I continue working with the 5/7 inch and have scans made afterwards, because there just might be someone liking laaarge prints made... I mean: besides myself.

To that respect I need the FRIENDS help for three questions here:

1. As I obviously will have to have made professional scans for 2000 - 3000 $ this year I am strongly thinking of doing it myself – and then doing even more of course, for the sake of better photos in the world. What do you recommend in my case: 5/7’’-negatives, laserprints on Fuji Frontier up to 25/38 cm or Lambdas for up to possibly 50/80 cm - and probably not the super-patient-guy happily oiling and de-oiling his most-liked photographs? Up to now I work with professionals who do that oiling; others that didn’t (like me on my own Microtek ScanMaker 4) came up with Newton rings and lots of lines corresponding the track of the scanner.

2. What would the test-guys say: from what printing size on (laserprints on Fuji Frontier up to 25/38 cm or Lambdas for the bigger ones) 5/7 does really bring an advantage to 4/5 or 6/7/9 cm?

3. My Microtek ScanMaker 4 with Silverfast does really a good job concerning colour and detail. But I bought it used and have the mentioned lines in it, which refuse to leave their place after each and every cleaning session. Plus the Newton rings that occur regularly. What can be done against these problems? Do you think, scans for the above use can ever be produced on this machine?

Enough words from my side. Thanks for your kind cooperation! You’re great outside there!

Ralph

-- Ralph Hinterkeuser (foto@hinterkeuser.de), July 21, 2001

Answers

Ralph, One alternative to oil is Kami Scanner Mounting Fluid (SMF 2001). It's made in Germany by Kami Chemical Products. It evaporates and requires almost no clean-up of either the transparency or the glass. Regards, Bruce

-- Bruce M. Herman (bherman@gci.net), July 22, 2001.

Using digital printing, I'd say up at 20x30 (all dimensions in inches) differences between MF and 5x7 would begin to be visible, and somewhere between 30x40 and 40x50 differences between 4x5 and 5x7 would be visible (not that the 4x5 would be bad !).

-- Q.-Tuan Luong (qtl@ai.sri.com), August 01, 2001.