bjhurley wrote:
I don't own any macro lens, so the total cost would be similar between the two options; the main limitation with a Plustek is that it only scans 35mm film and if I ever decide to get a medium-format film camera I'd have to invest in one of their 120 film scanners or switch to camera scanning.
As Huss said, it wouldn't have to be a modern and therefore expensive macro lens, I have used a Pentax SMC 55/4 Macro myself for both 35mm and 120. And the Essential Film holder is a great inexpensive alternative to the expensive film carriers such as Negative Supply, etc.
After the initial capture then setting the white balance. cropping the image, then inverting in NLP, how much more is needed? Is there more manipulation or is it done with a few tweaks?
I've been watching different videos and reading up on it. I see where you can tailor the image to your liking or if your exposure was good, just leave it as is. Any tips or hints are appreciated.
madNbad wrote:
After the initial capture then setting the white balance. cropping the image, then inverting in NLP, how much more is needed? Is there more manipulation or is it done with a few tweaks?
I've been watching different videos and reading up on it. I see where you can tailor the image to your liking or if your exposure was good, just leave it as is. Any tips or hints are appreciated.
You set the white balance once per film stock - from a bit of the unexposed film. Then save it as a preset so you just pull up the matching preset to whichever film you have scanned.
You don't need to crop as NLP let's you adjust the border buffer before you do the conversion. If you crop out everything that is not the image, the buffer would be set at 0. If there is border so you can show everything captured (I often do that for the web) then I usually have it at 5.
Once in in NLP and it has been converted, there are sliders you can play with, film tone presets and WB presets. I usually never touch the sliders, maybe I'll use a tone preset that is different from the default, and with the WB I may click on a few to see the difference, but often I select 'none' especially if there is a lot of blue in the scene (sky, water) as NLP will try to warm that up.
I export as jpeg to LightRoom, then do the final edits there as I find LR's sliders etc to be far more accurate and less destructive.
Typing all that took much longer than it would to do it! NLP is an amazing tool and before it came out I was basically winging it, sometimes with success, most times it looked sorta poopy.
Thanks! Since I already have the camera tethered to the computer, I should be able to control it through Lightroom. My ancient Sony software basically allows me to look at a larger image instead of trying to work off of the camera screen and that’s about it. RAW Power has worked well but it’s time for the next step. I might even try some cold film.
Today's the day I pack up my Leica M2R and send it off to DAG for a complete overhaul. The second curtain has been dragging at higher shutter speeds (common problem), leading to a growing number of images that have a dark bar on the left and are overexposed on the right, plus my lenses are slightly wobbly in the mount. I don't think the original owner has had it serviced in more than 20 years.
I'm going back to my Canon P in the meantime and I have to say that I love that camera, more so than the Leica. It fits my hands better, it's easy to do double exposures with it (even described in the manual), and film loading is just as fast and in my experience more foolproof. The rangefinder patch is a fuzzy oval and I prefer the clearly defined rectangle of the Leica, and having all three framelines visible all the time is a little distracting, but I've gotten used to both of those things. The parallax correction doesn't function in my Canon P (evidently due to a broken spring) but so far it hasn't been an issue; I don't do a lot of close shots with it and when I do I just move it slightly down and to the right and pray to the parallax gods. It's a great camera and some of my favorite lenses are LTM.
I tried & liked the Nikon ES-2 kit, fantastic for 35mm, but it doesn't do 120 or Xpan so I switched to a film carrier system. If you're only doing 35mm though, there's no better system IMO.
bjhurley wrote:
Today's the day I pack up my Leica M2R and send it off to DAG for a complete overhaul. The second curtain has been dragging at higher shutter speeds (common problem), leading to a growing number of images that have a dark bar on the left and are overexposed on the right, plus my lenses are slightly wobbly in the mount. I don't think the original owner has had it serviced in more than 20 years.
I'm going back to my Canon P in the meantime and I have to say that I love that camera, more so than the Leica. It fits my hands better, it's easy to do double exposures with it (even described in the manual), and film loading is just as fast and in my experience more foolproof. The rangefinder patch is a fuzzy oval and I prefer the clearly defined rectangle of the Leica, and having all three framelines visible all the time is a little distracting, but I've gotten used to both of those things. The parallax correction doesn't function in my Canon P (evidently due to a broken spring) but so far it hasn't been an issue; I don't do a lot of close shots with it and when I do I just move it slightly down and to the right and pray to the parallax gods. It's a great camera and some of my favorite lenses are LTM....Show more →
I have a feeling that you'll really enjoy the M2R when it gets back. I had my M6 for a couple of years before I sent it off, last service unknown, and it came back smooth like buttah. It's been 3-4 years since and it still runs like a top, absolutely love it.
helimat wrote:
I tried & liked the Nikon ES-2 kit, fantastic for 35mm, but it doesn't do 120 or Xpan so I switched to a film carrier system. If you're only doing 35mm though, there's no better system IMO.
