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This is a real bugger...
Posted by Richard Allnutt on Fri Feb 07, 2003 04:15:25 PM
In reply top Micro film transfer posted by Fred W on Fri Feb 07, 2003 02:08:18 PM
I have been doing this for a while, but it is a very painful and time consuming experience. The problems are three fold.
First, the microfilm is on a roll, so you need a scanner that accepts film that way.
Second you need a very high resolution scanner (2600 dpi just doesn't cut it).
Thirdly, and most importantly, the drawings on the microfilm are usually larger than the standard 35mm film exposure, often extending almost to the very edges of the film. This last problem means that none of the standard 35mm film scanners will work as their maximum scan areas are too narrow. This means that you then have to go up to a larger format negative scanner. The only one I have found that can do this, and also that has the resolution to get even the finest details scanned is the Nikon Coolscan 8000ED. However, you will need to customize their scan pallets, and sadly you will also have to cut the microfilm into single frames. The latter isn't so bad though, since you will no longer need the microfilm once you've scanned it, and even if you do, if you store it properly it can easil be put into a microfiche reader.
I went the route of the Nikon Coolscan 8000, and it has worked pretty well. It can scan up to 4000dpi, and even has an automatic scratch, dust, and finger print remover (via software... not a scrubber :)). However, it is very time consuming, and it takes about a week to scan a whole roll, and process the images in photoshop. Photoshop is pretty essential too, as many of the microfilm drawings are badly exposed, and it will require some work to clean them up a little. Photoshop is also handy from another perspective too. Since so many of the drawings were too big to capture in one microfilm image, they were often split into as many as five separate chunks (images). Photoshop will allow you to connect these chunks together rather easily so that you again have a complete drawing again. Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Richard
PS. I looked all over the place to see if there were better alternatives but came up dry... even NASM gave up on the idea!
: Does anyone out there, know the best way to make working d
: rawings off of microfilm, are there any companies that can
: transfer it to CD, any sugustions welcomed.