So...
This arrangement is f*cking AMAZING. I compared my “digitized” scans (using my Sony a7R III/Sigma ART 70mm/2.8f MACRO/lightbox/copy stand) to an Imacon scan and the results blew me away and we’re just as good, maybe even better. The resolution is more than I need, at least for now. The size of the images, when stitched with
just two shots, is enormous, with a good 4x5 negative still looking pretty sharp at 8.5’ (feet!) across and 6.5’ high.
Like sperdynamite astutely said, CMOS sensors, digital cameras, and lenses will only get better. Scanners, while some of them are still more than great, are slowly being phased out. (I’m looking at you, Imacon/Hasselblad.) I do however, think there will still be room for high-end drum scanning.
That said, I met up with someone this past Saturday who read this thread - an incredibly bright, talented, and generous young guy who will definitely be a very big name in the film processing and scanning industry in the next few years - and he offered to drum scan some of my work. While I’m certain that my setup and scans are no match for his technique with his drum scanner, I wonder how close my scans will actually be to those made by a drum scanner.
Anyway, here’s my setup:
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