Roger wrote: > It sounds like you want to know how much money you > should spend on lenses (and maybe what brand) in > order to get decent scans.
Better scans, yes. The scans I get now are "decent" enough for me, but they could be better. All these terms are relative. :) > The best 35mm lens will have trouble making a really > good 11x14. The print size limit for 35 mm lenses is > therefore somewhere in that range, i.e., at least 8x10 > but not much over 11x14. See above about "relative". :) I believe you absolutely as far as a "really good" print from the point of view of a Pro photographer. But for instance I have a 30"x20" photographic print (as opposed to inkjet) at home which everyone raves about. It was printed in 1981 from ordinary Kodak 100ASA colour negative film, and taken with a Voigtlander 35mm rangefinder camera dating from about 1950. But I take your point. > It's the lens quality of a poor lens that would show up in a scan. Or other factors like aperture, camera shake etc. > You don't need to buy a Lieca lens in order to get > quality. Check out www.photodo.com for unbiased > lens test data. I was pleasantly surprised to see that some Pentax lenses rated very well on that site. I thought I might have to change cameras to get a better lens. > Rob, plan on spending a moderate amount of money on lenses (you > don't need the most expensive, simply stay away from the cheap > ones). Check out www.photodo.com before you buy a given lens. Makes sense. > Shoot the lens under optimum conditions. If only that were always possible! My photos taken from ultralights are under pretty challenging conditions - no chance of a tripod, vibration and wind buffeting, hand held... but at least the bright conditions make a high shutter speed possible! :) Again, I take your point. > Don't spend your money on a lens based on the > brand name. Good advice - there seems to be a lot of variations in lenses. > Plan on buying a 4000ppi scanner someday. By the time I can afford it maybe they'll be 6000ppi. ;) Thanks for the suggestions. Rob PS Thanks to others who have responded with their experiences of scanning and what impact the lens used has had. Rob Geraghty [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wordweb.com