p.2 #1 · Film/slide digitizing using Sony 90mm lens and Nikon ES-2
as @dclark said, just invert the adjustment curve for black and whites. I usually add contrast as well and maybe do some dodging and burning along with adjusting the black and white points.
for color, there's a huge orange tint, so you need to adjust the color balance. I took it down to around 2000 and played from there. The annoying thing is then changing your contrast, exposure, etc requires going back to touch up the color balance.
p.2 #2 · Film/slide digitizing using Sony 90mm lens and Nikon ES-2
Follow this thread with a lot of interest since I scan 35 mm, 6x6, 6x7, and 4x5" negatives and slides. I also started off with the light pad-camera-macro lens-tripod/copy-stand method which worked well for 35 mm frames. For medium- and large format I disliked this approach since it forced me to stich separate photos of the frame to maintain a high resolution. It also took too much time to PP. I decided then to vest into an Epson V850 scanner and never looked back. I own it now since 1.5 years and scanned hundreds of negatives with it.
The challenge when using the camera method is to get the white balance (WB) for color negative frames right. There are a few decent YouTube videos with suggestions how to adjust it, but I didn't like any of the methods. The WB was always sort of off. I am also using Silverfast 8 with my scanner, and after a learning curve how to use this program efficiently, I really like it now. One of the best features is its NegaFix control which adjusts the WB approximately to the selected color film name and ISO number. From there only minor color adjustments are needed. It is a huge time saver for me and much more consistent when scanning a row of frames from the same film.
I love the idea and design which the OP describes here - very innovative and simple but effective! Always good to see people combining gear and accessories of different brands.
p.2 #3 · Film/slide digitizing using Sony 90mm lens and Nikon ES-2
Desmolicious wrote:
I don't understand that set up. Why are you shooting through glass?
My set up is very simple and works great, giving me 6x6 scans that are 5500x5500. 6x9 scans are 8200x5500 (as are 35mm a they fill up the entire frame). Any camera can be used in similar fashion.
Camera on copy stand (works much better than the tripod), light pad, lomo digitliza film holder that uses magnets to hold the film flat.
I can't respond for the poster, but the way I see it this setup makes sense to keep negatives flat between two layers of glass on top. Reason why the glass is not directly put onto the light pad is to avoid Newton rings which can form when two layers of glass touch each other.
I actually do something similar when scanning larger negatives with my V850 scanner - to have the film frame totally flat, I compress it between a set of two layers of special glass which itself sits on a few mm thick black cardboard to adjust for the sharpest focus point of the scanner (it always sits above the scan glass). I avoid by any chance that two glass layers touch each other!
p.2 #4 · Film/slide digitizing using Sony 90mm lens and Nikon ES-2
I've done all of my color negatives in Lightroom. It does require some playing and experimentation to get it looking right. Adjusting the individual RGB channel curves is key. Check out the video for this tool (I don't use it, I'm just referencing the video):
At 4:43 you can get a sense of how your inverted channel curves might look after editing. In particular, look at how the min/max control points are set to the tone ranges of each channel. You can use that as a starting point and play from there and it should remove the orange tint.
p.2 #5 · Film/slide digitizing using Sony 90mm lens and Nikon ES-2
grahamgibson wrote:
I've done all of my color negatives in Lightroom. It does require some playing and experimentation to get it looking right. Adjusting the individual RGB channel curves is key. Check out the video for this tool (I don't use it, I'm just referencing the video):
At 4:43 you can get a sense of how your inverted channel curves might look after editing. In particular, look at how the min/max control points are set to the tone ranges of each channel. You can use that as a starting point and play from there and it should remove the orange tint.
That's pretty much what SilverFast 8 does when applying a certain color preset and/or applying global saturation changes. It then applies the tonal curve changes in all future scans of negatives of the same film (if desired). To do this all manually from a RAW file is pretty tedious and time consuming. If you scan often, it is not very feasible to do it manually IMO.
p.2 #6 · Film/slide digitizing using Sony 90mm lens and Nikon ES-2
retrofocus wrote:
That's pretty much what SilverFast 8 does when applying a certain color preset and/or applying global saturation changes. It then applies the tonal curve changes in all future scans of negatives of the same film (if desired). To do this all manually from a RAW file is pretty tedious and time consuming. If you scan often, it is not very feasible to do it manually IMO.
It seems to me that once good results are obtained with LR for a single frame it is easy to apply that set of processes and edits to all other scans using either "Sync..." or creating a pre-set. There is no need to repeat this every time a new set of scans are done. Also if a new set of scans differ somewhat from a previous set, it is possible to adjust the entire group of scans using LR's "AutoSync" capability. The corrections to the raw scans are non-destructive and can edited the same way you edit all other RAW files.
One of the attractive aspects of digitizing film with a camera is the non-destructive RAW processing. All the methods developed to process digital images, singly or in batches, is directly transferable.
p.2 #7 · Film/slide digitizing using Sony 90mm lens and Nikon ES-2
dclark wrote:
It seems to me that once good results are obtained with LR for a single frame it is easy to apply that set of processes and edits to all other scans using either "Sync..." or creating a pre-set. There is no need to repeat this every time a new set of scans are done. Also if a new set of scans differ somewhat from a previous set, it is possible to adjust the entire group of scans using LR's "AutoSync" capability. The corrections to the raw scans are non-destructive and can edited the same way you edit all other RAW files.
