Epson 4990 adjusting.

[alexvaras]

Hi all,

I got the ANR glass and I started to scan some 4x5 negatives to play and learn, this example is the Plaubel Heli-Orthar 130mm shot that came very white, I scanned again myself and I played with the settings a bit.
The purpose of this test was not adjust tones, curves, etc. But get the proper distance for the negative film above the scanner bed, emulsion down, ANR glass above the film. No unsharp mask used on numbers from #1 to #5, I did #6 and I don't know if the lab did it.

First is the original scanned by the lab, rest are mine, sorry for the boring post but more eyes the better.

4 - Heli-Orthar 130mm.


Plaubel Heli-Orthar 130mm, scan test #1


Plaubel Heli-Orthar 130mm, scan test #2


Plaubel Heli-Orthar 130mm, scan test #3


Plaubel Heli-Orthar 130mm, scan test #4


Plaubel Heli-Orthar 130mm, scan test #5


Plaubel Heli-Orthar 130mm, scan test #6

Thank you for all your comments and suggestions.
Alex

[Julio1fer]

Very good results there, Alex. I believe that one should always use unsharp mask in scanning to get meaningful results. Your #6 scan looks excellent as regard to sharpness, and I am sure that even more detail could be obtained from that negative, if needed.

As for levels, it also looks excellent, although it depends on what you wanted to achieve in the first place. In a way scanning is similar to printing, you can increase contrast or decrease it, allow areas to become black or white because you want other areas to play their part in the picture, and all the tricks that you probably know from the wet darkroom.

Much better than the lab scans, and I believe that in a very short time you will be a expert scanner!

[PFMcFarland]

Quite a difference between the lab scan, and #6, but it looks dialed in now. Any special reason there are two #5's?

PF

[alexvaras]

Very good results there, Alex. I believe that one should always use unsharp mask in scanning to get meaningful results. Your #6 scan looks excellent as regard to sharpness, and I am sure that even more detail could be obtained from that negative, if needed.

As for levels, it also looks excellent, although it depends on what you wanted to achieve in the first place. In a way scanning is similar to printing, you can increase contrast or decrease it, allow areas to become black or white because you want other areas to play their part in the picture, and all the tricks that you probably know from the wet darkroom.

Much better than the lab scans, and I believe that in a very short time you will be a expert scanner!

Thank you for the compliment Julio, from the negative I can see so much detail but not in the scan, I wonder if I could do anything more or just go to a drum scanner (which I wont). I should order a manual positive printing one day to check both scan and positive versions.

Quite a difference between the lab scan, and #6, but it looks dialed in now. Any special reason there are two #5's?

PF

Thank you Phil, the #5 repeated because I doubled copy-paste, edited already