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Negative film scanners provide the convenience of being able to turn your negatives and slides into quality photos and prints. Investing in a machine of this type provides versatility for professional and leisure picture takers alike. To obtain the best quality pictures it is necessary to choose a scanner that has features that will allow you to obtain the highest quality prints. There are different varieties of negative film scanners on the market. To obtain the scanner that is best for you there are features that you should compare.

One of the features that is most important when selecting a scanner is the type of scanner. There are different scanner formats. Some are flatbed and others are scanners that are specifically made to capture images from negatives and slides. In general, the negative scanners produce better quality images from the scanning process than the flatbed scanners. The only flatbed scanners that are capable of scanning negative film are the ones that can detect transparent items.

Also, flatbed scanners without a glass inset are also preferable. Glass in a scanner is known to reduce the quality of the images that are produced. So if you are opting for a flatbed in order to scan your negatives than you should definitely spend more money for one without the glass insets. Professional photographers that use their negatives to create special prints may want to invest in one of the 35mnm film and transparency scanners or one of the professional medium and large format scanners. These scanners obviously cost a lot more money but they are well worth the expense if you want high quality photos from your negatives.

Resolution and optical density should also be compared when searching for film scanners. The resolution is the number of dots per inch on an image. The higher the number dots per inch the more clear the image will be. This is because the larger the number of dots the closer together the dots are. This creates a more uniform picture and makes the color from the image deeper also. It is recommended that you spend the extra money for the higher resolution because it is always best to have a scanner that does too much rather than too little.

Optical density is another feature that should be compared between these machines. Optical density involves extracting detail from the dark areas of a negative. This is measured on a scale from 0-4.0 with 4.0 being the best rating for detail. It is recommended that you purchase a scanning film machine that has at least a 3.0-3.5 optical density. This will ensure that the dark areas of your film are captured correctly during the scanning process and will appear correctly once uploaded to software.

Finally, you should compare the pixilation for both printed and viewed scanned objects which are known as scan data. Sometimes what is viewed on screen will differ greatly from what is printed. This occurs because the resolution on the screen differs from what is needed to produce the same resolution on paper.

Ultimately, you should spend considerable time researching the features of the film scanners that interest you prior to purchase.

Please visit negative scanner or portable scanner and printer for more information.

Telecine Without Tears - Film to Video the Cardboard Way

TELECINE WITHOUT TEARS

 

Film to Video the Cardboard Way

 

Putting cine movie-film onto video/DVD can cost quite a lot if it's done professionally. And unless you use a reputable lab, results can vary, together with a risk of losing or damaging your film. It's relatively easy to do your own telecine transfers. And the quality can be impressive. Here's how.

 

What you need

 

A camcorder, a movie projector that has constantly variable speeds, and a piece of good quality cardboard ! A lot cheaper than a telecine translucent screen and probably better, without grain or hot-spot problems.

 

Getting the Speed right

 

You can use a projector with non-variable speeds, but the chances are you'll notice fluctuations of the light in the video image. Still there's nothing to lose in giving it a try, and your projector just might have more-or-less the right speed regardless of what it says ! However, it's best to be able to vary the projection speed if you want to be sure of constant image density. The speed should be very near 16.66 frames per second, or 25 frames per second. This is if you have 50 cycle mains electricity. In the USA it's 60 cycles, so the speed needs to be 15, 20 or 24 f.p.s. So first you have to decide what speed the film was taken at. Silent films are normally shot at 16 or 18 f.p.s. Sound films could have been shot at any speed: 16, 18, 24 or 25. If you are unsure, just project the film and see if the folks move around normally. In practice, it doesn't really look wrong if the film was shot at say 18 f.p.s. and you project at 16.66 f.p.s. And 24 looks exactly the same as 25. How it sounds is a different matter, but more of that later. Choose your transfer speed nearest to the original filming speed.

 

Improving the Image

 

It obviously makes sense to start off with the best quality image. Rather than projecting a big image on a screen, find a piece of good white card a few inches across, certainly no more than a foot, and focus the projector on that. If your film material is rather contrasty, try using a cream-coloured card. Another way to reduce contrast is to introduce into the room a bit of ambient light. The projector should give a very evenly-lit image. Normally, your eyes adjust to a film image that is perhaps bright in the middle but tailing off towards the edges. But the camera's eye sees what it sees, and consequently the image will look odd. The earlier projectors with conventional tungsten lighting and condenser lenses, often give more even lighting than halogen projectors without condensers. If your projector gives uneven lighting, try putting a grey water-colour wash onto the centre of the card, softening off towards the edges. Or, in front of the camcorder or projector use a piece of optical glass or filter that has been darkened in the centre. The projector zoom-lens should be set at a long focal length. Alternatively, use a fixed focal length lens. If you are projecting 8mm, try using a 16mm projector lens of say 35mm or even 50mm focal length. Now.... as you are showing a small image you have light to spare.... Make a black card or paper “washer” that fits neatly into the end of the projector lens barrel. It should be right up against the front lens element. Don't make the hole in the washer too small, but enough to effectively close down your lens by a couple of f-stops. This will give a quantum leap in definition ! Why ? Because it's like a camera-lens.... the sharpness improves when the outer parts of the lens are not in use. All lenses work better when stopped down. On a normal size of screen it would give a rather dim image, of course, but it's bright enough on our cardboard screen.

 

The Transfer

 

So now, hopefully, we have a nice sharp evenly-lit image that shows the cine film at its best. Before the transfer, it's a good idea to thoroughly clean the film with special film-cleaner if it needs it, or at least remove dust with a soft cloth. Firmly set up the camcorder somewhere near the centre-line of the projector, perhaps behind or just above it. If above, beware of ripples of heat from the lamp-house ! The lens on the camera will be at a long focal length setting, so that the projected image fills the viewfinder. Manually focus on some news-print held against the card, and keep this focus setting for the actual transfer. Key-stoning of the image shouldn't be a problem as you are situated well back from the small screen. When you are satisfied that framing and focus are perfect, turn off the lights and begin the transfer. Ideally the camcorder's exposure should be set manually to one aperture for the whole film. Examine your results on a fairly large video screen. If you still see density fluctuations, fine-tune the projector speed and try again. With care you'll end up with a good, sharp telecine, that looks professional.

 

Sound

 

If the film carries a sound track, you can connect the sound projector to the camcorder and record in sync. How you do this in order to get a good track on video is outside the scope of this blog. However, coming back to the projector running speeds.....Whereas our eyes are easily fooled by a slightly wrong speed, our ears usually are not ! A sound track recorded at 18 f.p.s. for example, will most likely sound wrong at 16.66 f.p.s. So it may be best to transfer the sound independently to the computer, then lay the track onto the video, making sync adjustments as necessary. Maybe others would like to comment....

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Lens that make real film look like toys?

Awhile ago i saw a video of monster trucks or something. It was filmed through a special lens that made it look like toys. Do you know what this is, or a video like it?

I'm not sure, but this might be what you're talking about:
http://best-photoshop-tutorials.blogspot.com/2008/10/make-photo-looks-like-miniature-models.html It's a Photoshop effect, not a particular lens.

Actually, I think there is a lens that will give this effect. A tilt-shift lens. It is expensive, though. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilt-shift_miniature_faking

Canon AE-1 Digital mod rejuvenates classic SLR [Video]
As gorgeous camera mods go, this one will take some beating. An original Canon AE-1 film camera body has been given a new lease of life , after some careful modder injected the guts of a modern 9-megapixel digital camera into the classic chassis. Paired with a pancake 10mm f/1.4 lens and as many of the original controls left in place as possible, it’s a good reminder as to why camera ...

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