One of the attractive aspects of digitizing film with a camera is the non-destructive RAW processing. All the methods developed to process digital images, singly or in batches, is directly transferable.
In theory, yes, but practically - no. Every developed color negative film needs a slightly changed WB - transferable as you said if it is the same film type, but very difficult with different kind of color films (maybe even developed at different time frames, too). If it comes to film, I personally find color negative film PP the most challenging of all - one reason why I prefer to shoot slide film if possible.
p.2 #9 · Film/slide digitizing using Sony 90mm lens and Nikon ES-2
LynnDavidCole wrote:
Has anyone here tried pixel shift for higher resolution when copying slides or negatives?
Yes, works well because if using a copier there’s no movement.
But I have yet to see any benefit because the resolution of my slides and negatives isn’t high enough to need it! Perhaps some of my Tech Pan negs might benefit.
p.2 #10 · Film/slide digitizing using Sony 90mm lens and Nikon ES-2
grahamgibson wrote:
Looks like a nice easy solution. I’ve been scanning 6x6 medium format film with my A7rii and the Sony 55/1.8 + close-up lens in the setup below. I’m only capturing at 1:3 magnification, and I still get about 16MP (anything above around 1:2 I would have to do frame stitching due to the square frame, and that is way too time consuming). I’m open to better options, but from what I’ve seen I’d have I’d have to spend hundreds of dollars to do better with a dedicated film scanner.
p.2 #11 · Film/slide digitizing using Sony 90mm lens and Nikon ES-2
Shebco wrote:
A similar solution I've used to scan thousands of slides and negs very quickly. Negs are especially fun as it's like having a high rez digital camera back when the images were taken!
I do this horizontally using an LED light source. I have a direct tether from the A7xxx to Capture One. That also allows corrections on the fly, very helpful especially w negatives.
What components are you using in your setup, besides the 90mm Macro G?
p.2 #12 · Film/slide digitizing using Sony 90mm lens and Nikon ES-2
phototiimo wrote:
Wouldn't a tilt shift macro be a great lens for something like digitizing medium format film? Laowa also makes a shift converter, I believe.
Yes possibly, I assume you mean to capture larger than 1:2.3, which is where a 6x6 fills the full frame sensor. Shifting would let you go closer and not have to reposition the tripod or film, and then it would be pretty simple to merge multiple shots for more resolution. I'm not convinced it's really necessary though, since you can get up to 28MP on an A7rII (5300x5300). There may be some small gains possible after that, but you'll bump up against the film and lens' resolution at some point.
p.2 #13 · Film/slide digitizing using Sony 90mm lens and Nikon ES-2
I use Capture One. I tether the Sony to my Mac. I arrived at some starting corrections by inverting curves and applying some suggested corrections to that. Then I save it as a Neg Correction Style. Next, when you shoot a neg, it goes into Capture One and applies the correction you set. If you want to adjust from there, go right ahead and it applies the current correction to subsequent negs until you change it. I have found that yes, film types vary greatly but that once you arrive at a starting correction for the roll, the rest follow nicely. It all moves very quickly. And by shooting RAW you have the ability to start over later if you don't like what you have.
There are definitely film types that are more problematic than others. But the resolution, dynamic range and detail differences of a neg scan vs a print scan make it worth any film type or corrections issues in my opinion.
To fine tune the distance for the 90mm I used filter ring spacers. I bought cheap vivtar filter sets and unsrewed whatever was in it and put the rings together till I got close to 1:1
There's a million solutions out there, this just works for me.
p.2 #15 · Film/slide digitizing using Sony 90mm lens and Nikon ES-2
Excellent setup. I tried this with my Tamron 90mm (latest version for A-mount). Minimum focus distance is longer than the Sony 90mm so I cannot get focus and need to put more space between the lens and the film plane - probably another 3/4 inch or so. Any suggestions?
p.2 #16 · Film/slide digitizing using Sony 90mm lens and Nikon ES-2
149113 wrote:
Excellent setup. I tried this with my Tamron 90mm (latest version for A-mount). Minimum focus distance is longer than the Sony 90mm so I cannot get focus and need to put more space between the lens and the film plane - probably another 3/4 inch or so. Any suggestions?
p.2 #17 · Film/slide digitizing using Sony 90mm lens and Nikon ES-2
Over in the large format photography community, there are some really good threads on "DSLR scanning". Some members have even developed semi-automatic machines based on XY stages and Arduino controllers -- very neat.
Even taking into account the time to wet mount the negatives, it's very fast. My setup requires 12 frames, but you can get very good quality with 3 frames (depending of course on the camera). Three frames from a 24MP Fuji X-T2 make a 6000 x 7500 ppi "scan" from a 4x5 negative. Unless you're printing large -- and even if you are -- that's a lot.
Currently I've been using a tripod, which is OK. A copy stand is a much better option though.
p.2 #19 · Film/slide digitizing using Sony 90mm lens and Nikon ES-2
Step up and step down rings
149113 wrote:
Excellent setup. I tried this with my Tamron 90mm (latest version for A-mount). Minimum focus distance is longer than the Sony 90mm so I cannot get focus and need to put more space between the lens and the film plane - probably another 3/4 inch or so. Any suggestions?
To fine tune the distance for the 90mm I used filter ring spacers. I bought cheap vivtar filter sets and unsrewed whatever was in it and put the rings together till I got close to 1:1
There's a million solutions out there, this just works for me.
