Kodak Portra 400 technical data sheet
Exposure latitude, contrast, and what to expect from C-41 colour negatives.
Professional drum film scanning service in Europe
Heidelberg Tango drum scans
for film photographers.
Mail-in film scanning for 35mm, 120 / medium format, and large format. Wet mounting, high dynamic range, clean tonality, and true 16-bit TIFF delivery. Built for fine art printing, client work, and long-term archive digitising.
wescan.film provides professional drum scanning on a Heidelberg Tango for photographers who want the maximum detail the film can hold. We scan colour negative (C-41), slide film (E-6), black and white, and ECN-2 cine stocks. Your film is returned by post, and your files are delivered digitally, ready for Lightroom, Capture One, printing, and archiving.
Why drum scanning
When you need everything that’s on the film.
Drum scanning is for frames you actually care about. Fine grain, smooth tonal transitions, deep shadows, clean highlights, and files that can take real colour grading. If you plan to print large, publish, exhibit, or archive, the scan quality matters.
Wet mounting and flatness
Better focus across the frame, fewer Newton rings, fewer tiny distractions. Great for medium format and curly 35mm film.
True 16-bit TIFF headroom
More room in shadows and colour. Cleaner edits for Portra, Ektar, slide film, and dense black and white negatives.
Print-ready detail
Designed for large prints, gallery work, books, and high-resolution archive digitising where you want the film’s full texture.
If you’re comparing scan types: a basic lab scan is often fine for previews. A drum scan is for the “keeper” frames, the hero images, the negatives you want to future-proof, and the transparencies where colour and micro-contrast matter.
Why a drum scanner
What makes drum scans look different.
These aren’t marketing numbers. They’re the practical reasons a well-maintained drum scanner still sets the benchmark for high resolution film scanning, clean tonality, and dependable colour.
Resolution that holds up
A properly calibrated drum scanner can deliver a level of real resolving detail that other scanner types struggle to match, especially when you plan to print large or archive at high quality.
Shadow detail on slide film
With E-6 transparency film, deep shadows are where many scanners fall apart. Drum scanning is one of the few options that can pull usable detail and colour out of those dark areas cleanly.
Highlight recovery
Less talked about, but important: drum scans often preserve more highlight texture than you’d expect, which helps with bright skies, reflective surfaces, and high-key scenes.
Edge-to-edge sharpness
Film is mounted to an optically and geometrically flat acrylic drum. That stable mounting is what delivers consistent sharpness across the full frame, not just the centre.
Less visible dust and scratches
The mounting fluid improves optical coupling, reduces light scatter, and can visually minimise tiny dust marks while also helping to mask small surface scratches.
Clean contrast edges
Drum scans tend to render crisp edges without the “halo” look that can show up in some scanner/sharpening combinations, especially around fine details.
No chromatic fringing from optics
Lens-based scanning paths can introduce colour separation at edges. Drum scanners read the image point-by-point, which avoids that type of chromatic aberration in the capture.
Accurate colour reproduction
Pairing a drum scanner with a custom-measured, high-end colour target allows very precise profiling, giving dependable colour for both negatives and transparencies.
Colour negatives done properly
The orange mask and limited native dynamic range of C-41 colour negatives are demanding. A careful, hand-tuned drum scan and inversion can outperform automated workflows, especially on tricky lighting or dense frames.
Sample drum scan
A real file you can zoom into.
A Heidelberg Tango drum scan of a 6×7 frame shot on a Bronica GS-1 with the 100mm f/3.5 lens. Film: Kodak Portra 400, hand-held, aperture between f/4 and f/5.6.
File dimensions: 12000 × 15007 px. File size: approx 1 GB. Below you can view the full frame plus 25%, 50%, and 100% crops. Yes, you can read price labels across the river.
This example is scanned as is. No extra sharpening. No noise reduction. The goal is to show the scan size and the detail a drum scanner can pull from film grain and real-world texture.
If you want a specific output for printing, tell us your target print size and viewing distance. We can scan for the end use so you do not pay for pixels you do not need.
Formats and delivery
35mm, 120, and large format. Clean files, simple delivery.
We scan 35mm (135), 120 / medium format (6×4.5, 6×6, 6×7, 6×9), and sheet film (4×5, 5×7, 8×10). Delivery is digital. Film is returned by post. If you have a print target or DPI requirement, tell us and we’ll scan accordingly.
| Film format | Typical scan size (M) | Typical scan size (L) |
|---|---|---|
| 35mm (135) | ~4000px (short side) | ~6000px (short side) |
| 120 (6cm side) | ~8000px (short side) | ~13,000px (short side) |
| Sheet film (4×5, 5×7, 8×10) | ~8000px (short side) | ~13,000px (short side) |
M is ideal for most client work, editorial, and web use. L is best for large prints, exhibitions, dense negatives, and serious archive digitising.
How it works
A simple mail-in film scanning workflow.
Place an order, ship your film, we drum scan on the Heidelberg Tango, and you get high-bit files delivered digitally. This is a straightforward film scanning service for Europe and international clients.
01 • Choose
Pick frames and scan size (M/L). Tell us if you want full borders, uncropped 120, or 35mm sprockets.