Yup it only works for 35mm. Which I shoot a lot of. For 110, 35mm pano, 120 I use a copy stand and digitaliza film carriers.
bjhurley wrote:
Today's the day I pack up my Leica M2R and send it off to DAG for a complete overhaul. The second curtain has been dragging at higher shutter speeds (common problem), leading to a growing number of images that have a dark bar on the left and are overexposed on the right, plus my lenses are slightly wobbly in the mount. I don't think the original owner has had it serviced in more than 20 years.
I'm going back to my Canon P in the meantime and I have to say that I love that camera, more so than the Leica. It fits my hands better, it's easy to do double exposures with it (even described in the manual), and film loading is just as fast and in my experience more foolproof. The rangefinder patch is a fuzzy oval and I prefer the clearly defined rectangle of the Leica, and having all three framelines visible all the time is a little distracting, but I've gotten used to both of those things. The parallax correction doesn't function in my Canon P (evidently due to a broken spring) but so far it hasn't been an issue; I don't do a lot of close shots with it and when I do I just move it slightly down and to the right and pray to the parallax gods. It's a great camera and some of my favorite lenses are LTM....Show more →
I had a perfect condition P - wrinkle free shutter! - but sold it because I did not like the fuzzy rf patch compared to Leica Ms.
Should have kept it.. at the time it was only 'worth' $200. Super camera. It's weird though, how does the shutter get wrinkly? I cannot believe that every user stuck there finger in there. Does not seem to make any difference in functionality.
Desmolicious wrote:
It's weird though, how does the shutter get wrinkly? I cannot believe that every user stuck there finger in there. Does not seem to make any difference in functionality.
I think the wrinkles simply develop over time with use, and they do not affect the image or functionality at all. I like that it's a metal shutter, too: I can shoot toward the sun without worrying about burning holes in the shutter, which is an issue with the Leica. :-)
Making double exposures with the Canon P is dead easy as well, and that's something I plan to explore more. I sometimes take test double exposures with my phone (the Hipstamatic app has a double exposure feature) before doing it on film, and for the second exposure on my Canon P I like using a very slow shutter speed and moving the camera to get some blur. SLRs are even easier for double exposures but at slow shutter speeds you have the mirror slap issue which gives a different kind of blur than what I'm after.
Here's a double exposure I did on the Canon P, with motion blur on the second exposure.
bjhurley wrote:
I think the wrinkles simply develop over time with use, and they do not affect the image or functionality at all. I like that it's a metal shutter, too: I can shoot toward the sun without worrying about burning holes in the shutter, which is an issue with the Leica. :-)
Making double exposures with the Canon P is dead easy as well, and that's something I plan to explore more. I sometimes take test double exposures with my phone (the Hipstamatic app has a double exposure feature) before doing it on film, and for the second exposure on my Canon P I like using a very slow shutter speed and moving the camera to get some blur. SLRs are even easier for double exposures but at slow shutter speeds you have the mirror slap issue which gives a different kind of blur than what I'm after....Show more →
The metal shutter is far more resistant to burns. But it is not infallible so still take care! Starkie (?) in England has made replacement M curtains from Nikon RF titanium cloth.
madNbad wrote:
Thanks! Since I already have the camera tethered to the computer, I should be able to control it through Lightroom. My ancient Sony software basically allows me to look at a larger image instead of trying to work off of the camera screen and that’s about it. RAW Power has worked well but it’s time for the next step. I might even try some cold film.
Fortunately, before subscribing to Lightroom or spending the money for NLP, I learned LR doesn't support tethering with Sony cameras. All of the work arounds create a lot more work than I'm already doing and using the clunky Sony Imaging Edge software as a bridge. I really don't want to spend the money for a different camera system and most likely it's Sony not working with Adobe, preferring their own Imaging Edge software over something more universal. In short, Adobe doesn't get ten bucks a month and NLP loses a sale. Glad I looked before I leaped.
madNbad wrote:
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Fortunately, before subscribing to Lightroom or spending the money for NLP, I learned LR doesn't support tethering with Sony cameras.
Capture One does support Sony tethering but doesn't support NLP. C1 offers negative-to-positive conversion in its special Cultural Heritage edition, and a number of users have asked to have that feature added to the standard C1 but no dice yet. In the meantime an independent developer came up with Analogue Toolbox for Capture One that seems to work for many people; I haven't tried it myself as I don't yet have a scanner for negatives.
bjhurley wrote:
Capture One does support Sony tethering but doesn't support NLP. C1 offers negative-to-positive conversion in its special Cultural Heritage edition, and a number of users have asked to have that feature added to the standard C1 but no dice yet. In the meantime an independent developer came up with Analogue Toolbox for Capture One that seems to work for many people; I haven't tried it myself as I don't yet have a scanner for negatives.
