Digital Scanning vs. Flatbed Scanning?

[Leszek Vogt]

Hey Neil, this was mostly built with leftover pieces of plywood. Some dowels, metric screws, linear screw, etc. and I arrived with a unit that will likely excel the 9000...and processing much faster. Mostly this was done with hand tools, tho my neighbor cut some parts on the table saw for consistent measurements. Not counting the lightbox (Kaiser), since one needs one anyway, it's probably equivalent to couple of dinners out with a partner. The clamp & short lip in the rear was intentional, since I figured the set up would likely tip over. I'll be using D750 (a very capable rig) and either 55/3.5 or Tamron 90/2.8 macro....there is enough room to even use 100mm. Amazingly, the linear screw was made for 3D printer and I have not been able to detect any slop....allowing the handle to dial in the exact height desired. Oh, the angle is adjustable a little....enough to obtain true 90 degrees.

Have some other projects and hadn't had a chance to test it properly.

Les

[GRAYnomad]

Neat.

Have you got a link for that linear screw gadget?

[jp]

I've been using an Epson V700 for years. For large format, it does a nice job; it could be beat by stitching with a DSLR, but I don't have time for that. It's also getting dusty and unclean underneath the glass.
As the formats get smaller, the Epson is less great. I think it does a decent job at 6x6cm but is slow. It doesn't do that great at 35mm and is slow.

I have a six month backlog of scanning B&W film and scanning + editing is the most time consuming part of the process. In order to save time, I'm in the process of acquiring the parts to DSLR scan 6x6cm and save the Epson for the big film. I intend to have the DSLR scanning setup in the darkroom, and when the film is dry, run it through the scanning film holder before cutting it up and putting into printfile pages. I would not have to take the bare film out of the darkroom and that would keep it clean.

I've ordered:
"Essential film holder" https://clifforth.co.uk/ (it will be a couple weeks before it gets here). Negative Supply is an upmarket competitor option.
High CRI LED video panel light as a light source. I will add an additional layer of diffusion under the film.
I have:
Nikon D600 or D810
Copy stand
55/3.5 macro lens.

[Serge S]

Hi JP,

Let us know how you like the film holder one you use it!

My experience similar to yours: I like my Epson, (tried the dSLR route), but for smaller formats DSLR is best.

I've been using an Epson V700 for years. For large format, it does a nice job; it could be beat by stitching with a DSLR, but I don't have time for that. It's also getting dusty and unclean underneath the glass.
As the formats get smaller, the Epson is less great. I think it does a decent job at 6x6cm but is slow. It doesn't do that great at 35mm and is slow.

I have a six month backlog of scanning B&W film and scanning + editing is the most time consuming part of the process. In order to save time, I'm in the process of acquiring the parts to DSLR scan 6x6cm and save the Epson for the big film. I intend to have the DSLR scanning setup in the darkroom, and when the film is dry, run it through the scanning film holder before cutting it up and putting into printfile pages. I would not have to take the bare film out of the darkroom and that would keep it clean.

I've ordered:
"Essential film holder" https://clifforth.co.uk/ (it will be a couple weeks before it gets here). Negative Supply is an upmarket competitor option.
High CRI LED video panel light as a light source. I will add an additional layer of diffusion under the film.
I have:
Nikon D600 or D810
Copy stand
55/3.5 macro lens.

[Leszek Vogt]

Neat.

Have you got a link for that linear screw gadget?

I believe this is the one, tho I paid few bucks less.

https://www.amazon.com/Befenybay-Alu...453063&sr=8-35

[Peter De Smidt]

Hey Neil, this was mostly built with leftover pieces of plywood. Some dowels, metric screws, linear screw, etc. and I arrived with a unit that will likely excel the 9000...and processing much faster. Mostly this was done with hand tools, tho my neighbor cut some parts on the table saw for consistent measurements. Not counting the lightbox (Kaiser), since one needs one anyway, it's probably equivalent to couple of dinners out with a partner. The clamp & short lip in the rear was intentional, since I figured the set up would likely tip over. I'll be using D750 (a very capable rig) and either 55/3.5 or Tamron 90/2.8 macro....there is enough room to even use 100mm. Amazingly, the linear screw was made for 3D printer and I have not been able to detect any slop....allowing the handle to dial in the exact height desired. Oh, the angle is adjustable a little....enough to obtain true 90 degrees.

Have some other projects and hadn't had a chance to test it properly.

Les

Looks good, Les. Make sure to mask off stray light.

[Peter De Smidt]

You can also look for a used Velmex unislide.

[GRAYnomad]

I believe this is the one, tho I paid few bucks less.

https://www.amazon.com/Befenybay-Alu...453063&sr=8-35

Thanks.

[Leszek Vogt]

Looks good, Les. Make sure to mask off stray light.

Thanks, Peter. I've got this black art board, which should do the trick. Can't wait to start on this...it's like years overdue.

Les

[Cesar Barreto]

Far from being the most precise solution, I've been using my old Sinar to make multiple rows scanning and it's nice to have X and Y axis movements right from the start. Resolution is quite ok and obviously quite dependent on each one patience to achieve proper alignment and focus. For those who already have such monorail cameras, it may be a cheap and easy way to follow.