Best C41 for scanning?

Richard_D · Joined: 21 Oct 2007 Posts: 2378 Location: Faversham Kent UK

Any C41's that scan particularly well (will cope with a commercial lab)?

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

Colour or BW?

If BW, I have had excellent experiences with Kodak BW400CN.

Laurence · Expire: 2016-06-19

Some months ago, I would have said "avoid C41 for scanning, either in color or black and white"....because I personally had some problems with the scan feeling "flat" on C41 BCN400, and then seeming to be "faded" with Kodacolor II (which is kind of "old" anyway).

But now...after seeing Carsten's (LucisPictor's) beautiful black and whites from in-the-lab scanning -- well, I would have to say that you get stunning results. Or...I would say that HE got stunning results, which is partly the lab and mostly the photographer himself.

So...you know I think it's ALL a chess game. I think that there are so many variables that it is almost impossible to differentiate one film type over another. Not to mention the variability of all of our subjective opinions when viewing a digital scan or print.

I would say it looks like "trial and error" until you see what you like...and THAT has certainly been said before... Very Happy

montecarlo · Joined: 04 Apr 2007 Posts: 1865 Location: Romania

Hello,

Usually the less grain has the film, less grainy will be the scanned image. Film has more grain if its more sensitive to light heaving a greater ISO number.
I like for scanning Kodak ProFoto 100, Kodak Gold 200 (see my Vienna/Wien series for these two, but not only Smile

), Fujicolor 100 and surprisingly FujiFilm X-TRA Superia 400 which has a pretty fine grain for a 400 film.
Now I bought a box of FujiFilm Reala 100. I'll see how it behaves. I would like to try B&W film but nor Kodak BW400CN nor Ilford XP2 is marketed here and the prices on ebay or online stores are too high (and I must add transport).

Richard_D · Joined: 21 Oct 2007 Posts: 2378 Location: Faversham Kent UK

Thanks folks, my first choice for C41 would have been Kodak Extar (preferably 25, but the 100 would have been okay) but that seems to have long disappeared. I tried Kodak Gold 200 and wasn't that impressed, grain seemed quite course and uneven for a moderate speed film.

I haven't tried chromogenic B&W since XP1 so might be worth a play...

Richard_D · Joined: 21 Oct 2007 Posts: 2378 Location: Faversham Kent UK

Popped into my local camera shop and it doesn't stock the 400 BCN, only XP2 in B&W C41. Anyway as it's forecast for a sunny weekend I thought I'd give Reala a try. Time to find out how accurate the shutter on the S1a is and how accurate my exposure guessing is these days Smile