Scan Shoot Out

Having the best transparency or negative drum scan is the only way to ensure you’re getting the most information from your film to work with the printing process at LightSource. There are many types of scanners available today that produce acceptable scans, until you look at them closely.  On this page we’ve assembled a direct comparison of three different scans from the same transparency made on our Heidelberg S3900 drum scanner, an Imacon Flextight  scanner  and a professional grade Epson V750 flatbed scanner.

The three images below were scanned at 200 MB 8 Bit with sharpening turned off at the scanner and then levels and color adjusted in CS3 to present a similar appearance to each other to make this a fair test. Sharpening was then applied in CS3 to make all scans have the same “apparent” sharpness.

The image size works out to be 35″x31″ at 300 DPI on all three. Normally we would recommend scanning to 600 MB on a 4×5 if the final print size to make a 40″x60″image size. However, both the Imacon and the Epson can’t scan that large a file without interpolating. So to keep things equal we kept all scanners in the un-interpolated range.  Through the Zoomify feature, all three images can be viewed in great detail from highlights to shadows by just clicking on them and zooming in. Give it a shot now to see how it works!

LightSource Heidelberg S3900 drum scanner
(what we use)

 What to look for:

  • Take a look at the overall color values and detail in the sky in all three (Zoomed out to see the whole image)

  • Zoom in all the way to the shadow detail in the trees and the redrock formations in the lower left hand corner by the river.

  • Zoom in on the redrock plateau across the river and look at the detail in the many layers and colors of the rock.

  • Have fun and compare any section of all three images at the largest magnification and see for yourself which scan is the best.

Imacon Flextight scanner
(what they use)

Some facts about the three scans:

  • The Imacon and the Epson both have challenges differentiating tones in the highlights and shadows.

  • They also have difficulty resolving fine detail in the shadows and tend to "clump" values together that shouldn't be. The branches look diffused and indistinct in comparison to the those in the Heidelberg scan. No amount of sharpening can make up for this deficiency.

  • The Imacon and the Epson cannot scan higher than 200MB without interpolation, thus making it impossible to make a sharp large print over 30"X40" as compared to a print made from our Heidelberg scan.

  • Even on smaller prints, the resolution and separation of tones achieved in the Heidelberg scan will be clearly visible.

Epson V750 flatbed scanner
(what they also might use)


  • The Imacon cannot scan full frame. You can see the area lost in the image above.

  • Our Heidelberg scan picks up the grain of the film much more distinctly thus revealing exactly what's in the film, not a near approximation.

  • Our Heidelberg can scan up to 1.3GB on an 8x10 transparency, making it possible to make extremely large sharp prints.


The question to ask yourself is this: Which scan would you rather have to print your best chromes or negs for a gallery show?

Posted by on Monday, January 4, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

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