I’ve been using RAW Power by Gentleman Coders. I believe they were the group that developed Aperture for Apple. It works well for me and it has the advantage of being a plug in for Apple Photos, keeping everything together. Sony won’t share their tethering code with Adobe but then they also don’t update the firmware for their older cameras. In 2019, I bought the A7II brand new from B&H for $800, found the FE90 on eBay for $500. Add in a RRS bracket, tether cable plus a few things if I ever want to use it as an actual camera, battery grip, flash and a E-M mount adapter, makes me hesitant to box it up and take the loss just to move to a Nikon or Canon.
If I really needed the NLP features, I could make it work. The simple method would be just to use an SD card or try one of the work arounds. If it was a seamless move, I would have done it. There’s just too many speed bumps in the path.
madNbad wrote:
If I really needed the NLP features, I could make it work. The simple method would be just to use an SD card or try one of the work arounds. If it was a seamless move, I would have done it. There’s just too many speed bumps in the path.
I hear you. One other option to consider, especially since I think you only work in B&W, is Darktable, which apparently does allow tethering; its Negadoctor module seems fairly straightforward for B&W (more complicated for color), although nothing in Darktable is truly straightfoward; I always feel like I have a 12-year learning curve ahead of me if I want to really understand its features instead of rotely following tutorials. But there's a reasonably useful tutorial to Negadoctor here, which will give you an idea of the workflow.
bjhurley wrote:
I hear you. One other option to consider, especially since I think you only work in B&W, is Darktable, which apparently does allow tethering; its Negadoctor module seems fairly straightforward for B&W (more complicated for color), although nothing in Darktable is truly straightfoward; I always feel like I have a 12-year learning curve ahead of me if I want to really understand its features instead of rotely following tutorials. But there's a reasonably useful tutorial to Negadoctor here, which will give you an idea of the workflow.
Just an update on my foray into film, especially for those who new to it like me, or considering it.
1. I opened the bottom on my first roll before rewinding it, ruining several shots.
2. I had my second roll of film get “lost” in mail, but luckily after a week of no updates on tracking it finally showed up.
3. On my third roll I loaded portra 160 then decided I wanted 800 in that camera instead and rewound it all the way into the canister and wasted that roll. I tossed it before I found out leader retrieval was a thing.
4. I’ve played around with my scans vs the lab scans and I prefer the lab scans. So I’m going to continue having them scan while I learn to get better at it.
5. I ordered Kodak Gold 200, and when it arrived I realized I ordered 120, not 35mm.
6. Taking pictures and having to wait a week or two to get them back is painful. But it’s like Christmas morning when the scans/negatives come in.
7. It’s pretty cool being surprised at what the pictures will look like or when you find pictures that you forgot you took.
8. I chased (expensive) character lenses to soften the digital image, but really I should’ve just started shooting film. Would have been a lot cheaper.
9. I’ve found I like vintage/character lenses on digital and the slightly more modern lenses on film.
10. I’ve made tons of mistakes, but I’ve learned a lot about metering and taking an average of a scene and making sure on film I don’t lose the shadows (still working on that).
And so far I love it and am addicted! Still haven’t touched my M10-D since getting into film.
lifeandmylens wrote:
Just an update on my foray into film, especially for those who new to it like me, or considering it.
...
3. On my third roll I loaded portra 160 then decided I wanted 800 in that camera instead and rewound it all the way into the canister and wasted that roll. I tossed it before I found out leader retrieval was a thing.
And so far I love it and am addicted! Still haven’t touched my M10-D since getting into film.
Life hack - you don't even need a film retriever. Just another roll of film. What you do is pull out a bit of leader (it would be exposed anyway when you load it) and lick it. Yup, lick it. It makes it sticky and while in the sticky state insert it into the canister you want to retrieve. Then with that canister gently turn the spool counter clockwise. The film inside the canister will grab/stick onto the film you licked. When you feel that, pull it out in a rapid motion. Voila - film retrieved...
Desmolicious wrote: Life hack - you don't even need a film retriever. Just another roll of film. What you do is pull out a bit of leader (it would be exposed anyway when you load it) and lick it. Yup, lick it. It makes it sticky and while in the sticky state insert it into the canister you want to retrieve. Then with that canister gently turn the spool counter clockwise. The film inside the canister will grab/stick onto the film you licked. When you feel that, pull it out in a rapid motion. Voila - film retrieved...
Thanks. Will keep that in mind, hopefully won't have to use that trick often.
