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Sis just came across several old family picture negatives from the 1800s and I am trying to find a way to get them developed without sending the negatives away.
Is there a way to scan or something she or I could do on our own computer to accomplish that task?
Cross posting in "off subject and humor"
Thanks all
Bob
My Canon scanner (CanoScan 5600F)has a plastic gizmo that holds either slides or 35mm negatives for scanning. I suppose you could scan larger negatives as well once you get the hang of it. The results are very good, and most of the photo programs that come with scanners or that came loaded on your computer will allow you to touch up photos that are faded, over or underexposed, etc. We have found a scanner a generally handy thing to have, and they're not overly expensive for what you get. You can scan B&W and color photos, documents (I've emailed a few old instruction sheets to board members), and just use it for a copier.
I think I would go to an old fashioned photography studio (one that still has film equipment) and see if they could devlope prints from your negatives.
If you can get an older photographer interested in your project, you might be better off than trying to scan the negatives.
Robert
My Microtek scanner will do them also it takes some time but you can get good results if the negatives are clean. I have also scanned slide film and that old Kodacrome ASA 25 is amazing you can zoom to the finest details in it only problem is it will use up a hard drive quick in maximum resolution.
Hey, I'm actually a darkroom guy (hence my moniker darkroommike) and love to make real prints in the darkroom (and it's actually quite a bit like handloading) but when I get legacy negatives from the inlaws and outlaws I scan them and make digital prints, this also yields digital "negatives" we can use on the future family website, etc. and everyone gets a disc of images for Xmas. My scanner is an Epson 1640SU, long discontinued, with a negative scanner attachment that replaces the standard lid. My personal best results occur when I tell the scanner software to scan the black and white negative as a color positive (slide) which I then fiddle into a black and white positive print in Photoshop. It also gives me an opportunity to repair any slight damage the negative might have received over the years and adjust for bad exposure, etc. I have successfully scanned negatives over 50 years old and made excellent wall sized prints using this method.
Bob, since you aren't close to Iowa I'd suggest you look up an old local photo shop, not one in a box store. The old shop is likely to be able to print from the negs or be able to scan them electronically. Any old shop that is still around has to be updated to have survived. They are also likely to have a photo artist on staff or know one who can do what Mike suggests.
See if a local camera club or college knows people that still do traditional darkroom work. If the negatives are 4x5 inches or smaller there shouldn't be a problem in getting them enlarged directly (i.e. without scanning) in a wet darkroom. There are still some of us "filmasaurus'" around that still do black and white as well as color darkroom work and I am sure that you could find someone that could print them for you. Your local high school or community college may still have a darkroom that is up and running. Some larger cities have commercial rental darkrooms (for instance Denver has at least 3 outfits with either rental darkrooms or darkroom classes) and they could be helpfull, especially if they had the opportunity to print negatives that are over 100 years old. Another source of information could be your local historical museum since their displays may be using photographs that are that old.
I am a photographer and scan negatives to make digital prints all the time. My advice is to call around your local area and find someone who can scan your negatives for you and then print from the scans. Try camera shops and if that doesn't work look up some local professional photographers. Any local camera club should be able to help you out too.
My niece recently took a class at the local community college - they took B&W pics with old school manual setting 35's and developed 'em. Maybe go by tyhe local college and work a deal with the prof ?