Digital BW, The Print

Hi,

I have similar needs for a scanner (120 and 4x5 film, good tonal gradation 
and shadow detail). I've been considering the Microtek ArtixScan 1800f, 
which reportedly has a 4.8Dmax (!) and a 1800 spi optical resolution (good 
enough for me with 6x7 cm and 4x5" originals), and uses no-glass film 
holders. The price is somewhat higher than the Epsons (around $1600, I 
think, bundled with Silverfast Ai 6.0), but still well below the Nikon. 
Does anyone have any experience with this scanner?

Thanks,
Paulo


At 00:37 10/3/2003, you wrote:
>Hi all,
>    A recently developed respirtory problem has forced me out of the
>darkroom and into the digital darkroom. My budget is low, and my
>quality needs are high, so I am looking for input on the best
>compromise for my scanning needs. I work in B&W and shoot a little
>35mm and 6x6, but the vast majority of my work is 6x45. Just for the
>sake of clarifying my needs, I'll give you a little backround. I was
>a full time professional portrait photographer for six years. I quit
>doing that because I chose to focus all of my creative energy on my
>personal/fine art work.  I have begun to exhibit it, and am planning
>on doing so alot more (hence my need for quality). At this point,
>$2K - $3K for a dedicated 120 film scanner is not an option for me.
>Niether is the cost of regularly having my work drum scanned. I will
>be printing on either an Epson 2200 or a quadtone setup, haven't
>decided which yet (that's perhaps a subject for another post). I'm
>not into printing huge - most of my stuff is 8x10 or 11x14, but I
>would also like to print up to the full 13x19 capability of these
>printers and get an excellent result. I understand the difference
>between the way a silver print and an inkjet looks, and with that
>understanding I need to get a result that is on a par quality-wise
>with what I am used to getting in the darkroom. I am by no means a
>master printer, but I am picky and I am capable of getting my prints
>to look the way I want them to.
>So all that said, any suggestions as to scanning solutions? I have
>heard much conflicting info regarding the Epson 3200 and it's
>predecessor the 2450. Any thoughts as to the capability of the 3200
>to scan 645 for exhibtion quality printing? Perhaps I should clarify
>that more. When I speak of quality, sharpness and detail are
>certainly important, but the ability of the scanner to capture subtle
>tonal information is of paramount importance to me . This is the main
>reason I shoot medium format - the superior gradation it offers. I
>will be shooting TCN and XP2, and my guess is that these types of
>negs should not pose much of a challenge to this scanner's dynamic
>range. I think I understand the relationship between bit depth and
>tonal gradation (and the 3200 looks good in this regard) but I'm not
>sure I fully grasp how the resolution of this scanner (which I have
>heard is actually lower than the stated 3200 dpi) would affect tonal
>rendition, or if it would scan 645 well enough to produce a sharp,
>detailed print in the sizes I will be doing. As far as other options,
>I seem to recall someone mentioning a guy who does reasonably priced
>scans for people using a Nikon 8000. In the long run, given the
>number of negs I'll want to scan, I'm sure outsourcing them at any
>price would exceed the cost of the Epson, but if that's what I need
>to do to get the results I need, then that's what I'll do. Your input
>on these or any other options would be greatly appreciated.
>Thanks
>       Kevin Michael
>
>
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