Tips for DSLR scanning with slide copying adapter?

I have recently started shooting film, and I have decided I need to figure out how to develop and scan myself to avoid bankruptcy. For instance, B&W 35mm film is $24 for development and low resolution .jpegs at the local camera shop. Add in the cost of film and I'm looking at almost $1 per photo before printing. No thanks.

I don't have the space for a tabletop DSLR scanning setup, and alignment/focus there seems like a headache anyway, so I've decided to go with the Nikon ES-1 slide copy attachment, together with a Nikon 24MP crop sensor DLSR and and 40mm AF-S DX Micro-NIKKOR f/2.8 G. I already own the camera, and the investment in the lens and copy attachment should pay for itself about a dozen rolls. (I only shoot 35mm at the moment, so I'm not worried about not being able to handle medium format.)

My plan is to shoot into a speedlight, though I'm not sure if I need a modifier, or to put it in a white-lined box, or something of that nature. Maybe setting it against a white wall will be enough? Also, how is the negative held by the copier, exactly? Should I invest in some slide holders with anti-Newton glass, or will just sticking it on with masking tape be enough?

Does anyone have experience using such a setup? Are there any pitfalls to be aware of, or tricks for getting better results?

And will I notice a substantial increase in quality over 3000 by 2000 pixel jpeg scans my lab gives me?

Thanks in advance for any advice or comments you may have. I'd like to have this fairly well planned out before I pull the trigger on buying the lens and attachment.

(There is also the issue of color-correcting C41 negatives, but I'll cross that bridge—and create that thread—when I get there.)

I don't have any experience with any of the equipment you mention, but I am aware of one *potential* pitfall when trying to use *some* slide copiers with a crop sensor camera.

Many of the slide copying attachments were designed to be attached to a 35mm (film) camera, and when copying a 35mm slide or negative, the reproduction is 1:1. That is what they are designed for. But when copying 35mm film with a crop sensor camera, the correct ratio is not 1:1 because the crop sensor is smaller. So, depending on how much adjustability is built into your slide copying device, there is a very good chance that the entire slide or negative cannot be copied to your crop-sensor camera without mandatory cropping.

Thanks. The 40mm on a crop sensor is the full-frame equivalent of a 60mm lens, which is what the copying attachment was designed for. I've also read multiple reports online that indicate the setup works well. So, I think I should be fine.

If anyone has tried this and had problems, though, I'm all ears.

The BR-4, or later BR-6, might work for you on a Nikon mount DSLR. You can get the uncut film holder and there is a frosted glass diffuser behind the gate. I would use a strobe, cut a cardboard tube, spray paint the interior white and expose with the strobe. Of course, you'd have to experiment with distance, power and coverage...

Instead of a slide copier, perhaps a macro lens and/or extension tubes?

John51 said:

Instead of a slide copier, perhaps a macro lens and/or extension tubes?

Click to expand...

I'm not sure I understand. My suggestion is precisely to use a macro lens. I don't think any extension tubes are needed for the proposed setup.