Scans from Frontier

Hi,

I got terrible scans from my favorite lab. Photo with marine sunset has
incredible noise... I have printed the same frame 10x15sm (~5x7in),
it was perfect. Exposure is good. So I scanned this frame in the same
lab (Frontier machine) and then printed it as 21x30sm (~8x12in). Scanned
image has resolution 3543 x 2515 pixels.
I have never seen such noise, at the scan and at printed image.

So I have question - is it result of bad work in the lab (some scanner
properties should be changed?) or such photos has some potential ability
to be so noisy or grainy? Can anybody give me some suggestions?

Thanks,
V

Volodymyr Sadovyy wrote:

Hi,

I got terrible scans from my favorite lab. Photo with marine sunset has
incredible noise... I have printed the same frame 10x15sm (~5x7in),
it was perfect. Exposure is good. So I scanned this frame in the same
lab (Frontier machine) and then printed it as 21x30sm (~8x12in). Scanned
image has resolution 3543 x 2515 pixels.
I have never seen such noise, at the scan and at printed image.

So I have question - is it result of bad work in the lab (some scanner
properties should be changed?) or such photos has some potential ability
to be so noisy or grainy? Can anybody give me some suggestions?

Thanks,
V

Since you say scans, I presume you are using film negatives and not digital,
so I think you are talking about film grain rather than noise, which is more
digital terminology. If so, then probably for some reason your negative is
excessively grainy. What film, and what ISO did you use for the shot? A
10x15cm print is close to 6x4 inch; 5x7 inch equates to 13x18cm. An optical
print at 10x15cm may not show much grain due to the lesser enlargement, and
may well be just slightly out of focus, further hiding grain, so it isn't a
good reference for judging a larger print. Frontier scans are pretty good,
I have had 20x30cm prints from Fuji 200 ISO that are practically grainless
from a Frontier, so my first move would be to check the negative with a good
magnifier Have you had other prints from a Frontier that were ok?

Colin.

Volodymyr Sadovyy wrote:

Hi,

I got terrible scans from my favorite lab. Photo with marine sunset has
incredible noise... I have printed the same frame 10x15sm (~5x7in),
it was perfect. Exposure is good. So I scanned this frame in the same
lab (Frontier machine) and then printed it as 21x30sm (~8x12in). Scanned
image has resolution 3543 x 2515 pixels.
I have never seen such noise, at the scan and at printed image.

So I have question - is it result of bad work in the lab (some scanner
properties should be changed?) or such photos has some potential ability
to be so noisy or grainy? Can anybody give me some suggestions?

Thanks,
V

Since you say scans, I presume you are using film negatives and not digital,
so I think you are talking about film grain rather than noise, which is more
digital terminology. If so, then probably for some reason your negative is
excessively grainy. What film, and what ISO did you use for the shot? A
10x15cm print is close to 6x4 inch; 5x7 inch equates to 13x18cm. An optical
print at 10x15cm may not show much grain due to the lesser enlargement, and
may well be just slightly out of focus, further hiding grain, so it isn't a
good reference for judging a larger print. Frontier scans are pretty good,
I have had 20x30cm prints from Fuji 200 ISO that are practically grainless
from a Frontier, so my first move would be to check the negative with a good
magnifier Have you had other prints from a Frontier that were ok?

Colin.

Since you say scans, I presume you are using film negatives and not digital,
so I think you are talking about film grain rather than noise, which is more
digital terminology. If so, then probably for some reason your negative is
excessively grainy. What film, and what ISO did you use for the shot? A
10x15cm print is close to 6x4 inch; 5x7 inch equates to 13x18cm. An optical
print at 10x15cm may not show much grain due to the lesser enlargement, and
may well be just slightly out of focus, further hiding grain, so it isn't a
good reference for judging a larger print. Frontier scans are pretty good,
I have had 20x30cm prints from Fuji 200 ISO that are practically grainless
from a Frontier, so my first move would be to check the negative with a good
magnifier Have you had other prints from a Frontier that were ok?

Colin.


Hm.. I have used Agfa Optima 400. Maybe it is really film grain. I have
printed in this lab many photos before and in most cases prints were fine.

I'll print this shot with optical machine to compare results.

Since you say scans, I presume you are using film negatives and not digital,
so I think you are talking about film grain rather than noise, which is more
digital terminology. If so, then probably for some reason your negative is
excessively grainy. What film, and what ISO did you use for the shot? A
10x15cm print is close to 6x4 inch; 5x7 inch equates to 13x18cm. An optical
print at 10x15cm may not show much grain due to the lesser enlargement, and
may well be just slightly out of focus, further hiding grain, so it isn't a
good reference for judging a larger print. Frontier scans are pretty good,
I have had 20x30cm prints from Fuji 200 ISO that are practically grainless
from a Frontier, so my first move would be to check the negative with a good
magnifier Have you had other prints from a Frontier that were ok?

Colin.


Hm.. I have used Agfa Optima 400. Maybe it is really film grain. I have
printed in this lab many photos before and in most cases prints were fine.

I'll print this shot with optical machine to compare results.

Since you say scans, I presume you are using film negatives and not digital,
so I think you are talking about film grain rather than noise, which is more
digital terminology. If so, then probably for some reason your negative is
excessively grainy. What film, and what ISO did you use for the shot? A
10x15cm print is close to 6x4 inch; 5x7 inch equates to 13x18cm. An optical
print at 10x15cm may not show much grain due to the lesser enlargement, and
may well be just slightly out of focus, further hiding grain, so it isn't a
good reference for judging a larger print. Frontier scans are pretty good,
I have had 20x30cm prints from Fuji 200 ISO that are practically grainless
from a Frontier, so my first move would be to check the negative with a good
magnifier Have you had other prints from a Frontier that were ok?

Colin.


Hm.. I have used Agfa Optima 400. Maybe it is really film grain. I have
printed in this lab many photos before and in most cases prints were fine.

I'll print this shot with optical machine to compare results.

Since you say scans, I presume you are using film negatives and not digital,
so I think you are talking about film grain rather than noise, which is more
digital terminology. If so, then probably for some reason your negative is
excessively grainy. What film, and what ISO did you use for the shot? A
10x15cm print is close to 6x4 inch; 5x7 inch equates to 13x18cm. An optical
print at 10x15cm may not show much grain due to the lesser enlargement, and
may well be just slightly out of focus, further hiding grain, so it isn't a
good reference for judging a larger print. Frontier scans are pretty good,
I have had 20x30cm prints from Fuji 200 ISO that are practically grainless
from a Frontier, so my first move would be to check the negative with a good
magnifier Have you had other prints from a Frontier that were ok?

Colin.


Hm.. I have used Agfa Optima 400. Maybe it is really film grain. I have
printed in this lab many photos before and in most cases prints were fine.

I'll print this shot with optical machine to compare results.