Stack and stitch rig for scanning
I've been reading about some of the great success many forum members have with stitching together DSLR images of negatives compared to flatbed scanning.
Much of the photos I make are macro/extreme macro utilizing focus stacking and all sorts of odd equipment (this is digital). Reading about stitching reminded me of a vendor of macro-related stacking rails, "mjkzz". They developed a relatively inexpensive "stack and stitch" system (
HTML Code:
https://www.mjkzz.com/product-page/stack-and-stitch-system
) that I believe would work nicely to automate image capture of your negative in a highly repeatable fashion. I reached out to the owner about the total area that the system covers - currently the version in the link above can capture 120mm x 150mm (4.7" x 5.9"), so it could cover up to a 4x5 negative. He did say they are working on a larger unit that should cover 255mm x 255mm, so that should just barely cover 8x10. This is assuming you're capturing images at 1:1.
Obviously the stacking or z-axis is not necessary, though it could help with camera placement above the negative.
Anyway, I just wanted to share that information for anyone like myself interested in a more automated means of scanning with a DSLR.
I also should note that I am in no way affiliated with MJKZZ or their company.
Best,
David