Mastering Digital Scanning with Slides, Film, and Transparencies Reviews

• Nothing Here

  
  By A1FT45BBIT9RFK on 2004-02-07
  This book may be of some use to a complete beginner but there is nothing here for someone seeking information about making scans from difficult transparencies. There are, for example, chapters about expensive soft ware packages without information about why one would need them. There is more useful information on scanning in a few pages of Tom Ang's Advanced Digital Photography than in this entire book.
  
  

• Exactly what I was looking for in this book

  
  By A1PT9Z2XNXQ01G on 2004-04-11
  I had some experience in scanning slides and negs, but this book helped me a lot. It had exactly what I was looking for in terms of information, explanations, tricks, techniques, and background material. I believe this is the only book being sold that is dedicated to film and slide scanning for the "average Joe" so anyone who wants to improve their scans should look no further.
  
  

• Mastering is a misleading title for this book

  
  By A2LBCULYQQIVVS on 2005-08-01
  If you know nothing about scanning slides, film, or transparencies, then this book may be of some help in introducing terminology and some techniques. Or if you are a purely artistic photographer, with no computer facility, then this book can help.
  
  However, if you have done some scanning and understand the basics, then there is likely to be little here of value. The book has a lot of pages and is well organized, but each chapter falls well short of providing the in-depth knowledge required for mastery, despite the cutesie congratulatory message at the end of each chapter. If you have an analytical or engineering mindset, and wish to learn useful details of the scanning process, then save your money, this book is not for you.
  
  

• Best scanning book I've seen.

  
  By on 2004-03-20
  I'm an experienced 35mm photographer switching to digital scanning, and I found this book to be the perfect complement to my scanner's rather basic instruction manual. In a clear and straightforward manner, it addresses a wide multitude of scanning situations, from the most basic to the most complex. Each of the things you need to know is concisely explained and extremely well illustrated in a most logical progression of sections. The table of contents and index are wonderfully comprehensive and make finding what you want as simple as possible. I'm very pleased that all of the illustrations were are color. All in all, this book is most highly recommended for both the beginner and advanced scanner users.
  
  

• Missing a lot of Information

  
  By A6W0QDHXY8EQJ on 2005-09-08
  I hate to write negative comments but I was truly disappointed in this book. Granted, I know a few things about scanning but this book didn't provide any further inside than what is commonly known about scanning.
  
  What about film formats, considerations for resolution calculation, where to make the adjustments (scanner or photo editor) in order to get the best quality? What about when to use higher than 8 bit scans for reflective or transparencies, how to handle and clean film the best, scanner color management, etc.? There are so many other scanning questions that I have that were not touched in any way. I would have called this book "Basic digital Imaging from film history through digital image output"
  
  I have to say that I really liked the background information on traditional film but was very disappointed that there was so little about digital scanning and so much about photo editing, 3rd party vendors, image publishing, and other non-scanning topics.
  
  There are better books out there if you just look for a good all-round book about digital photography.
  
  
• Comprehensive look at film and negative capture
  By on 2004-03-27
  This is an excellent introduction to capturing digital images of transparencies and negatives, but it also serves as a valuable resource for the more experienced worker. It includes everything you wanted to know about this topic, and quite a few things you did not know you needed to understand, so I'd say this was a very comprehensive book. I can't recommend it highly enough to everyone interested in scanning.
  
  
• Great introduction to film scanning!
  By on 2004-03-18
  Wonderful book. Lots of solid information about scanning slides and negatives, well presented, good illustrations, plenty of ideas on what to do with your scans. Anyone who wants to learn more about scanning can't go wrong with this book. Tells about scanning with both flatbed scanners and film scanners, and I own both, so this worked for me. I've been scanning for more than a year now, and still managed to learn some valuable tips. It helped me get improved results.
  
  
• Very good scanning book.
  By A2KQW61XLN5BRH on 2004-02-20
  I looked all over for a book about scanning slides and was very glad to find this one. It had all the info I needed and was very easy to understand. This book is good for beginners and intermediate readers, because it contains both good introductory material as well as more advanced tips and tricks to help you get the best quality scans from your film.

  I liked the software recommendations and description of how film scanning works. I was able to get better results scanning slides with both my Nikon film scanner and Epson flatbed scanner after I read this book. Thanks for a great book.
  
  

• If you buy only one book on film scanning, this should be it
  By A7SSE1NHGTRL7 on 2005-06-18
  Actually, this is the only book on film scanning, and it's a good one. The author covers all the bases in its 13 chapters, and answers the key questions for all levels of readers, from beginners to photographers and artists. Several chapters are devoted to basics, others cover getting the best scans, while additional chapters provide information on alternative methods, such as using an outside scanning service. There's even a section on improving your scans with image editors. Quite comprehensive!
  
