JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

We just uncovered some 5.5" x 3.3" negatives of some family photos taken by my father in the late '40's or early '50's which I would like to scan, change to positive monochromes and print.

I have a flat bed scanner, and my "Missing Manual" book for PSE 10 says it can be done using the "invert" function but with precious little detail instructions. Including which side--dull or shiny--of the negative goes against the scanner glass.

Have any of you UHH'ers done this? I would be grateful for any tips.

Thank you for your help.

Jim

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

Check the scanner manual for correct placement of negatives. Generally speaking when scanning negatives you set for 'transmission' the opposite of reflective. The scanner light source is below the glass and the receiving surface is in the cover, so placing emulsion down would be expected. However, scanner designs differ. You could experiment. Pick a negative with a word or letters in it and scan both ways to see which can be read.

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

Thanks John, will give it a try this afternoon or tomorrow, nothing much else to do with the hurricane and rain promised for all weekend.

FrumCA

Good luck with your experiment. Please give us a report on the results. And hope your power stays on!!!

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

FrumCA,

After surviving "the hurricane" which here, Choptank River area of the Eastern Shore, wasn't much more than a wind 30-40 MPH wind event with +/- 4" of rain, the experiment is on for today. I know VA got it a lot worse and hope you came through without any damage; we have a daughter in Chesapake. Are you in the coastal area? I will post some of the better results and a couple of the worse, and try to relate what and how I did each one.

FrumCA

Thanks JCam. I'm in the NoVA- DC area. The Potomac River is nearby and I'm sure it is or will be flooding by now. I'm going to go check it out later today. My son is in Suffolk but I haven't heard anything from him about any significant problems. Looking forward to seeing how your scanning project turns out.

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

My "experiment" was somewhat less than successful :( . If I had to rate it, it would be about 90% unsuccessful!

My scanner is a Canon labeled as a model CanoScan 5600F that I purchased about 2008 when I discovered that the Win8 system would not recognize the software in my old scanner which was a HP model 5200 CSE. Frankly, I liked the HP MUCH better as software was much easier to use! That may be just my lack of practice, I don't do much scanning any more.

It is designed to copy/scan printed photos, printed material, and color slides & B&W negatives but the latter two have to be in the 35mm size using a film holder that came with the scanner.

I tried just placing the 3.3" X 5.5" B & W negatives emulsion side against the glass without removing the Protective sheet" from the top cover. It didn't even detect the negatives. I then removed the protective sheet and placed the negative directly on the glass. This time it 'saw' five of the seven negatives but only scanned the 35 mm size. For some reason I don't understand, it didn't even see a 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" negative.

I will contact Canon sometime next week and see if there is a workaround to the 35mm limitations, but I'm not hopeful. A couple of years ago I did see online a system that used a heavy paper tent to do what I'm trying, but the tent had to have a silver or aluminum coating on the inside9 facing the negative) but I haven't found a source for that paper.

That's all for now folks; if I find out anything helpful from Canon, I'll post it here too.

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

There should be number printing on the border of the negatives giving the film type. The dull side will be the emulsion.

Old Sarge Loc: Moore, OK

I had 4X5 and 5X7 negatives and my old scanner would do 4X5's but died. I now put the negs in a clear plastic holder and tape it to a window with parchment paper between the neg and glass and shoot with my Canon SX40

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

Sarge,

That's a great idea :thumbup:. Do you set the camera for a 1:1 ratio to match the 35mm or doesn't it matter since you are doing the rest of the processing digitally?

Old Sarge Loc: Moore, OK

I have tried 1:1 but I like 4:3, but it really doesn't matter, my reason for 4:3 is that is the way I shoot and I don't have to worry about resetting it when I'm done.

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

I've done the same thing with standard slides, except I turn on my cell phone flashlight function, set the slide on the screen, then take a macro photo of it.

No need for 1:1 ratio, but the larger the magnification, the less you have to crop, and therefore the more mp your new slide or negative "scan" will be. I actually was able to print larger versions like this, than when I used a dedicated slide scanner.

Good luck

superpijak Loc: Middle TN

Hi Jim

I have some experience scanning 35mm negs to digital then printing. Trying to digitize all my accumulated negatives and slides. With the Epson V500 I am using the emulsion side goes up and the light is transmitted from the top. I have to remove the interior cover/pad. SO in this mode I am not scanning in reflective mode but in transmittance mode. The Epson software is where you designate what you are trying to do.

Hope this helps you out, if not let me know if I can.

Ted

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

The biggest problem was that the scanner would only "see" a 35mm sized portion of the 3.3" x 5.5" negative.

I think "Old Sarge" had the best (easiest) solution: "I now put the negs in a clear plastic holder and tape it to a window with parchment paper between the neg and glass and shoot with my Canon SX40". Now out here in 'rural MD", I just have to find some parchment paper to give it a try.

Old Sarge Loc: Moore, OK

Any grocery store usually has parchment paper. The difficulty may be in finding glassine envelopes or good clear packets to hold the negative.