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I know this was already answer on Facebook, but for the record Photo Mechanic 6 works fine on Catalina. It STILL doesn’t support the HEIC file format, but it will run on Catalina (Mac OS 10.15).
This is one of the most challenging aspects of the work we do and it won’t be realistic for me to respond to all your questions in a forum post. I will mention a few general things that might help:
- When you’re starting out work on time and materials. Until you’ve done a lot of work, are efficient at what you do, and can accurately measure and estimate your throughput any various tasks you’ll under-estimate the job, lose your shirt, and possibly conclude this isn’t a viable business. I assure you it is, but protect yourself up front and don’t offer fixed project pricing until you have more experience.
- For unit rates such as scanning just estimate the number and ask for half the total as a down payment. Then tell the client you’ll “true up” when that phase is complete. That way you both have skin in the take from the beginning and you have leverage to get paid when you’re done. The only exception to this is when the estimate is way off. I recently had a client hand over what she thought was 12,000 negatives to scan. As I got into the project I realized it was more like 20,000. So instead of surprising her with a balance due invoice that was almost 70% higher than she expected I got her permission before proceeding. I never want to surprise my clients with a big invoice, so I set expectations along the way.
The difference between the two Canon 100mm macro lenses are mostly: the L version has better weather sealing (doesn’t matter for copy stand work) and better and faster autofocus. The standard 100 macro is a really solid lens and optically I can’t really tell the difference. The price difference us usually about $100, but right not it’s a bigger difference of about $300.
Another option, if you plan to stick with an APS-C camera is the EFS 60mm macro. Optically it’s a solid lens for less than $400. The downside is that if you upgrade one day to a full-frame sensor you won’t be able to use that lens anymore.
I would NOT recommend the 50mm with extension tubes. I’ve shot with all three of the 50mm lenses from Canon and they’re great for portraits, but not suitable for camera scanning due to lens distortion and softness in the corners. That doesn’t matter for a portrait when the subject is near the middle of the frame, but it matters a lot for camera scanning.
Launch Apple Photos and press and hold the Command and Option keys to invoke a secret repair command.
Here’s a low-res sample of a random scan of 35mm color neg. It’s been edited only with a basic inversion, and resixed to be under the 1MB file size limit of the new forum. The full-size JPEG is 10X larger and the camera raw file is 100x larger. Does this help?
I don’t attempt to do precise estimates because it takes so long and I find clients would prefer I spend time scanning and organizing instead of counting. The gathering guide I send clients includes estimating tools like ~100 photo prints in a 1-inch stack and ~20 slides in a 1-inch stack. All I want is a rough ballpark to get started.
A practical example is a new client that estimated her content for me. I ballparked the project cost at $6k and asked for a downpayment of half that, at $3k. That way I have incentive to finish the project and get paid in full, and I have all her photos and she needs to pay me to get them all organized and back. So we both have “skin in the game.”
If the project comes in under $6k then the client will “true up” for the difference. If the project seems to be on track to be over $6k I’d inform the client and get their approval to go past the estimate. If the project takes multiple months I invoice monthly so my cash flow is steady and I’m paid as I go.
Hope that helps!
Sorry for the slow response, I’m still getting a hang of this new forum. If you have clients who are pre-sorting their photos before you scan and organize them, then I think this course that Laura and I created would really help: https://www.photoorganizers.academy/courses/easy-index-scanning-workflow
You could supply pre-printed cards to the client (the course includes a PDF template) or they could just use index cards and right down the required information per your instructions.
This film holder is not designed for this Lightbox, but because APS film is smaller than 35mm film, I knew I could just set it on top of the opening and make it work. For those who are considering camera scanning, two of the most important ingredients to success (aside from getting the right camera, lens, and light) are:
- Setting up a rig where the media handling is fast and consistent. This helps minimize your post-processing and ensures your workflow is profitable.
- Masking all light except for the light coming through the negative or slide. This includes stray light from the sides of the film as well as ambient light in the room. Minimizing that stray light can significantly improve the results of your camera scanning.
Hope that helps!
Your update leads me to think my first suggestion might be closer to the problem. If you have three hard drives that won’t work on the same computer then I’d suspect the computer more than the hard drives. I would try a different port, a different user on the same computer, or a different computer and see if they work better.
If that helps then I think the problem is with your computer, not with your hard drives.
I’ve had plenty of hard drives get flaky and die over time, but in 30+ years of heavy computer use I’ve never had a drive that was brand new and damaged. I’m sure its possible, but I’d expect something else like a damaged port on your computer or a bad cable. It could also be a corrupt file that is interrupting the file copy.
You didn’t mention any specific error messages, so it’s hard to be more specific. If the issue persists I’d try to work with a local tech expert you trust to diagnose the root of the problem.
Good points, Marci. In my contract and my messaging I strongly emphasize privacy, confidentiality, and integrity in how I handle client materials.
My OCD wouldn’t like the inconsistency, but you’d have to ask the client if it bugs them.
On one hand I agree that people don’t usually search for filenames, especially if the metadata is good, but I don’t agree it has to take many many hours. Two options:
- Rename an entire year of photos YYYY-MM-DD_SmithFamilyArchive_0001.jpg, etc. Better than nothing and literally takes a few seconds.
- I use Lightroom Classic to rename all files by batch, and their parent folder. With some macro software and Lightroom I can do that in literally one second per folder. That means that even for a years of photos with hundreds of subfolders, renaming a year of photos takes less than five minutes.
Do either of those approaches sound helpful?
If you plan to scan prints then you’ll need a few things in addition to the macro lens and camera:
- A way to support your camera. Your tripod might work if you can attach a horizontal boom arm and face the camera lens down on a table. Alternatively you’ll want to consider a copystand, which will be more stable and probably take up less space.
- Light sources: I suggest two LED light panels at 45° and opposite sides of your staging area.
- Piece of museum glass a little bigger than your biggest print size. This is an easy way to keep your photos flat for camera scanning.
- Regarding the ideal aperture, it depends. Each lens is different and it can require some trial and error. When in doubt I’d start at f8, but here’s an easy test you can try. Put a crisp new dollar bill under a piece of glass and shoot the same part of the dollar bill with different apertures. Then view those images at actual size (100% view in an image editor) and see which one is the sharpest. Make sure you compare the edges and corners, not just the center of the image. It’s a cheap and easy way to find the sharpest aperture on your lens.
Does that help?
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