Is this a negative, or a tintype? The image on the latter is probably too light to scan.
Any flatbed scanner with a transparency adapter should work. Resolution is not a major issue with 4×5 negatives because of its size. 300 dpi in the final print size is normally all that is required. An Epson 2450 (or 3200) would be an inexpensive choice of scanners.
You don’t want to put the emulsion in direct contact with the glass bed, because it might get scratched. Putting any flat surface in direct contact will also result in Newton’s rings, which are hard to remove later. Make a mask which will support the negative at the edges, off the glass. Focus should not be a problem up to 0.5mm (1.5mm for the Epson 2450).
Software is an issue. Epson software doesn’t work well for photographic-quality scanning. Most people use SilverFast AI or Vuescan.
Scan at full bit-depth, which is 14 bits/channel for the Epson 2450. 8-bit scans do not have sufficient resolution for B&W, and will look contrasty and posterized. It helps to combine multiple scans to reduce noise in the dense areas. SilverFast has a multiple-scan option.
Some people have better luck scanning as a positive, then using Photoshop to invert the image. Scanning in RGB then converting to gray scale in Photoshop sometimes works better than scanning directly in gray scale. wrote in message
I have an old silver glass negative that I want to scan? Any advice? Do
you know if a regular flatbed scanner will damage the negative? The size of the negative is 4×5 inches.