Ilford Film 2018 survey

Old one connected but new one doesn't. More expense.
 
I have the Nikon 9000ed, it scans 35mm and medium format better than the Epson, in fact, its scanner resolution is not over-optimistic at 4000dpi I think from memory it's around 3900dpi, unlike my Epson v800 which if I use 2400 its real resolution is quite a bit lower. When I compare medium format scans and even 35mm using 100iso film, the Nikon outperforms by a big margin even when comparing MF and 35mm to the v800 4x5 scans, however this is not surprising considering its cost in relative terms to the Epson, it is autofocus and a dedicated film scanner, if I use the fine mode it removes the scanning lines that the 8000ed can suffer from.

I wish Nikon would start to sell their scanners again, the MF versions (9000ed) are about as good as it gets without getting into the hyper-expensive Hasselblad Flextight, and Drum scanners.

I do not need a dongle for it, it works on my Win10 machine via Firewire and works perfectly with Vuescan, I have Nikonscan 4 but its not that good for Black and White scans, its no longer supported by Nikon and has not been updated for years.

I would consider a workforce of 200 as not small, however, I was not suggesting Ilford go it alone, maybe interest from others like many companies do these days would be the way forward.

I would suggest that if it was not for Epson and the introduction of the affordable V series flatbed scanners, 4x5 photography could be in real trouble now, like it or not people do not need a darkroom to use this format nowadays, just that example reinforces the idea of new scanners = more film sales.
 
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My Nikon is excellent, too. To be honest, I've never done a strict comparison with the Epson. Perhaps I should try some 120 on the Epson, which I've never done. It might alter my opinion.
I have only Apple equipment. The Nikon software has long been unusable on a Mac and as I said, the newer iMacs have no Firewire connection, hence the dongle to convert Firewire to thunderbolt (USBC).

I've never been altogether sure of what, exactly, companies are claiming when they quote resolution figures.

Nikon employ about 25,000 people; Epson 67,000 and Tesco 182,000, so although 200 is more than a corner shop, it's not huge either.

It's an interesting thought that scanners are keeping the LF film supply alive. Making inkjet paper must be at least as profitable as darkroom paper, as coating will be a similar process and no silver is needed for inkjet papers. The last time I worked it out, printing ink was about the same price as silver, but inkjet users have to buy is separately.
 
David I did not actually say scanners were keeping 4x5 alive however it must have a big impact on 4x5 sales, inkjet printers are a part of this process after all if you cannot scan then you won’t print, wheels within wheels.
 
"Old one connected but new one doesn't."

That explains it.....my iMac is around 2011. I use my Epson V700 on firewire too, as well as the Coolscan 8000.

Most of my hardware is Apple too, but their constant changing of connectivity methods really pi$$es me off and is just a cynical way of milking the user-base.

Mike
 
Alive in the sense of helping to keep sales above the threshold where production becomes uneconomic.
My guess is that the Ilford questionnaire is designed, a least in part, to discover how their film sales are divided between wet and dry printers. Difficult to tell without asking. As a result they might decide to improve the anti-Newton properties of their films, change their advertising, or do joint promotions with Epson. A very long shot would be an Ilford scanning fluid. It's bizarre that Epson offer a holder but not the fluid. Obviously, these are just top-of-the-mind guesses and cannot be relied on.
As one of our Ians has pointed out, sales of silver papers might be threatened by a further shift to dry printing. And as the other Ian is relating, the road to wet printing is not entirely smooth, particularly after the convenience of Photoshop.
I suspect that almost everyone who comes to (serious) photography these days will come with some experience of digital manipulation, even if only on their phone. Today we can take an image, view it immediately, choose the best one of a burst, manipulate it (in some really horrible ways if we choose) and send it off to a printer across the world. We can do all this while supping a cardboard bucket of coffee. No wonder that the satisfying rituals and skills of the darkroom may seem strange at first.

Good news then, in another post, that here's a new darkroom in Leeds, with well-informed advisors at hand.

