Scanning negatives - odd sizes

[jeffneedham]

I'm trying to scan some odd sized negatives with my flatbed scanner. I've made a few pinhole cameras that make some strange results. They're too big to fit in the negative scanner accessories that came with my Epson Perfection 1250?

Should I use some kind of backing? Any ideas would help.

[rbarker]

My suggestion would be to try placing them emulsion-side down on the glass, and make your own hold-down frame from matte board. You'll need to flip the image in your image editor, but the result is usually sharper with the emulsion down. Newton's rings are usually not a problem that way, as well.

[sanking]

My suggestion would be to try placing them emulsion-side down on the glass, and make your own hold-down frame from matte board. You'll need to flip the image in your image editor, but the result is usually sharper with the emulsion down. Newton's rings are usually not a problem that way, as well.

I second Ralph's suggestion. What you may want to do is cut out a holder from matte board to the exact outside dimensions of another of your holders and then cut a frame in the middle that corresponds to the size the negative you wish to scan. The outside dimension is often important in allowing the scanner to calibrate the light, though I don't know your scanner and don't know for sure if this will make any difference for your work.

In any event I get the best results by scanning with the emulsion side down, which may or may not require rotating the image later on, depending on whether you are making a direct print or digital negative.

BTW, this topic should be in the gray sub-forum under alternative photography. Someone will complain about it being here sooner or later if the moderators don't move it.

Sandy

[Donald Qualls]

What I do with my odd negatives (the 35x60 mm with sprocket holes, for instance, and the 6x11 cm 120 from a converted 616 camera) is to simply lay them on the scanner glass with the scanner set up for 8x10 transparent originals. Works great, and pinhole negatives (at least) I don't scan at high enough resolution for Newton rings to be a big problem -- usually 600 ppi, instead of the 2400 ppi I apply for 35 mm up to 6x9 cm lens images.

[jeffneedham]

Thanks for all of the help. Time to get to work and try some of these ideas.