My slide collection is happy

[highup]

My "new to me" 2004 Canoscan 9950F has finally arrived.
I can now scan my own slides. Yahoo!

My cousin sent it to me because she didn't use it. It's a scanner, and can scan documents, but it's main function is for scanning photos, including slides. Lots of scanners out there, but most don't do film or slides.

I have found that the scans come out pretty nice, but I need to do a lot of color, contrast and general cleanup..................... On the bright side tho, the scan quality is pretty good.
Here's two images.
First, my new-to-me Canon Canoscan scanner image after a bit of cleanup, and then the same photo scanned by my usual photo lab.
This is the same outfit that has done all of the images that I have posted here and elsewhere on the internet. I did cleanup on this image as well.

Next is a close up comparison of the two scans............. My new scanner and below it, the scan done by the photo lab.
My scanner doesn't impress me with the sky areas in the photo.............. kinda grainy looking.
Being fair, the photo lab is not doing super high quality scans, they just run em through the machine............ higher quality scan get expensive real fast............... a few bucks each.

There is a program that I can buy for this scanner that is specifically designed to do Kodachrome slide corrections automatically, and produces better quality images then I could do manually..................
But it's like .....$400
.............Note to self.......... buy lottery ticket tomorrow.

Overall, I see the Canon scanner produces much higher sharpness, but the photo department scans seem to be more accurate with the colors.
I'm just now learning how to use this machine, so maybe I need to figure out how to use the bells and whistles it has.

 

[highup]

The previous was from a recent Kodak negative. This one is a Kodachrome slide with only dust removal, and a quick sharpening. This one impresses me. It's not even at the highest quality scan level.

 

[Nick]

Not bad Hi.

 

[DarisMulkin]

Why are you doing flooring instead of being a professional photographer. Great pictures.

Daris

 

[highup]

Why are you doing flooring instead of being a professional photographer. Great pictures.

Daris

The lower one is $175 unframed and comes shipped in a heavy cardboard tube.
Never figured out how to sell em, Daris. Too many WallyWorld people out there that see framed "photos" for $24.95
Not sure what it would cost today, but years ago, if I had a 16 X 20 high quality print made, and I matted and framed it myself, I was into the project $125 not counting my time.

 

[DarisMulkin]

The lower one is $175 unframed and comes shipped in a heavy cardboard tube.
Never figured out how to sell em, Daris. Too many WallyWorld people out there that see framed "photos" for $24.95
Not sure what it would cost today, but years ago, if I had a 16 X 20 high quality print made, and I matted and framed it myself, I was into the project $125 not counting my time.

And your point is? There are people out there that will pay the price!!! Its a art form. People pay big bucks for art.

Daris

 

[highup]

I know that Daris. The art of photography is a business. I don't have a clue how to go about it.
I found a place online where you can put your prints and sell them............ but I still need high quality scans so they can make good prints from them.

This scanner does fairly well, but it's not good enough to do what's necessary for selling anything other than small prints. It might be better than I think, but it's a long ways from a high end scanner. It's also the technical end of producing a good print that I know nothing about. Digital terminology and processes gets my head all dizzy. To make an accurate scan, I need to have my monitor calibrated to match the printer at the lab of my pickins. IE: Right now, the greens reds and blues that I see on my monitor will be different than what the lab sees. I'd need a higher quality monitor and a calibration program for that to work.......plus a good scanner. I'm too picky. I don't do anything 1/2 way. It's too expensive to do it the right way.
It's not as simple as hitting the print button. There is a lot that can be done to make a print jump off a page using Photoshop or similar programs. That's how high end prints are done these days. I just don't have a clue as to how to achieve or create an image like the type I'd want to offer for sale. I have a lot of good photos to begin the process, but I'm lost from that point forward.
I'll see if I can find a photo link to make your head spin too.

 

[Jon]

Why are you doing flooring instead of being a professional photographer. Great pictures.

Daris

I agree with you Daris
Hi has some great photos. Where is that hippy on the rock?

 

[Nick]

I know that Daris. The art of photography is a business. I don't have a clue how to go about it.
I found a place online where you can put your prints and sell them............ but I still need high quality scans so they can make good prints from them.

This scanner does fairly well, but it's not good enough to do what's necessary for selling anything other than small prints. It might be better than I think, but it's a long ways from a high end scanner. It's also the technical end of producing a good print that I know nothing about. Digital terminology and processes gets my head all dizzy. To make an accurate scan, I need to have my monitor calibrated to match the printer at the lab of my pickins. IE: Right now, the greens reds and blues that I see on my monitor will be different than what the lab sees. I'd need a higher quality monitor and a calibration program for that to work.......plus a good scanner. I'm too picky. I don't do anything 1/2 way. It's too expensive to do it the right way.
It's not as simple as hitting the print button. There is a lot that can be done to make a print jump off a page using Photoshop or similar programs. That's how high end prints are done these days. I just don't have a clue as to how to achieve or create an image like the type I'd want to offer for sale. I have a lot of good photos to begin the process, but I'm lost from that point forward.
I'll see if I can find a photo link to make your head spin too.

I'd need a higher quality monitor and a calibration program for that to work..

a good calibration program is expensive .

 

[highup]

I'd need a higher quality monitor and a calibration program for that to work..

a good calibration program is expensive .

I know............. and on top of that, I'd need a calibration program to correct the blue tint that occurs in all Kodachrome film............. tack on another $400 just for that program
I discovered in researching this scanner, that Kodachrome's special dyes make all scanners record Kodachrome images with a bluish tint. Other films don't have that issue. I saw just two companies that make a color correction program for this issue. The cheap one isn't rated very good, and the expensive one, ..........is expensive .........go figure.

 

[Nick]

Plus the fact every monitor will show different .

When i use to make the coffee cups i use to go crazy at first getting the correct colors .