  
• Definitive book on scanning transparencies and negatives!
  By on 2004-02-09
  Wow! Finally a whole book devoted just to scanning film. Everybody knows that scanning slides and negatives is more demanding than scanning prints, so a guide to this variety of scanning has been sorely needed. This book has several strengths. First, it covers scanning film with both dedicated film scanners and flatbed scanners, so those of us who can't afford a more expensive slide scanner can learn how to make the most of their present equipment. Second, it provides lots of information on optimizing scans, working with difficult originals, and correcting scans. It's also in full color, so you can see exactly the effects the author is talking about.

  I especially liked the software discussion. I learned about programs like SilverFast and VueScan why I might want each one. Based on the author's recommendation, I went with VueScan, because it costs only $79 and works with my Minolta DualScan III film scanner. I was sick of finding only a few pages on scanning film in most of the digital photography or scanning books I bought, so this meaty book proved to be very satisfying.

  Thanks for finally giving us a book about scanning film. It's been long overdue.
  
  

• Full of useful information
  By on 2004-02-18
  I don't know why there wasn't a book about scanning film before this one. Scanning film is definitely not like scanning prints, and I've been looking long and hard for a book that understood this. I've been scanning slides with my flatbed scanner for a long time, and after reading this book I learned how to improve my scans. Now I'm thinking about getting a dedicated slide scanner. Everything I needed to know to choose one was right in here. The color pictures were great. The author obviously understands this topic well.
  
  
• Overpriced Padding
  By A27YGJ7F4U8OGN on 2005-06-03
  This is a book with 13 chapters, three of which are directly connected to mastering film scanning, the rest is padding. The front end of the book rambles about the basics of photography and the back end is about using image enhancement software like Photoshop. And this in a book the publisher calls "The Photographer's and Artist's Guide to High-Quality Digital Scanning." If it's aimed at photographers and artists, why all the copy devoted to basics? Chapter 7 is devoted to sending your film to someone else to do the scanning. A whole chapter telling you how to send your film out to a lab in a book titled "Mastering Digital Scanning with Slides, Film and Transparencies"? There is even a chapter on how to copy slides without a scanner, not what you'd expect in a high priced [$39.99USD]book allegedly about mastering scanning film. The book contains a lot of interesting information and the author obviously knows the subject, but there's an awful lot of filler between the covers. This book should be half the size and half the price.
  
  
• Mastering scanner stuff buying
  By A1Q3LKSFG7PTA4 on 2006-10-15
  This book should have been called "What can you buy if you are thinking about playing with scanner", and it is good at that. It does not tell you much about scanning, it is more about buying equipment, and possibly software related to scanning. Just think about it: There is a chapter "Where to buy", and a chapter "Buying on ebay". There is no chapter "Do this if you miss shadow detail", though. This book is aimed at a high school student who is doing his/her first steps with a film camera and wants to get those pictures into the computer (is there such a person these days?) The book even mentions cross processing. No, it does not say what should you do if you need to scan a cross-processed film. It just says that you can process your film in the wrong developer and it will affect the image on the film.
  I was greatly impressed by the chapter on sending off your slides for scanning. Well you definetly need a book to tell you that you can do that, and it greatly improves your scanning skills
  If I had a chance to look at the book at the local store I would not ever buy it. Now it goes back to Amazon.
  
  
• Answers questions you'd never think to ask
  By ABD22HCT0QO6X on 2005-08-27
  Remarkably thorough, covering even the chemical and physical characteristics of film, the nature of digital scanning, pros and cons of various types of scanners, selection , scanning technique and image manipulation. Personable, non-condescending style for both rank amateurs and photographic pros. Does not contribute much to the problems of labeling, indexing and retrieval of complex subjects among large numbers of images.
  
  
• Thorough but general and basic: not a book of tutorials about scanning film
  By A1OWHVRJGKEN6I on 2006-09-11
  There is plenty of good information in this book, but none of it was particularly helpful to me.
  
  I agree with the reviewer who said that "there is nothing here for someone seeking information about making scans from difficult transparencies". I've been scanning film off and on for several years. I was expecting/hoping for much more information of that kind of when I bought the book.
  
  Anyone interested in this subject should spend some time looking through this book in a bookstore rather than just buying it online and hoping for the best, to see if it really meets your expectations or needs.
  
  

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