Digital BW, The Print

I'm staring at more than a hundred recently shot 4x5 negatives waiting
for digital printing, and wishing for a better 4x5 film scanner than my
cheap-but-pretty-good Epson 1640SU with tranny adapter. I haven't won
the lottery, so Imacons and drum scanners are still out of reach.

I think I could get an old but working LeafScan 45 for under $2,000, or
a refurb Agfa Duoscan T2500 for around $3,000. I'd appreciate comments
from anyone acquainted with both scanners. I'm open to other ideas, too.

thanks,
Richard Wolfson
rwolfson at LyricDesign.com

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Richard Wolfson" <rwolfson@L...> wrote:
snip...
> I think I could get an old but working LeafScan 45 for under $2,000, or
> a refurb Agfa Duoscan T2500 for around $3,000. I'd appreciate comments
> from anyone acquainted with both scanners. I'm open to other ideas, too.

Richard, I can vouch for the T2500. After you get a handle on the clunky software, and get all the prefs set up right, it's a 
winner in that price range. I've turned in pre-press files for over size source books from T2500 scans.
I wish I could tell you something about the Leaf...
Tyler

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Richard Wolfson" 
<rwolfson@L...> wrote:
> I think I could get an old but working LeafScan 45 for under 
$2,000, or
> a refurb Agfa Duoscan T2500 for around $3,000.


Richard,

I've owned the Agfa2500. I was not impressed. Everybody yells at 
me for slamming this scanner, but it did not produce sharp 
grain. Once you've seen sharp grain (like from my current 
Imacon), you know sharp grain from a scanner. Others, though, 
seem to like the Agfa. I too, did not care for the software. It also 
runs very slow.

Two of my friends are new owners of the Leaf 45. Yes, it probably 
runs slow, but it also seems to be related to the bulb. It seems 
that they're replacing the bulb and getting better performance. 
One of them got their scanner on ebay for something like $500! 
Then you drop another $400 or so tweaking it, and you're set. I 
have not seen the grain from the Leaf, so I can't speak firsthand 
about that. But they seem happy, and they're pretty picky too, like 
me.

Just my two cents. Good luck.

Mark Tucker

> I think I could get an old but working LeafScan 45 for under $2,000, or
> a refurb Agfa Duoscan T2500 for around $3,000. I'd appreciate comments
> from anyone acquainted with both scanners. I'm open to other ideas, too.

Hum.  I'd get the Leafscan ;-)

IMO, it doesn't get any better than this for B&W scanning since it doesn't
scan B&W in RGB, but using a single neutral density filter.  Especially if
you also do 35mm, since the Leafscan scans 35mm at 5080.

There is a Polaroid 45 I believe, but I really know nothing about it.

> Two of my friends are new owners of the Leaf 45. Yes, it probably
> runs slow, but it also seems to be related to the bulb. It seems
> that they're replacing the bulb and getting better performance.

Tell your friends to set the exposure time to minimum when they are scanning
negatives (both B&W and color).  That makes for VERY fast scans (especially
B&W), and does not degrade the scans at all.

Richard, the discrepancy between Mark's and my post is an important consideration. Grain structure, I suspect it plays a 
role in Mark's work and not mine. The Imacon will definitely outresolve the T2500 in that regard, and no doubt the Leaf will 
too. My films are nearly grain free compared to format size, and anytime I shoot for grain it's so pronounced the scanner 
can see it. 35mm TMZ in Rodinal, for example, and still I wouldn't make a big print from a T2500 scan of that.
Tyler