Scanning XPan Negatives

The Hasselblad XPan is one of my favorite cameras. In fact, many of my scanner purchase decisions have been influenced by being able to scan XPan images quickly and, also when needed, at the highest quality. If your budget is limited, a modern flatbed scanner such as the Epson V600 or its derivatives will do a good enough job; however, you can do better.

My current workflow involves using a fast Pakon F335 scanner for quick scans, including creating contact sheets. The Pakon can scan a roll of 35mm film in about a minute. The quality is quite decent as well, certainly more than adequate for web display, and is good enough to make 8×20″ prints.

Pakon scan. Excellent quality for the speed.

For the highest quality scans, I use the Flextight 848. Although the web images do not show much difference, when comparing actual prints – even with the smaller 8×20″ size – there is no comparison. A Flextight XPan scan can easily print up to 4 feet wide.

Flextight Scan, notice the richer tonal range.

I can help you make your own XPan experience even better by scanning your negatives properly. For info, please see my scanning services page on this site: http://richardman.photo/scanning-developing-services. For ease of reference, I have purchased the domain http://xpanscanning.com, which (for now), redirects to that page. Send me your negatives and see how great your images will look.

Contact Sheet from the Pakon