New to DLSR Scanning

[mtjade2007]

The Beseler and the Bowens units competed for the same market.

Yes. Copying slides with slide duplicating film back then was not trivial. A duplicator like these was the best way to go.

 

[madNbad]

I gave up on DSLR scanning three days ago and bought a dedicated film scanner. I couldn't be happier. I guess my best tip is: give up

Anyway, this is what I did with your file. The key is to first set white balance to the frame edge before you do anything else.

As has been mentioned before, your lens has sharpness issues, distortion, and you have light leaks.

View attachment 343714

I used a Plustek 7200i for several years. I paid $100 usd for it and it was a fine but slow scanner. I started experimenting with camera scanning. I started with a beat up Sony A5100 an adapted 55 Micro-Nikkor Ai-S and a light pad. The gear kept changing over the years till I reached this point:

 

[cerber0s]

I used a Plustek 7200i for several years. I paid $100 usd for it and it was a fine but slow scanner. I started experimenting with camera scanning. I started with a beat up Sony A5100 an adapted 55 Micro-Nikkor Ai-S and a light pad. The gear kept changing over the years till I reached this point:

That looks like a pretty good setup! I too used a 55 Micro-Nikkor, but the non AI version. To improve the quality of my scans I was looking at spending money on a scanner, or spending even more more money on a setup like yours. I then factored in availability (the scanner is always on the table, while the camera setup is not), and total time spent in workflow. I came to the conclusion that while the scan itself is slow, the entire time per scan from start to finished positive, is much faster for me using the scanner.

 

[madNbad]

That looks like a pretty good setup! I too used a 55 Micro-Nikkor, but the non AI version. To improve the quality of my scans I was looking at spending money on a scanner, or spending even more more money on a setup like yours. I then factored in availability (the scanner is always on the table, while the camera setup is not), and total time spent in workflow. I came to the conclusion that while the scan itself is slow, the entire time per scan from start to finished positive, is much faster for me using the scanner.

If I hadn’t made the switch to camera scanning, the 8200i would had been my next choice. Learning to get the best results from the Slilvefast software takes a while but it does yield good results.
My setup was built over time. B&H Photo had a deal on Sony A7II’s in 2019. That body was paired with a 55 Micro-Nikkor for a long time. I had a Skier Copybox which worked well until it developed a short and would black out at random times. I started adding Negative Supply pieces a bit at a time. It’s great stuff but the prices are steep. I’m only doing B&W and can scan a roll of 36 in about seven minutes. If my captures are good, it takes about twenty minutes to get a roll to positives. Our house is small, with no appropriate place even a temporary darkroom, so it’s a foldable tent and the camera scanning.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I used a Plustek 7200i for several years. I paid $100 usd for it and it was a fine but slow scanner. I started experimenting with camera scanning. I started with a beat up Sony A5100 an adapted 55 Micro-Nikkor Ai-S and a light pad. The gear kept changing over the years till I reached this point:

That's a nice arrangement. Is there a place we can see samples from your latest setup? What software do you use to edit? What type of film do you scan? Have you scanned anything other than 35mm?

 

[madNbad]

That's a nice arrangement. Is there a place we can see samples from your latest setup? What software do you use to edit? What type of film do you scan? Have you scanned anything other than 35mm?

The camera is a Sony A7II with a FE90 2.8 Macro attached to a Negative Supply Pro Riser II. The Pro Riser doesn’t have a base so I added the Boos Block to keep everything aligned. The transport is a Negative Supply Carrier Pro 35 on their 5X7 Lightsource Pro 95 CRI. The masking tubes attach to the carrier and keep extraneous light from affecting the scan. It’s tethered to the computer with a Tether Tools cable.
I’m only using Tri-X in 135 and am avoiding moving to any other formats or trying any color films. Conversation software is RAW Power by Gentlemen Coders and I use it as a plug in for Apple Photos.
If you check out my Tri-X developed in Rodinal thread, you can see my progress as I get more experienced with that combination.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

The camera is a Sony A7II with a FE90 2.8 Macro attached to a Negative Supply Pro Riser II. The Pro Riser doesn’t have a base so I added the Boos Block to keep everything aligned. The transport is a Negative Supply Carrier Pro 35 on their 5X7 Lightsource Pro 95 CRI. The masking tubes attach to the carrier and keep extraneous light from affecting the scan. It’s tethered to the computer with a Tether Tools cable.
I’m only using Tri-X in 135 and am avoiding moving to any other formats or trying any color films. Conversation software is RAW Power by Gentlemen Coders and I use it as a plug in for Apple Photos.
If you check out my Tri-X developed in Rodinal thread, you can see my progress as I get more experienced with that combination.

