Sony Camera Upgrades - Color and Pixel Shift

[Romanko]

I use Sony A7R4 for scanning but I only used pixel shift once to create a 230 MP copy of a slide. I am not sure if it makes any difference.

Better color = better light and negative conversion software.

Shadow detail/noise/dynamic range = HDR (taking bracketed exposures).

I actually tried HDR with a 100-year old glass plate that had an insane dynamic range and it worked well and the process was very straightforward in Affinity Photo.

You didn't tell us what format you shoot and scan. For 35 mm color negative film I doubt that you can get noticeable improvement in image quality by increasing sensor resolution.

 

[Romanko]

So RGB scan lighting? Makes 3 separate exposures?

That would be ideal. Add infrared channel for dust removal and convert your camera to monochrome full spectrum.

 

[silvergelatin]

I use Sony A7R4 for scanning but I only used pixel shift once to create a 230 MP copy of a slide. I am not sure if it makes any difference.

Better color = better light and negative conversion software.

Shadow detail/noise/dynamic range = HDR (taking bracketed exposures).

I actually tried HDR with a 100-year old glass plate that had an insane dynamic range and it worked well and the process was very straightforward in Affinity Photo.

You didn't tell us what format you shoot and scan. For 35 mm color negative film I doubt that you can get noticeable improvement in image quality by increasing sensor resolution.

I have never tried HDR, but it may be worth a shot for something like Ektar in hard lighting.

 

[loccdor]

I don't know about the Sonys, but on the Pentax K-1 the high dynamic range and pixel shift settings are not able to be used at the same time. You could of course take your own several exposures and combine them in software. I've tried that a few times - it's a very rare shot where the gains are worth it, usually something like a picture of a window where you try to get the interior and exterior looking good.

 

[BobDavid]

Pixel shift has come up a couple of times in this context here on Photrio, but I don't recall anyone reporting any significant practical benefit.

Pixel shift is great for reproducing artwork. It does afford truer color and there is a slight increase in overall sharpness. I use 4-shot mode on the Sony A7r 4. 16-shot isn't worth the trouble.

 

[isaac7]

I went down a bit of a rabbit hole about pixel shift and scanning negatives. Looks like there can be a decent improvement scanning 35mm B&W with pixel shift because it lessens grain aliasing. The bigger the format the less of an issue it is.

 

[250swb]

I went down a bit of a rabbit hole about pixel shift and scanning negatives. Looks like there can be a decent improvement scanning 35mm B&W with pixel shift because it lessens grain aliasing. The bigger the format the less of an issue it is.

The bigger the format the more likely you are to have film that doesn't conform to the 2:3 ratio of 35mm, which means the standard 2:3 DSLR or mirrorless sensor is going to be wasting sensor area if copying even a 6x6 negative never mind a panorama. Pixel shift can help compensate for the wasted sensor area, like above and below a panorama negative or each side of a 6x6, by giving the resolution a boost for what the sensor is covering.

 

[silvergelatin]

The bigger the format the more likely you are to have film that doesn't conform to the 2:3 ratio of 35mm, which means the standard 2:3 DSLR or mirrorless sensor is going to be wasting sensor area if copying even a 6x6 negative never mind a panorama. Pixel shift can help compensate for the wasted sensor area, like above and below a panorama negative or each side of a 6x6, by giving the resolution a boost for what the sensor is covering.

I’ve been thinking about sensor area lately as well, but more from the perspective of lens coverage and optimizing optical performance. If I were to upgrade from the A7Rii to iv, I could move the neg a little farther away (smaller image) and get better corner performance without losing resolution compared to the Rii. Add in pixel shift for important or difficult images.

 

[isaac7]

The bigger the format the more likely you are to have film that doesn't conform to the 2:3 ratio of 35mm, which means the standard 2:3 DSLR or mirrorless sensor is going to be wasting sensor area if copying even a 6x6 negative never mind a panorama. Pixel shift can help compensate for the wasted sensor area, like above and below a panorama negative or each side of a 6x6, by giving the resolution a boost for what the sensor is covering.

Sure. How big a problem that is depends on what you need the digital files for. 4/3 sensors would be a better aspect ratio. So many cameras are overkill for what a lot of people use film scans for. Even for printing. When I eventually get set up I’ll probably use an AR7 II, it will be plenty especially when using pixel shift. If I were only getting the camera for scanning I might consider an Olympus instead. Certainly be good enough for scanning old 110 negatives lol.

You can also use stitching if you want to go nuts with the resolution.

 

[silvergelatin]

Sure. How big a problem that is depends on what you need the digital files for. 4/3 sensors would be a better aspect ratio. So many cameras are overkill for what a lot of people use film scans for. Even for printing. When I eventually get set up I’ll probably use an AR7 II, it will be plenty especially when using pixel shift. If I were only getting the camera for scanning I might consider an Olympus instead. Certainly be good enough for scanning old 110 negatives lol.

You can also use stitching if you want to go nuts with the resolution.

The II does not have pixel shift. That started with the III.

 

[250swb]

Sure. How big a problem that is depends on what you need the digital files for.

Scan once and scan well. These could be famous last words but with the current camera resolution and technology a 45mp (+ or -) camera with pixel shift and a good macro lens is unlikely to be significantly improved upon for getting the most information out of a film. Other aspects of camera technology will move on to make things easier than having to use pixel shift, but they won't be extracting any more information than a darkroom print could because there is an upper limit imposed by the film itself. So after a quick low resolution scan to make a digital contact sheet the average hit rate even for a great photographer will be three or four keepers/useful images, so it's hardly work, and if it is work it's not work you'll have to do again.

 

[John Wiegerink]

My main camera is a A7RII, but I also shoot Olympus M4/3. I have been thinking of upgrading from my OM-D 5 mkII and OM-D I mkI to a newer 20mp Oly with pixel shift. I have a medium format scanner, but it has been acting up lately and I'm worried it could die at anytime. Hence, the reason for this question, would it be better to keep the A7RII and use the newer Olympus with 20mp and pixel shift or forgo the Oly 20mp camera and upgrade the Sony to the A7RIII or IV for digital copy.