Need help scanning medium format film with Epson V750 and Vuescan

[ShooterMcGavin]

Hello all,

First time posting, wasn't sure where I could find help on this subject because I haven't seen anyone having the same problem, hopefully someone knows what I'm doing wrong.

I'm trying to scan some medium format film with an Epson V750 that I got used on eBay, and I'm using the BetterScanning MF adjustable tray with the ANR glass inserts. I have a feeling I'm doing something wrong without realizing it because the scans are coming out very funky. Hopefully its a simple setting I'm overlooking. This is what my preview is looking like...

http://imgur.com/AxfOtQN

And here's a scan...
http://imgur.com/fMURQXW

My settings are...

Mode: Transparency
Media: B/W negative
Bits per pixel: 16 Bit Gray
Make Gray from: Auto

No restore colors
No restore fading
No grain reduction
No sharpening
Color is on Auto Levels

ANR glass is dull side down, although I've tried both ways and also both emulsion side up and down.

At first I noticed a slight fogging underneath the bed glass and did some research and found out its somewhat common and its easy to lift out and clean, so thats what I did, but it didn't seem to help at all.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

[Manfred M]

Welcome to CiC. If you wouldn't mind hitting the "My Profile" button at the top of this page and at least entering your first name and where you are from. that would be great. We tend to be a fairly informal bunch here at CiC and go on a first name basis.

A quick look at the two links provided suggest that you are scanning dirty and damaged negatives. This damage could be the result of improper storage or improper treatment during processing (processing chemicals not washed out). When I look at your negatives and the one positive, the results you are getting seem obvious when I look at the negatives. The damage can be halted by proper washing so that no further damage occurs.

The grit / dust can likely be removed, but the "chemical" damage is permanent.

[ShooterMcGavin]

Thanks Manfred, I've edited my profile.

I developed the film myself with some HC-110 that is arguably a bit old, but it has been giving me results that have been just fine with my 35mm films. The negative doesn't appear dirty or damaged to my eyes, although that is indeed what it looks like on the scan.

I also tried scanning some other medium format film I shot awhile ago that was developed at a lab and has been properly archived and it gave me the same results, although the lab gave me a clean scan of the same film.

I hope I can figure out the issue soon, it's killing me not being able to scan any medium format stuff.

[ShooterMcGavin]

Here is a picture of one of the negs...

http://imgur.com/qkfXzym

Used my laptop screen as a backlight so sorry for the digital artifacts but to me the negs look clean and contrasty enough for a decent scan. The scan shows what looks like color inversion in some areas and I'm just not seeing it on the neg.

For example on the scan, there is not much of a shadow under the brim of the subjects hat and above his eyes where it should be all shadows. The neg shows it should be all dark shadow area, and thats not how its appearing on the scan.

Also in my 'selfie' the letters on my shirt are bright white and show this on the neg being black, however in the preview the whole image looks washed out and there's no contrast...hmmmmm

[Manfred M]

Other than the artifacts from the screen, the negative does look clean.

I can't think of any technical reason that 35mm would scan cleanly and the medium format does not. There is always the risk of Newton's rings when you press a negative against a glass platten in a scanner, but I don't see any signs of that happening.

The images in your initial image looks like they have experienced chemical streaking.

Have you tried scanning this as colour images, rather than B&W?

[skitterbug]

Epson V750 that I got used on eBay

Just curious - are you sure that the scanner is actually doing its job correctly? Have you tried scanning any hard copy photos, etc. to see how they turn out?

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Evan,

My thoughts viewing the two 3 image negative strips were that the camera may have had a light leak, since the darkened areas are consistently in the same place(s).


I also wondered why the copious amounts of dust were sharper than the image detail, this implies to me (with no experience of scanning anything other than paper on a flat bed) that the dust was between the scanner's glass plate and the negative holder's glass and the extra distance to the negative has moved it out of the scanner's Depth of Field range for its optics. Just bear in mind I may be talking rubbish here.