02 • Ship
Pack film securely in a small box. Add your contact details inside the parcel. Post or courier both work.
03 • Drum scan
Typical turnaround is 1–2 weeks depending on the queue. If you have a deadline, message first.
04 • Deliver
You receive true 16-bit TIFF files (Dropbox by default). Your film is returned by post.
05 • Edit and print
Files are ready for Lightroom, Capture One, fine art printing, publication, and long-term archiving workflows.
Negative conversion
Scan as positive. Convert with taste.
All film is scanned as a positive. Slide film delivers colour as it exists on the film. Colour negatives and black and white negatives need conversion. You can convert yourself, or we can convert for you.
Option A • Scan only
We deliver the original scan files as 16-bit TIFF in Lab color space. Ideal if you already have a workflow, film profiles, or you want full control of colour and contrast.
Option B • We convert
We convert your negatives using Negative Lab Pro. Delivered files are 16-bit TIFF in ProPhoto RGB. Great if you want a clean starting point with a consistent look.
Processing fee
Converting takes time and attention. Please add a 25% processing fee. We do not batch process.
What this means
Negative conversion is not just “invert and done”. Film base, exposure, colour casts, and scene lighting all matter. That’s why we keep it deliberate and adjustable.
We use Negative Lab Pro because the results are clean, consistent, and easy to fine-tune. If you prefer to convert yourself, we’re happy to deliver scan-only files and let you take control.
Negative conversion samples
Three quick references for colour and tone.
Examples of converted negatives. These are references, not a single “correct” look. Film conversion is a matter of taste.
Lab + film scans
Develop your film, then choose how you scan.
We partnered with a pro lab with 30 years of experience serving professional photographers. Processing: C-41, E-6, B&W for 35mm and 120, plus ECN-2 for cine films. If your goal is drum scanning, this saves time and keeps the workflow clean.
We do not offer develop-only service. Our focus is high-end film scanning and drum scans. That’s why we offer two routes: develop + a basic Noritsu scan to pick frames, or develop + drum scan the whole roll.
If you shoot lots of film and want consistent results across different stocks, this setup works well for editorial, weddings, studio, and archive projects.
Develop + Basic Noritsu scan (2000×3000px)
Use this to review the roll and choose frames for Heidelberg Tango drum scanning.
| Process | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| C-41 | 15 EUR | Develop + basic Noritsu scan (2000×3000px) |
| E-6 / ECN-2 | 20 EUR | Develop + basic Noritsu scan (2000×3000px) |
| B&W | 20 EUR | Develop + basic Noritsu scan (2000×3000px) |
Develop + Drum scan all film
Size L adds 25% because it takes longer per frame. Even when scanning a full roll, each frame is scanned and treated separately.
| Format | Scan size | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 35mm (36 exp) | Size M | 190 EUR |
| 120 | Size M | 140 EUR |
Archive digitising
High-volume film scanning for archives.
If you have a film archive to scan, especially high volume work, get in touch. Tell us the amount of film, the type and condition, and your required output.
Send a sample batch and we’ll agree on pricing and timeframe. Archive digitising takes time if you want it done properly, especially with mixed formats, damaged film, or old colour negatives.
FAQ
Quick answers before you ship your film.
If something is unusual (odd sizes, damaged film, dense negatives, specific colour targets), message us and we’ll tell you what’s realistic.
What files do I receive from drum scanning? 16-bit tiff
Standard delivery is true 16-bit TIFF files via Dropbox. If you need a different delivery method, tell us before scanning.
Do you scan negatives and slide film? yes
Yes. We scan colour negatives, black and white negatives, and slide film (E-6). Slide film is scanned as a positive.
Do you offer negative conversion? optional
Yes. Scan-only negatives are delivered as 16-bit TIFF in Lab colour space. If we convert using Negative Lab Pro,
we deliver 16-bit TIFF in ProPhoto RGB. Conversion adds a 25% processing fee because we do not batch process.
How long is drum scan turnaround? 1–2 weeks
Typical turnaround is 1–2 weeks depending on the queue. If you have a deadline, message first and we’ll confirm timing.
Can you scan full frames or include sprockets? tell us
Yes, but tell us in advance. For 120, we can avoid cropping. For 35mm, sprockets are doable if requested ahead of time.
Is there a minimum order for drum scanning? €50
Yes. Drum scanning is hands-on and time intensive, so the minimum order is €50.
Resources
Trusted references (not other scanning labs).
If you want to check film behaviour, density, and colour workflow, these are the links we send clients to. They’re practical references for drum scanning, slide film, and negative conversion.
Fujifilm Provia 100F data sheet
A solid reference for E-6 slide film, including shadows and highlights.
ILFORD technical data sheets
B&W film datasheets (HP5, Delta, FP4 and more) in one place.
Negative Lab Pro conversion guide
Useful if you order scan-only files and prefer to convert negatives yourself.
Capture One system requirements
Worth checking if you’re editing big 16-bit TIFF scans.
Want a scan-size recommendation?
Tell us your film stock and final use (web, editorial, print size, archive). We’ll suggest a sensible scan size.
