Prints from negatives...

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TonyC
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Prints from negatives...

Post by TonyC »

I have a large number of 35mm negatives and while I also have the prints, I wonder if anyone can offer advise on how to transfer pictures from the negatives, into a digital format!

I also have a few large black & white negatives that my Grandfather took during WW1 which I'd like to see if they can be used to produce an image, so again, any advise would be gratefully received!

Thanks for reading...

Tony
...and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in Space cos there's bugger all down here on Earth!

blackfive460
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Re: Prints from negatives...

Post by blackfive460 »

If you have a digital camera with a macro facility, you can just photograph the negatives then use your preferred editing software to invert them to produce a positive image.
I spent quite a lot of time last winter doing just that with both monochrome and colour negatives and was well pleased with the results.
Whatever you do, don't waste money on a cheap film scanner. From what I've seen you need to spend a lot of money to get something that will produce a good result.
Just ask if you need any tips!

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TonyC
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Re: Prints from negatives...

Post by TonyC »

Thanks for the reply, I had been looking at some of the scanners but having previously owned a printer/scanner, that had the ability to scan negatives, albeit about 10 years ago, the experience led me down the road of "you get what you pay for!".

I'm guessing that the technology and pricing still need to converge before they become cost effective, plus as I only need to use one for the negatives I have, its usefullness would be limited.

I have several digital cameras, 1 Panasonic Lumix point and shoot, 1 Panasonic Lumix 12x Optical zoom and a Nikon D70, I'll have to see if taking pictures of the negatives is a viable option, would I need to use a light box or do I simply need to take an image of the negative against a light background?

Alternatively, does anyone have any recommendations for any company, that can do the work for me?

Again, thanks for your reply, it's much appreciated.
...and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in Space cos there's bugger all down here on Earth!

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BMrider
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Re: Prints from negatives...

Post by BMrider »

Buy a decent scanner like Nikon cool scan v or Plustec optic film 7400 or above and scan all your film and slide media, then sell the scanner, you should recoup most of what you paid , I actually sold my 2nd hand Coolscan that I brought new for several hundred pounds more than i paid for it thanks to a Nikon price rise meantime

See scan results of slide and color neg here;

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65081372@ ... 9831186347




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blackfive460
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Re: Prints from negatives...

Post by blackfive460 »

TonyC wrote: would I need to use a light box or do I simply need to take an image of the negative against a light background?


You will need a light box of some kind.
I used a 7 inch tablet. I set it up with a notepad app showing a blank white page. If you try that you must provide a good separation between the negative and the tablet display, 2 or 3 inches should do it. If the neg and the tablet are close together your camera will show the individual pixels quite clearly.
You should be able to get very satisfactory results this way and if the forum software here allowed uploads, I'd post a couple of samples. :wat:

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wallace
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Re: Prints from negatives...

Post by wallace »

Funny you should ask, I was watching this YouTube last night and absolutely cringing at how he handled the negatives. It may give you an idea on how to scan colour negatives yourself.
https://youtu.be/LXuwnt5ba8M

blackfive460
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Re: Prints from negatives...

Post by blackfive460 »

wallace wrote:Funny you should ask, I was watching this YouTube last night and absolutely cringing at how he handled the negatives. It may give you an idea on how to scan colour negatives yourself.
https://youtu.be/LXuwnt5ba8M


Dear me...
Talk about making things hard.
Why all that messing about getting the colours right? Just use white balance adjustment in the camera from a section of unexposed film. Job mostly done!
And for heavens sake mask off round the negative to avoid flare...

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TonyC
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Re: Prints from negatives...

Post by TonyC »

All food for thought, thanks :up:
...and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in Space cos there's bugger all down here on Earth!

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