Prints or slides

I have been using slide film but when I scan the slides I can't get
really good scans.

I usually print my best pics at 8 x 10 but the only scans I have that
look sharp at 8 x 10 are of prints. I was thinking I might have to use
print film to get the sharper images because film scanners are too
expensive for me for the foreseeable future.

I have read of digital cameras being used to digitise slides. Are
there problems with this and how many Mpix would I need to go to to
get sharp 8 x 10 prints?

Thanks
Mike

wrote in message
...
I have been using slide film but when I scan the slides I can't get
really good scans.

I usually print my best pics at 8 x 10 but the only scans I have that
look sharp at 8 x 10 are of prints. I was thinking I might have to use
print film to get the sharper images because film scanners are too
expensive for me for the foreseeable future.

I have read of digital cameras being used to digitise slides. Are
there problems with this and how many Mpix would I need to go to to
get sharp 8 x 10 prints?

Thanks
Mike


I presume that you do not have a film scanner, and are scanning with a
flat-bed scanner. These scanners do not have the same quality results as do
film scanners. Often they are limited to a maximum native resolution of 300
dpi, and their higher settings are merely interpolated.

You really will need a quality film scanner if you want to extract the
information from your slides and negs.

wrote in message
...
I have been using slide film but when I scan the slides I can't get
really good scans.

I usually print my best pics at 8 x 10 but the only scans I have that
look sharp at 8 x 10 are of prints. I was thinking I might have to use
print film to get the sharper images because film scanners are too
expensive for me for the foreseeable future.

I have read of digital cameras being used to digitise slides. Are
there problems with this and how many Mpix would I need to go to to
get sharp 8 x 10 prints?

Thanks
Mike


I presume that you do not have a film scanner, and are scanning with a
flat-bed scanner. These scanners do not have the same quality results as do
film scanners. Often they are limited to a maximum native resolution of 300
dpi, and their higher settings are merely interpolated.

You really will need a quality film scanner if you want to extract the
information from your slides and negs.

My flatbed scanner is an Epson RX510, so will scan at 2400 dpi. I
always use the 2400 and don't go to the interpolated scans. The scans
usually look ok on the monitor, its only when I print at A4 after
cropping that the lack of sharpness is a problem. Scans of prints
printed to the same size and with a similar anount of cropping are
sharper. The difference in sharpness is also obvious in PS Elements at
100% or higher.

The only reason I don't have a film scanner is the cost. It looks like
being a long time before they come down to a price I could afford. I'm
still waiting for good video cameras to come down to my price range.

Thanks
Mike


On Tue, 16 Nov 2004 15:28:05 GMT, "Jeremy"
wrote:


wrote in message
...
I have been using slide film but when I scan the slides I can't get
really good scans.

I usually print my best pics at 8 x 10 but the only scans I have that
look sharp at 8 x 10 are of prints. I was thinking I might have to use
print film to get the sharper images because film scanners are too
expensive for me for the foreseeable future.

I have read of digital cameras being used to digitise slides. Are
there problems with this and how many Mpix would I need to go to to
get sharp 8 x 10 prints?

Thanks
Mike


I presume that you do not have a film scanner, and are scanning with a
flat-bed scanner. These scanners do not have the same quality results as do
film scanners. Often they are limited to a maximum native resolution of 300
dpi, and their higher settings are merely interpolated.

You really will need a quality film scanner if you want to extract the
information from your slides and negs.

wrote in message
...

The only reason I don't have a film scanner is the cost.


I cannot recall ever reading that a flatbed scanner could equal the image
quality produced by a film scanner, when scanning slides or negs.

My own experience with scanning with an HP flatbed scanner certainly
confirms this. I get better results when scanning prints, rather than
slides or negs, and that is not saying much. Prints do not have anything
close to the information contained on the slide or neg.

The use of a flatbed might be a temporary compromise, but you will probably
become dissatisfied enough one day to discontinue the practice, and get a
film scanner. They're a bit pricey, but they are the only way to achieve
the results we all want.

wrote in message
...

The only reason I don't have a film scanner is the cost.


I cannot recall ever reading that a flatbed scanner could equal the image
quality produced by a film scanner, when scanning slides or negs.

My own experience with scanning with an HP flatbed scanner certainly
confirms this. I get better results when scanning prints, rather than
slides or negs, and that is not saying much. Prints do not have anything
close to the information contained on the slide or neg.

The use of a flatbed might be a temporary compromise, but you will probably
become dissatisfied enough one day to discontinue the practice, and get a
film scanner. They're a bit pricey, but they are the only way to achieve
the results we all want.