Welcome to CiC forums from me.

Cheers, Dave

[ShooterMcGavin]

Manfred, I should have mentioned that I've been scanning 35mm with a Nikon Coolscan V. I just got the Epson because I bought a Kiev88 recently and had no way to scan the negs. I have not tried scanning in color, that is a good suggestion. Unfortunately I'm away from home working for a couple days but I will try when I get back.

And thanks Sandy that's another great idea, pretty silly of me to not have tested other means of scanning. The thought did cross my mind that perhaps the lens has some sort of smear or debris on it. I'll try scanning something else once I get home.

Hello and thanks Dave, it does indeed look very much like light leaks, but the negatives are clean. And you could be right about that second bit, I'm not sure either.

It's funny for my very first scans where I was dialing in the holder height I was just scanning unshot film that I scratched with a knife so I could easily identify sharp lines. Apparently this same thing was happening to those scans but I didn't even notice anything was wrong because it just looked like a ruined negative to begin with

[Dave Humphries]

Hi again Evan,

Perhaps show us a snap shot* or two of the negative holder and scanner plate when you get back home?
* e.g. taken with a mobile phone

Have you observed 'the workings' scanning across (with lid open)?
Obviously it would spoil that scan, but might show us/you something potentially misaligned inside?

Cheers, Dave

[Manfred M]

Evan - flatbed scanners are dust magnets, so I have no doubts that this is at least part of the issue.

Kiev cameras are notorious for technical issues, including light leaks. If you are showing us images from a new Kiev that has not been serviced by someone knowledgeable, I would look there first. My understanding is that a new Kiev should be looked at as a "kit" that needs where internal working mechanisms need to be filed, sanded, buffed and tuned before it is ready for use.

The negatives look thin and faded. My initial guess was that this was age / storage related, but given the camera you are shooting with, it is likely a camera problem. While there could be scanner issues too, I would eliminate the camera as the cause before going any further.

[HenkB]

You don't mention so it's worth asking: have you removed the backing pad from the lid? My guess is yes. Have you placed the gap in the film holder (right side of the preview) toward the lid hinges? Perhaps not - it should not appear in the preview.

The mottling in the gap of the holder at the right of the preview is suggestive either of no (or failing) light from the lid (If it were to appear, it should show solid black in a reversal - this is where the scanner self calibrates at the beginning of each scan). The underside of the film holder should be white (with a setting of B/W negative), not mottled gray.

I am in the middle of a large scanning project using the same two scanners you mention. In general, Vuescan is my workhorse.

[ShooterMcGavin]

I'll share some pictures once I get back home, Dave. I have not looked inside the scanner while it is scanning, but that's a great idea and might shed some serious light on the situation, thanks.

Yeah I haven't even tried to get rid of the dust yet, as you said it's the last of my problems right now, but I have several cans of air ready to go once I can figure out this first issue.

Also Manfred, I bought a new Kiev88cm that has been adjusted by Hartblei and I believe they have taken care of all the issues you mentioned. This makes me think it's definitely a scanner issue and not a camera one, the negatives might look a little thin because it was my first time metering externally and I probably didn't nail all the exposures. But by looking at the negatives I don't think I should have any issues getting a decent scan.

Hey Hendrik, nice to see someone from Massachusetts, I grew up most of my life in the South Shore. Anyways, I have indeed removed the backing pad from the lid. The gap in the holder was towards the lid hinges, however I did screw up by not placing the holder in the back right corner, I had this one in the bottom right corner. I realized this though and did another scan with the holder in the correct corner but it didn't change the results unfortunately.

Very interesting about the mottling, it didn't even cross my mind that the holder should be white, that's a big red flag in itself right there. I've loved using Vuescan with my CoolScan and have ran a couple hundred rolls through it with no problem so I'm pretty sure this is either a scanner issue or operator issue hehe

Well I'm quite eager to get back home to try and fix this thing...