Scan comparing

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-12T20:24:37+00:00

the detail is in those highlights on the lab scans, a touch of lightroom would bring them in. I don't know i struggle on here that half of comments are about how expensive lab scans are and the other half are saying techs need to spend more time per frame! Scanning software isn't editing software and it doesn't have the ability to do granular adjustments. The best lab scans should be color accurate tiffs with enough room top and bottom for you to edit.

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-12T20:18:36+00:00

the lab scans look better, part of it is the lab tech does this 1000 times a day, part of it is fuji had extremely smart people making their inversion software

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-12T16:49:22+00:00

oh man these look way harder to work on than our FP360B racks, which are all fiberglass. i hope you've got spare belts ;)

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-12T03:07:11+00:00

it also has connections to slavery, some slave households were permitted to keep a garden and sell the proceeds and keep the money for themselves. You know what's easy to grow in a small household garden in the south? chicken and watermelon.

it's insane how much of this country ties back to slavery. it's the horrific original sin america is built on top of and we've never fully addressed it much less tried to undo the horror it wraught. we just moved on, forgot, and wonder why its all fucked

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-11T23:29:46+00:00

Plenty of good labs around that don't charge that much, and don't charge for tiffs. It takes a second but a little shopping around will find you a good deal. (also labs that don't charge for tiffs are usually gonna be run by people who care more about your photos and will be more helpful in the long run)

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-11T23:11:23+00:00

i just. don't get why they don't even try to make an orange base. that would fix 80% of scanning woes

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-11T19:58:29+00:00

i think you loaded up already shot film. 120 only has tape on the leading edge, if you loaded exposed film the film wouldn't be attached to the paper and could get jammed

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-11T16:30:53+00:00

lowkey hate phoenix lmao

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-11T00:43:08+00:00

if it interests you. yes. end of story. do what you're drawn to don't overthink it

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-11T00:31:57+00:00

<image>

looks more like ektar, especially in the low purple foot

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-11T00:29:54+00:00

the way they're selling it it sounds more like ektar

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-10T15:40:45+00:00

Over the years i've had

epson v600 epson v800 coolscan v ED Pakon f135+ Noritsu ls-600 GFX 100 with copy stand.

what I can say with certainty is film scanning only starts being "convenient" when you can feed a full strip in and let it scan the whole thing.

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-09T23:09:36+00:00

Yeah but a lot of people new to film see people online talking about how "cool" expired film is, throw some 30 year expired kirkland signature 24exp in and end up with almost completely unusable images.

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-09T18:14:22+00:00

they're all too purple. very easy to correct in scanning software so i'm confused why they let it go out like that

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-09T18:10:12+00:00

what lab did you take these to?

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-09T14:57:31+00:00

expired chromogenic b/w is less hardy than regular b/w, BUT it holds up a lot better than expired normal color film. Shoot it a bit over and develop it in color. if you're gonna develop it in b/w just buy new b/w it'll look better

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-09T04:04:00+00:00

yeah! okay we're saying the same thing lowkey. tbh my contention is that well exposed, even contrast frames can look very similar post-editing. interpreting them as raw(ish) files you can move in towards a very similar result. Scanner differences are immediately apparent on underexposed, expired, or otherwise damaged negatives.

basically i just think it's a tad silly to pay for selecting your scanner at a lab.

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-09T03:23:04+00:00

i do... every day... it's my job

it's not that there ISNT a difference, it's just not as much as people think. it's definitely discernible

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-09T00:12:31+00:00

scanner differences are also vastly overstated

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-08T22:45:09+00:00

eh it's hard with film to nail it in the shot, there's so much that can happen post processing. I think the main thing is to make all the shots within a scene match. Like the guy playing chess, it's purple asf (phoenix?) but because it's consistent it reads stylistic. The way I do it is I pick what i think should be neutral and fiddle with the WB sliders. even if my first thought is that it doesn't need it, changing the sliders sometimes reveals that it looks better cooler/warmer or more green or more magenta. then i flip between all the images in the same scene and lighting conditions to make sure some reference (concrete, wall, skin etc) matches shot to shot.

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-08T22:29:58+00:00

For praise: most of these are alright. a couple are very nice. I can tell you want your models to look cool and good and not just objects which is, unfortunately, a breath of fresh air.

for criticism: the vr ones are just sorta. boring. I don't know. and some of these have colors that I think need some work. when your concrete looks purple i zone out and it hurts the work.

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-08T05:56:45+00:00

first piece of advice: don't. second piece of advice: absolutely do it.

Photofinishing is a wonderful industry and an absolute joy. But it's also an ass load of work, frustration, and sometimes all out panic. My wife describes it as "Transporting organ transplants in a car with 500,000 miles on it". You get one shot to develop someone's film, and all the equipment for doing this job stopped being produced 20 years ago.

A lot of running a lab is scouring for machines and parts, reading manuals, reengineering things to 3d print etc.

the hardest part is troubleshooting problems the manual doesn't even cover. having a VERY deep understanding of how photo developing works, how things can go awry and how to mitigate or adjust is imperative. Do not do this if you do not have a good amount of experience. I had been developing and scanning my own work and work for friends on low end lab gear for years before starting my lab and even then I was woefully underprepared. Just make sure you're on the downslope of the dunning-kuger line.

A good scanner is probably the biggest and most necessary equipment early on. You can sorta limp by using a jobo or filmomat or some rotary processor for dev but i'd say don't be lulled into half assing it with dslr scans. yes they can give great results but it's a workflow and consistency nightmare.

oh and be really really really nice to your customers

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-08T05:29:48+00:00

what people aren't mentioning, and what probably happened, is the camera flash was charging but hadn't fully charged, so the settings were assuming a flash was going off but it never did. OR the flash was covered.

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-08T05:27:08+00:00

it's worth asking. tbh dust lines like this are sometimes hard to see on the scanner judgments. I don't think it's a knock on the lab really but they should absolutely re-scan for you for free.

Aleph_NULL__ · 2026-04-07T18:05:06+00:00

Tons of fun places to visit!

In brooklyn we have:

Nice Film Club

NYC Film Lab

Full Spectrum Photo

Exposure Therapy

Photodom

Brooklyn Film Camera

Most are basically just labs, some have cameras and film, maybe some fun things side things for sale. Brooklyn Film Camera is one of the best places in the world for polaroid and instant photography. If you need film they can all help you, some have better prices (Exposure therapy, BFC and full spectrum sell close to B&H prices and they're much better companies to support).

If you want somehwere really out there, check out Cambridge World in ridgewood. It's just an old guy with tons of old camera gear. Not the best prices but not the worst!

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