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Thread: Seeking advice on DIY 35mm dups from 4x5 color trannies

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Oct 2003
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    24

    Seeking advice on DIY 35mm dups from 4x5 color trannies

    What options are there for making color 35mm transparency dups from original 4x5 trannies? I am wondering about people's experience and techniques that can be used for making dups with my 35mm camera. I would like to project the dups along with other 35mm originals for presentation so quality is a consideration.

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Sep 2001
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    14

    Seeking advice on DIY 35mm dups from 4x5 color trannies

    The easiest way to do it, would be to put your 4x5 trans on a color balanced light table and then photograph them from a tripod mounted 35mm camera with a macro lens. If you have a side arm for your tripod or better yet a studio stand that would also be very helpfull.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
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    538

    Seeking advice on DIY 35mm dups from 4x5 color trannies

    I used to work for a commercial studio with a dedicated in-house color lab. The technician did this all the time with a permanently set up (flash) duplicating rig and special film.

    Since it takes a fair amount of specialized equipment, careful filtration and lots of trial runs until you hit the mark, I'd suggest farming it out to a GOOD lab unless you plan to do lots of this on a regular basis.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Mar 2002
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    now in Tucson, AZ
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    Seeking advice on DIY 35mm dups from 4x5 color trannies

    It's possible to make excellent 35mm dupes from 4x5 chromes. You need to use a copy stand and a color-correctable light source (an enlarger colorhead turned upside down is common) and Ektachrome Duplicating film. Regular slide film will be too high contrast. A macro lens is a great idea. "With the right tools, it's easy". There is /was a Kodak publication called "Copying and Duplicating in B/W and Color" that covers the subject comprehensively... my copy is long out of date (1980s)and I don't know if it's still in print.

  5. #5

    Seeking advice on DIY 35mm dups from 4x5 color trannies

    Don't Fuji make a dupliating film?

    If you have a Sinar, and plenty of rail, you can set up an optical bench.

    True macro lenses are only at their best from about 1:4 to 4:1, so a close-up (psuedo-macro) lens that does 1:1 to infinity might be better.

    Most 35mm viewfinders do not give 100% of what you get on the image - apparently the Nikon F5 does.

    If you scan anyway, you might get better results by scanning, correcting/manipulating in photoshop (and adjusting contrast low for copying) printing with a good inkjet and re-photoraphing: you would very soon learn what to look for in photoshop to get the best results.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Mar 1998
    Location
    Anchorage, AK
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    286

    Seeking advice on DIY 35mm dups from 4x5 color trannies

    I have made duplicate transparencies using a light table, a tripod, a 35 mm camera with a 100 mm macro lens and Kodak ektachrome 100 SW film. Hardly ideal choices, but the results were good enough for a slide show with friends. I did see increased contrast in the slides, as well as some slight color shift. These were not good enough for anything but projecting in my opinion, but that was all I needed.

    Here are a couple of issues to keep in mind. 1. Be careful to keep the lens axis perpendicular to the light table. You'll know when you're properly aligned because the transparency edges will meet at right angles and not appear as a trapazoid. 2. Have a mat, preferably black, pre-cut to surround the transparency. Your 4x5 transparency does not have the same aspect ratio as 35 mm film, so you'll have some empty space adjacent to the short side of the film unless you crop. The black mat will block the light from your table and also hold down the edges of your transparency. 3. I use f8 and auto exposure with bracketing.

    If you need dupes for a portfolio submission, be sure to have a lab do them.

  7. #7

    Seeking advice on DIY 35mm dups from 4x5 color trannies

    I usually scan at 40-70 mb. Then correct in PS. Crop as you would a print and place the image in a slightly larger bachground with a 2:3 ratio center, flatten and put on a cd, then sent to a place like Duggal NYC for hi res slides, those will be originals (and costly) but you can make traditional dupes from them. and cost will be significanly less. It works well. Email me if you need more info, flames need not apply. mike

  8. #8

    Seeking advice on DIY 35mm dups from 4x5 color trannies

    Mike:

    There is someone in the UK who does slides from digital, but they are very low res - what do you call high res for slide printing?

    When will someone market a 24mm printing width injet printer for transparency film, at 20,000 ppi?

    If you could scan 5x4 at 5,700 ppi and print 24 x 36 mm pixel for pixel, you could invent/produce the first sharp 35mm slide!

    (This would be a shock to the system at the local camera club!)

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