Help with really long negatives

[suebowen]

I shoot these long overlapping images on 120 film (i.e. one long strip I consider one image). These can be 14" long or so, as in a 2.25" X 14" single negative.

I'm considering various film (and flatbed) scanners, Sprintscan 120 being one. Their holder I believe accommodates 4 'frames', which I estimate to be an overall negative length of about 9.5" if I am able to scan that area as one 'frame'. Will the hardware and/or software allow me to do this? I'm assuming I would then rotate the negative and scan the other 'end' and piece the 2 scans together in Photoshop or whatever. People's posts about setting the different image sizes 6X6,9 etc makes me concerned I won't be able to define it as 6X24cm or whatever the maximum opening is.

Does this sound doable with the Sprintscan or do you know of some other solution to what I'm trying to do? Should I stay away from flatbed scanners? Would Nikon Coolscan 8000ed be better (it only accommodates 3 frames)?

Thanks.

Susan Bowen
Brooklyn, NY

[LSI_Leschke]

I don't think this is possible with the Sprintscan 120. In Silverfast, you have to select the size of your images. Only regular 120- sizes are supported (e.g. 6x6, 6x9, 6x4.5). As far as I know this is also true for the Polaroid- software, and even for other medium-format film scanners. The only way to avoid stitching is probably to use a flatbed scanner of appropriate size with a transparency- unit.

[jvantine]

In the Polaroid Software you can set the frame size to 6x24 to scan the whole strip. I believe I read on someone elses post that it actually automaticly stiches together 2 scans - I can't tell by looking at it - looks like a continious 6x24 image to me.

Anxiously awaiting other sizing controls from Polaroid and Silverfast.
Jeff VT

[jvantine]

I appologize, I am mistaken - the Polaroid S/W will let you preview in a 6x24 mode but the maximum scan size is currently 6x9.

I use the 6x24 preview to make it easier to select the frame I want to scan as I use a Fuji 645 and a Fuji 690 which have frame spacing diffrent from what Polaroid assumes the whole world is using.