbed scanner with film a transparency lid a workable option? Lets take a look.

The Epson 4990 comes complete with two film holders; a 120 strip holder and a 5x4 sheet film holder, there is also a Film Area Guide, this will accommodate large sheets of film - up to 10x8. The 120 film holder can hold three strips of film, and has three apertures of 6 x 12cm, this means you can scan 2 - 6x4.5, 2 - 6x6, 1 - 6x7, 1 - 6x9 or 1 - 6x12 frames per aperture. The film is held securely whilst still allowing the entire frame to be scanned (no cropping into the image area).

The first problem is with 6x6 format in thumbnail view. I should have six images, Epson Scan thinks otherwise and has produced 9 images. Previewing in Normal mode solves the problem by letting you make your own crop choice.

6x6 scans in Thumbnail view	Not the crop I would choose
Six frames of 6x6 in Normal mode	Entire film area is visible

Sharpness on the scan is superb, but only after USM using FocalBlade 1.03 has been applied

Detail no USM	With USM
Detail no USM (middle frame in contact sheet)	With USM

The above image was scanned at 2400dpi and produced a 31.26mb greyscale image in 1 minute 28 seconds. I have printed this out on my Epson 2100 printer and it looks every bit as good as a conventional darkroom print. Don't be put off by the soft focus prior to USM being applied, just accept that this an essential step in any digital workflow. I have been using FocalBlade for this task, it is a superb plug in that will enhance your digital pictures.

One of the big advantages with large format films is that you can crop in on the image and still retain detail. Looking at the RAW image below you wouldn't think there was much detail, but after USM has been applied you can see how much can be extracted. The image was scanned in at 2400dpi and took 1 minute 41 seconds, resizing the image to 240dpi (not resampling) would produce a 24 x 24 inch print.

Full frame scan at 2400dpi	Tidy up crop
Branches on left no USM	With USM

I also scanned this picture using Digital ICE and the scan time increased from 1 minute 41 seconds to 17 minutes 12 seconds.

Larger formats

The 5x4 film holder holds two sheets, the film is held securely and still allows you to include the rebate in a scan. Using a resolution of 2400dpi would produce a file size of 302mb, this would not be workable on an average computer. However, due to the larger film size, you can drop down a resolution or two, a 1200dpi scan will produce a more manageable file size of 75mb. This took 1 minute 11 seconds to scan.

5x4 film	Detail of jug on right side of image
Top right bed post no USM	Top right bed post with USM

I also used a 5x7 sheet of faded film and tried the Colour Restoration setting, the result is published below.

5x7 film straight scan	5x7 with auto Colour Restoration applied

I haven't got any drum scans here at the moment, but looking at the image quality on both medium and large format scans I wouldn't expect a drum scan to be a major leap ahead in end result quality, perhaps a mega leap forward in price.