Could someone please explain how to scan B&W negatives?

[HamdenRice]

When I was a teenager, I was a photography fanatic. I took almost only B&W, because I had a darkroom and developed the negatives and prints myself.

Recently, I discovered a file of about 40 rolls of film negatives. The funny thing is that the things I was interested then -- artistic pictures, landscapes, my friends -- are not as important to me today as the many candid pictures I took of my Mom and Dad who passed away a few years ago, my late grandparents, and many deceased aunts and uncles. I would like to have these developed as prints, but I understand that it is possible to scan them and then reverse the image to positive with a computer, much more easily than the old fashioned way.

Can anyone explain how to do this? What equipment and software would I need -- and I hope it won't be too expensive. I already have a flat bed scanner, but understand this wont do.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[okasha]

1. The cheap, easy and quick way

is to take them to Denco or some other similar service. This summer when I didn't have access to a darkroom, I had Denco develop my b&w film and put the negs on CD at the same time. It'll be a bit more expensive if they're not developing the film, but it will cost a lot less than buying a good scanner and all that goes with it.

[TahitiNut]

2. I'd use my scanner's slide adapter and edit the image as 'Negative.'

Photoshop or most any photo editor will do negative reversal. I assume, in this, that we're talking about 35mm negatives. Anything smaller shouldn't make a difference.

[smurfygirl]

3. my scanner has a negative sleeve

you just slide it in there and it scans and automatically reverses the image. Maybe you should look into getting a scanner with this feature instead of having to buy a bunch of complicated software.

Hope you figure it out.

[TahitiNut]

4. Absolutely no "complicated software" need be bought.

Even the most primitive of image editing software does negative reversal. "Microsoft Photo Editor" is an example. Almost any scanner comes packaged with minimal software to do this job. Decent freeware/shareware exists to handle it. It doesn't take PhotoShop.

Below is an example, done with "Microsoft Photo Editor." This is a photo of my grandmother as a young girl, taken in 1918. The positive/negative conversion is one click. Simple.

[NashVegas]

6. The Issue Is You're Dealing With Transparencies

On a regular flatbed scanner, light "stops" right on top of the negative.

I have an Epson Perfection 1670 that has a raised 'roof' with an interior light for scanning negatives.

Some people have built their own by trial and error. It's just simpler to buy a scanner that will do negatives.

I think I paid about $150 for mine, maybe a little less. It's not professional quality, but for high amateur it does the trick.

[lakemonster11]

5. I do that all the time.

I have access to a very good Nikon negative scanner (about $1300 on Amazon, here's a review: http://imaging-resource.com/PRODS/LS4K/L40A.HTM ) that I use to scan black & white negatives, color negatives, and color slides. The accompanying software automatically reverses the image, but it could also be done in Photoshop or any other image software quite easily. You can also burn, dodge, and adjust brightness and contrast in Photoshop, just as you do in the darkroom.

Unless you're going to be scanning more negatives in the future (and not just these 40 rolls), I would scout out some photo services to see what they charge rather than springing for a negative scanner. But keep in mind that if you have a large number of negatives (black & white or color) spanning your life (or even that you found in your parents' or grandparents' houses), a negative scanner is a great way to back up and copy them.

It's also possible that your flat bed scanner came with a negative attachment---I know that some do.

Good luck.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

7. Invest in a negative scanner

I don't have one yet, need to buy myself a good laptop and digital SLR first for school, but they're a great investment. Nikon makes entry level ones, I think.

[Deja Q]

8. I second that:

The Nikon Coolscan V is a GREAT model for the price and functionality.

Their next one up, the Coolscan 5000, costs twice as much and whose ONLY difference is a Dmax capability of 4.8. (the Coolscan V has a Dmax of 4.2)

The results will beat the crap out of that $500 flatbed from Epson or HP that claims to do negatives. (not even remotely as good.)

[HamstersFromHell]

9. If you're looking to get out cheaply...

search eBay for used slide/film scanners.

I have an old HP ColorSmart 20 scanner I bought new for $300 about 7 years ago. Not the greatest in the world, but a ton better than flatbed scanners with adapters. I see 'em on eBay now for around $70 or so. Will scan color or b&w slides (in cardboard or plastic mounts) or negative strips up to 7 frames in length. 2400dpi and according to head to head tests, results at least as good as paying for a Kodak Photo CD.

Only drawback is no digital ICE for automated dust and speck removal. Matters little if you clean your items to be scannen religiously before scanning and don't try to print the scan larger than 5 x 7 or so.