LaserSoft Imaging

I just recently purchased a (used) OpticFilm 7200 film scanner and I'm currently in the process of scanning some (30+ year) old negative B&W film. However, I'm unsure what to set the film type to. If I set the type to what it actually is, it appears I get worse results than when I set the film type to <OTHER> / <OTHER> / Monochrome.

For instance, I have some ILFORD FP4 film here. Here are the result of scanning it with the filmtype actually set to IFLORD FP4, and <OTHER> / <OTHER> / MONOCHROME:



To me, the right picture gives better results (less contrast, better detail). But maybe the left is "typical" for this kind of film stock. And I want the scan to be as close as possible to what you would see on a real printed picture (30 years ago). So which is closer to a real photo shot with Ilford FP4?

This really is rather a matter of taste than a question which image is closer to the "original".
Mainly because there is no "original" image.

The image you see is always a combination of the light source (light-bulb, natural sunlight, fluorescent light, LED light,...) the film material and the sensor/displaymedium (the scanner, your eye, a beamer, a computer monitor,...)
Even two different non calibrated computer monitors might show different images.
In B&W this is of cause not as strong as in color but something you should always remember.

You should rather try to scan the images in a way that you like them rather than trying to achieve an "original" state which does not exist.


kind regards,
Arne Ketelhohn

If that's true, then what reason exists to set it to the actual film type? I mean, I thought the reason I can choose different film types is to get better results than when setting it to some default generic setting. If that's the case, then why is the left image actually worse than the right image? It's not a matter of "taste". The right image shows much more detail. The left image obviously has a contrast problem and less dynamic range than the right image.

So what would be the reason to choose (in this case) "ILFORD FP4"?

Hi Zippy

Zippy1970 wrote:what reason exists to set it to the actual film type? I mean, I thought the reason I can choose different film types is to get better results than when setting it to some default generic setting.

Every film emulsion has a specific sensitometric curve (response to light). It gives especial contrast, shadow and highlight details as well as midtones.
In theory, it means every film type has certain characteristics. I say in theory because in the praxis, this is just an ideal affected by many factors like, different film production batches, storage, atmospheric circumstances after storage, development times, developers purity, etc. etc.
In the darkroom contras, shadow, highlight details and midtones can also be manipulated to achieve certain aesthetic goal (this is always subjective)

The idea behind the NegaFix curves is to compensate the scanner response to match the given curve of every film emulsion.

Zippy1970 wrote:If that's the case, then why is the left image actually worse than the right image? It's not a matter of "taste". The right image shows much more detail. The left image obviously has a contrast problem and less dynamic range than the right image.

Well, contrast, highlight and shadow details are in fact taste choices. The fact that to your opinion one image is worse than the other is subjective.

The profile for the curve has been created with a specific calibration target to match the curve given by the manufacturer.
If you decide the other profile suits your taste better, then nothing is keeping you from using it.

Cheers