[An off-topic addendum:
I recently bought a two-volume Focal Encyclopaedia of Photography from 1958. (£3.00 each.) It tells me that the first Camera Club in Britain was formed in Leeds. Another thing for Yorkshire folk to be proud of. My grandfather told me that Leeds was the finest city in the world.]
 
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Mike,
My old Mac dated from about 2011, too. I know that the changes in connectors are irritating but so far, Apple seem to have been proved right. I remember the end-of-the-world fuss when they left off the floppy disc slot. Then, when they left off the CD slot, I bought a CD reader. I've used it twice, and that was for other people's discs. I also remember those gigantic SCSI connections, that needed bolting in place, where you had to turn any peripherals off and reboot the whole assembly in a particular order to get them to work at all.
I suspect that computers are in a slightly awkward place between (improved?) physical connectors and fully wireless systems. I rather like my full size wireless keyboard. Apple were very slow in producing that. Backlighting would have been nice. Wireless charging would be even better.
 
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I tried numerous times to access the survey on my 2012 Macbook-air since I have been a somewhat loyal user of Ilford films for some 60+years... but to no avail. All I got was a page to the "Survey Monkey" web site

Ken
 
Out of curiosity, I tried again and I've just filled it in again, slightly differently. I might have to have another go later in the week.
Rather oddly, the first page begins with: "Thank you for taking this survey."
 
I've been to Middlesbrough. It is certainly the finest city in Middlesbrough. My grandfather expressed no opinion.
Failed to travel on the Transporter Bridge, I'm afraid. One day...
 
I've been to Middlesbrough too; every day for seven years. I was at school there. I didn't live there fortunately - every cloud has a silver lining. I lived next door in the up-market metropolis of Thornaby on Tees.....
The best thing about Middlesbrough is that it is close to that large-format photographer's paradise, Paddy's Hole, on the end of the Tees estuary. Wonderful, if you like a bit of dereliction.

Alan
 
At the risk of almost getting back on topic, I should say that I have found the Epson V700 to be an excellent piece of kit. I use it for scanning 35mm, 120, 5x4, 7x5 and 10x8. I also have a Nikon Coolscan V for scanning 35mm, but the V700 does a better job, in my opinion. The Nikon really exaggerates and emphasises the grain in, say, HP5. But with scans from the V700 I can make prints that look very like wet prints from the same negatives.

Alan

Are you using Nikon scan 4 Alan. I used to use it in the early days of scanning and the exaggerated grain was awful, learnt how to use Vuescan and a massive difference in quality
 
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At the risk of almost getting back on topic, I should say that I have found the Epson V700 to be an excellent piece of kit. I use it for scanning 35mm, 120, 5x4, 7x5 and 10x8. I also have a Nikon Coolscan V for scanning 35mm, but the V700 does a better job, in my opinion. The Nikon really exaggerates and emphasises the grain in, say, HP5. But with scans from the V700 I can make prints that look very like wet prints from the same negatives.

Alan

Are you using Nikon scan 4 Alan. I used to use it in the early days of scanning and the exaggerated grain was awful, learnt how to use Vuescan and a massive difference in quality, knocks the spots of the v700.
 
Hello Martin, I have heard of Viewscan but don't know anything about it, so would appreciate some advice.
I've just had a new computer and haven't tried installing my Nikon Coolscan V on it, because eight years ago I only managed to get it installed on my last computer with the help of some especially written software.
If I installed Vuescan would it act as a driver for the scanner and enable me to use it?
Do I have to buy Viewscan or is it free?

Alan
 
VueScan worked on a Nikon Coolscan IV on a Mac. It seems to work with every scanner I've owned.
 
David, thanks for your comment. I suppose I should just give it a go....

Alan
 
There's a free trial version, so nothing to lose.
Martin may be a much better guide to how to use it, or Ian. (or Ian, of course.)
I got a copy of Silverfast with my scanner but I couldn't get used to it and I resent having to buy a whole new copy if I change my scanner. VueScan has given me free updates, for some time.
I ask: if I bought a Ford car, would I have to use Ford petrol and then change to VW petrol if I changed to a VW?
 
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