OLD NEG, NEW LIFE

Today I'm revisiting a photo I recently published. Click here to see the original post. In that post I showed a photo of my Aunt Lisa and Grandmother Helen taken at the Farmers Market back in the 1950's. I scanned the original faded photo and did a little color correction in photoshop.

Well I ended up buying a new (refurbished) Epson Perfection 4490 Photo scanner that could scan medium format negs. My old scanner could only do 35mm. I have the original negative for that photo (I believe it's 6x9 format), so with my new scanner I could go to a better source - the neg - to get the image. This scanner comes equipped with Digital Ice - software that helps reduce dust and scratches.

The first photo is the one I scanned from the original faded photo, the second has been scanned from the original negative. Click on the photos to see them open larger in a new window and you can see the huge differences.All I can say is WOW what a difference between these two scans! The color is amazing - my Aunt's blonde hair jumps out at you, so do her pink shorts, there's strong whites where it was muddy before, and the yellow and blue on the cars really is dynamic. And all the details have more clarity.

I pretty much update my scanners every couple years from Epson because the technology improves so rapidly. Every time I either buy a refurbished model or one on sale. The refurbs carry the exact same warranty as new and Epson has amazing customer service. If you have any problems, they mail you out a new one immediately and even pay the shipping to return yours. The model I bought, the 4490, is basically the same as the newer one that replaces it, the V500. The refurbed 4490 was priced under a hundred bucks on sale (100 bucks shipped) when I bought it, but now the price is back up to $109 plus tax. The V500 model that is the newer upgrade of the 4490 is 200 bucks new. The difference between the models is that the V500 has the newer LED light technology and a higher max dpi, that no mere mortal with a normal computer will ever use. If you try scanning at the V500's highest res of 6400x9600 dpi your computer will probably freak out. 300 or 600 dpi is enough for pretty much anything so why bother. If I want a super professional scan to make a lifesize poster, I'll take my neg to a professional to do it.

Epson almost always has free shipping (the only extra cost is tax) and there's often extra discounts running as specials. I always check out their clearance center for deals. Anyway, my 4490 is a steal and a great scanner and I highly recommend it.

UNCLE FRITZ' OLD ROLLEICORD

I found out the limitations of my Epson 2580 scanner today when I tried to scan a medium format negative for the first time and found out I couldn't! I've had this scanner for a couple years and mostly just scan an occasional Polaroid or snapshot, but when I bought it I originally intended to be able to scan 35mm slides and medium format negs too. My previous scanner was able to scan medium format and I kept that size holder when I got rid of the scanner so I could use it on this 2580. I recall asking an Epson rep if I could use this holder and she told me yes. Well two years too late, I've found out it actually doesn't work! I really don't shoot much medium format so the need to scan it hasn't come up. Here's some medium format test shots I took at the Getty Center using my Uncle Fritz' old Rolleicord, a camera I inherited and cherish.



If it wasn't such a pain in the ass to get medium format developed (and pricey too!) then I'd actually drag out the Rolleicord and shoot with it. Of all the cameras I've ever used in my life, the best tactile experience I've ever had with a camera has to be the Rolleicord. First of all, no modern day digital camera with a huge screen has ANYTHING on the large viewing screen of the Rolleicord - it's just magical to look through. Cocking the shutter, rotating the focus knob, turning another knob to advance the film - it's a serene experience. Forget taking pictures with the Rolleicord, fondling it is half the fun! But the best sounding camera I have is the Contax 137MD. When it was released in 1980, it was famous for being the smallest motor-driven SLR on the market. - and boy does the whir of that motor sound good!

So I spent part of today trying to figure out if I should replace my scanner with a different model that can scan medium format. I haven't made up my mind yet, but luckily the negative that started this whole journey today (a photo of my Aunt Lisa and Grandmother Helen standing in front of the clock tower at Farmers Market back in the 1950's) - well I actually had a small printed copy that I was able to scan. So tada, here it is:
My Aunt Lisa was one of my favorite people in the entire world (truly a second Mom to me) and Farmer's Market has always been one of my favorite places to go to in L.A. So this photo represents two of my great loves. And I'm guessing the photo was probably taken by Uncle Fritz using his trusty Rolleicord.

Note: b/w photos of the Rolleicord taken with a Contax 137MD/Carl Zeiss 50/f1.7 lens.

Post Note: After a little online research that brought me to the Rollei Club I found out my Uncle's Rolleicord is a Rolleicord Va model manufactured between April 1957 and February 1958. 23,000 pieces were produced. Here are the specs:

Taking Lens:
Xenar 3,5/75mm, Schneider, Bayonet 1
Finder lens: Schneider Heidosmat 3,2/75mm, Bayonet 1.
Non interchangeable focusing screen. Parallax control.
Shutter:
Synchro Compur MXV, 1 - 1/500 sec., B, X-sync.
Film: 120 for 12 exp. 6x6. Model 2 came with interchangeable counter for 12 or 24 exposures (optional).
Film Transportation: winding lever with auto stop on first exposure, exposure counter for exposures 1-12.
Dimensions: 10.0x9.9x14.2cm.
Weight: 875 grams.