Is there a relatively easy way to expand it to 6x7 and 4x5 formats?

 

[madNbad]

Is there a relatively easy way to expand it to 6x7 and 4x5 formats?

Negative Supply offers the ability to scan films from 110 to 8X10. It’s great stuff made to a very high standard but the prices are steep. The new Carrier Pro 35 came with mask for full frame 35, half frame 35 and panorama. Their medium format carrier will do 6x4.5 to 6X9. They’re in the process of moving to a bigger space so there may be some deals.
https://www.negative.supply/

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Negative Supply offers the ability to scan films from 110 to 8X10. It’s great stuff made to a very high standard but the prices are steep. The new Carrier Pro 35 came with mask for full frame 35, half frame 35 and panorama. Their medium format carrier will do 6x4.5 to 6X9. They’re in the process of moving to a bigger space so there may be some deals.
https://www.negative.supply/

Their setup for 35mm and 120 is around $700. With 4x5 is $2300. With 8x10, it's $5500. What a business! I'd have to add a camera at additional cost as I don't have anything larger than a micro 4/3 at 12mb. By comparison, my Epson v850 which can scan all these formats up to 8x10, ( I shoot 4x5 the largest currently), is $1300. You can get an Epson V600 that scans 35mm and 120 for around $300.

Pro Kit for Scanning 35mm, 120 and 4x5 Film — Negative Supply

The Pro Kit for 35mm, 120 and 4x5 Scanning is the best all-in-one solution for DSLR scanning all your film at home with efficiently and high quality. Comprised of all of our Pro tools, this kit has everything you'll ever need for film scanning film from mounted slides up to 4x5 sheet film!

www.negative.supply

 

[koraks]

What a business!

If that's an expression of surprise at a supposedly attractive business model: it's only attractive if the margins are high and the volumes are sufficient to offset R&D and startup costs. Many of these ventures involve entrepreneurs being able to afford a rickety bike for transportation instead of a fancy BMW. Just sayin'.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

If that's an expression of surprise at a supposedly attractive business model: it's only attractive if the margins are high and the volumes are sufficient to offset R&D and startup costs. Many of these ventures involve entrepreneurs being able to afford a rickety bike for transportation instead of a fancy BMW. Just sayin'.

Having been in business for twenty years, and losing it, I commend their fortitude. I hope they get rich. I was just commenting on the seeming high cost of some of these products. Of course, there's a limited demand which accounts for it I'm sure.

 

[madNbad]

If that's an expression of surprise at a supposedly attractive business model: it's only attractive if the margins are high and the volumes are sufficient to offset R&D and startup costs. Many of these ventures involve entrepreneurs being able to afford a rickety bike for transportation instead of a fancy BMW. Just sayin'.

Something is working for them. Negative Supply started as a Kickstarter in 2018 with the Carrier MK1. They moved from a warehouse in Philadelphia to California in 2020 and now they’re moving to a bigger space. They found their niche.

 

[koraks]

That's good to hear; I hope they succeed.

Btw, the price looks steep, but it seems to me that the market is not just (amateur) photographers. This would also work for e.g. small and mid-sized museums with sizeable collections of film-based imagery. Camera 'scanning' has been popular in that sector for years.

 

[madNbad]

Adding to above, many of the younger photographers using film aren’t interested in darkroom work. They see it as a whole different skill set and are more focused on showing their work online. Just the ability to scan an entire roll in several minutes instead of several minutes per frame is attractive.
The other selling point is, once you have made the investment in their hardware, the only upgrades are the camera or lens.

 

[_T_]

By comparison, my Epson v850 which can scan all these formats up to 8x10, ( I shoot 4x5 the largest currently), is $1300. You can get an Epson V600 that scans 35mm and 120 for around $300.

With the addition of a diy negative carrier the v600 can be used to scan 4x5 so long as you’re willing to spend the time and effort making two separate scans of each half of each piece of 4x5 and stitch them together in photoshop.