Digital BW, The Print

Dave,

A few issues here:

-"5400 dpi" tells me you're using one of two iterations of Minolta's
Dimage Scan 5400 (I own and use the first version).  I find the 5400 a
fantastic scanner for all the film types I use, but getting good scans
is easier with some films than others.

- How well were these Pan F negs developed, and when?  Do the negs
appear relatively normal in density, or are they noticeably heavy or thin?

- Scanning at maximum dpi is nice, but that doesn't do much without
other work if the neg is a particularly difficult one.  The Minolta
5400 offers a single-pass multisampling mode that (sometimes) can help
with especially dense negs, and tame grain to a certain extent.

- Are you using the stand-alone scanning app or PS plug-in that came
with the scanner?  These days I mostly use VueScan for my work with
the 5400, and the added flexibility it offers can also assist in a
situation such as this.

- You might know this already, but just in case: make sure you have
Digital ICE turned off when scanning conventional b/w negatives (or
Kodachrome, for that matter).  ICE is fantastic for C41- and E6-based
films, but wreaks havoc with anything else.

In the end, it's really about the film, and how it was developed.
At least one of the above suggestions should help out to some extent,
but it ultimately comes down to exactly how those little halides were
handled in developing.  A good scanner, handled well, is a
transcription device. You only get out what you put in.


- Barrett