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My lab scans came back soft and grainy, so I bought a $90 flatbed and now I shoot less, help me settle this
Last month I dropped off 4 rolls of Portra 400 at a lab in Denver and paid $18 a roll for scans that came back soft and full of grain. So I grabbed a $90 Epson flatbed and started scanning at home, and yeah the files are sharper, but now I spend 2 hours per roll fiddling with sliders instead of shooting. My buddy says lab scans keep you out of the computer and that is the whole point of film, and honestly he might be onto something. But I keep looking at my home scans and thinking they blow the lab ones away, so which side are you on? Do you pay for scans or do it yourself, and what made you pick one?
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bettymurphy1d ago
This is the same trap as people who buy a nice espresso machine and then spend every morning weighing beans and timing shots. They wanted good coffee, not a new hobby. Your buddy has a point about lab scans keeping you out of the computer, but the lab ones being soft and grainy is a real problem you should not just eat. Maybe split it: shoot more and only scan the frames you actually care about at home, let the lab handle the boring stuff. Spending 2 hours a roll on sliders is time you could be outside with the camera.
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