Quote Originally Posted by sperdynamite View Post
Frankly I would continue to use your 90mm Sony lens...

The copy stand is easy, search your local craigslist for a while and one may show up.... For the light source you need a high CRI LED panel. I use the Kaiser Slimlight Plano.

The hard part are the film holders. For 35 I use the Negative Supply Mark I, it's a bit expensive unless you scan a lot as I do. Otherwise I currently use a mix of Bessler carriers and a custom ANR glass platform that I use for sheets.

A note on pixel shift, it's not always night and day. Turns out bayer interpolation is pretty good actually. I use PS for very important 35mm and 120 scans, and always for sheets (because with sheet film the time doesn't slow me down and it seems to make a bigger difference). So your A7R3 is a great option, lots of people are using it now. I did read that the pixel shifted files from the A7R3 may be readable in ACR now as well, something to look into. ACR and LR is important to my specific workflow, it may not be for yours.

Some do use enlarging lenses, but the performance in side by side tests is worse than with modern macro lenses. There is a group called "Digitizing with a digital camera" on Facebook where you can see this info. Macro lenses are also made to be flat field, and if you're shooting at 5.6-8, DoF and diffraction are not issues.

In my testing my results meet or exceed those of Imacon/Hasselblad scanners, so I'm not really kidding about them being obsolete. While building a DIY scanning kit with an S1R is not exactly 'cheap', at least all the components are swappable and will be upgraded over time... I'm about to scan 10 Ektar 4x5s. It will likely take me about 30 minutes to get 10 155mp scans, with the best color conversions I've yet encountered via Negative Lab Pro (based on Fuji Image Intelligence found in Frontier and Durst Sigma scanners). With an IQSmart it would take me hours I presume, and I'd still want to use NLP to do the conversions. So, you start looking at the pros and cons...and there is likely to obvious best choice. But the S1R for me delivers the goods and then some. Plus I'm taking my 'scanner' to a paid shooting job today. :-)
Sperdynamite and all,

I unfortunately sold my Sony FE 90mm/2.8 G Macro lens this past March, ironically to have enough money to buy a mint used Linhof Technikardan 45 with a set of 5 Rodenstock/Schneider lenses that I have now. That Sony FE 90mm was literally the only lens I had. So my Sony a7R III has been without a lens and basically hasn't been used since March. That's why your setup appeals to me so much. Not only would I finally have a lens to use (say, with the Sigma 70mm f/2.8 DG Macro Art Lens (for Sony E-Mount) that you recommend/use) with my Sony a7R III, I'd also have a pretty powerful scanning device. Kill two birds with one stone, as they say.

As far as combining the Sony a7R III pixel shift photos, I use PixelShift2DNG (https://www.fastrawviewer.com/PixelShift2DNG) instead of Sony's Edge software. PixelShift2DNG works great.

And you're right! Who knows how long the Hasselblad, which has been bought out by DJI (the Chinese drone company), will continue to provide support for their high-end Flextight X1 and X5 scanners? (You can't purchase the Hasselblad Flextight scanners anymore on B&H.) The technology for mirrorless cameras will only improve over time. I can't say the same about scanners.

Anyway, your setup greatly appeals to me. I want to get my setup started as soon as possible.

So, considering that all I really have right now is my Sony a7R III, I need to start a list of the other items I'll need:

Here's what I currently have in my B&H shopping cart:

1.) Sigma 70mm f/2.8 DG Macro Art Lens (for Sony E-Mount) -- $469.00
2.) Kaiser Slimlite Plano 5000K Battery/AC Lightbox (8 x 11") -- $88.88
3.) Smith-Victor 36" Pro-Duty Copy Stand -- $256.10
4a.) Beseler Anti-Newton Glass for the 45M, 45V and 810 Series Enlargers -- $83.95 (do I need one or two of these?)

4b.) Perhaps instead of getting the "Beseler Anti-Newton Glass for the 45M, 45V and 810 Series Enlargers", should I perhaps get the betterscanning.com "Variable Height Mounting Station"? It costs $119.95 (http://www.betterscanning.com/scanning/mstation.html)

Please let me know if I'm missing anything or have any suggestions or improvements. (The only type of film I have for scanning are 4x5 negatives/transparencies and medium format 6x12 and 6x17 panoramic negatives/transparencies).

Also, of note, I use Capture One and Affinity Photo (my Lightroom/Photoshop replacements), so while I don't think that'll interrupt my workflow (Affinity has a terrific RAW editor), it's something to consider.

Many, MANY thanks!