Copying negs with a dslr???
p.1 #1Copying negs with a dslr???
As per title
I’m sure I’ve read where good results can be got using a dslr to copy negatives and slides.
Can anyone explain in really simple terms how best to go about this - assume I know nothing.
I have macro lenses and extension tubes also have (somewhere?) a Ohnar slide copier attachment
Have lots of flash guns plus a few mains strobe lights (cheapo brands)
Probably a 1000 negs to copy
How’s then best to convert to positive? If possible don’t want anything subscription based.
Equipment is either canon EOS digital or Pentax digital
Anybody??
Oh, really would prefer to shoot JPEG’s… is that possible??
I’m sure I’ve read where good results can be got using a dslr to copy negatives and slides.
Can anyone explain in really simple terms how best to go about this - assume I know nothing.
I have macro lenses and extension tubes also have (somewhere?) a Ohnar slide copier attachment
Have lots of flash guns plus a few mains strobe lights (cheapo brands)
Probably a 1000 negs to copy
How’s then best to convert to positive? If possible don’t want anything subscription based.
Equipment is either canon EOS digital or Pentax digital
Anybody??
Oh, really would prefer to shoot JPEG’s… is that possible??
Sep 12, 2026 at 11:41 AM
p.1 #2Copying negs with a dslr???
Have you read these, on the FM platform?
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1795287/?b=2
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1944581/
There's also a ton of info on methods to do this out on the wider internet. Have you done some reading on this already?
This forum works best when there's a specific concept you need help with. To answer your specific questions:
Software is available from four publishers that I know of that is not subscription based. However, the most popular one and the easiest one to use is Negative Lab Pro, a plugin for Lightroom, which is a subscription software. In your case, you could rent Lightroom for one month, do your 1000 negatives, and cancel the subscription. You'd retain the NLP license, in case you want to reactivate Lightroom and do it again later.
JPEGs are possible, but advised against. Because you will be transforming colors and contrast drastically during the inversion, you will benefit from the full color data provided in RAW.
Your equipment as stated is probably enough, or close to enough, to get you going.
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1795287/?b=2
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1944581/
There's also a ton of info on methods to do this out on the wider internet. Have you done some reading on this already?
This forum works best when there's a specific concept you need help with. To answer your specific questions:
Software is available from four publishers that I know of that is not subscription based. However, the most popular one and the easiest one to use is Negative Lab Pro, a plugin for Lightroom, which is a subscription software. In your case, you could rent Lightroom for one month, do your 1000 negatives, and cancel the subscription. You'd retain the NLP license, in case you want to reactivate Lightroom and do it again later.
JPEGs are possible, but advised against. Because you will be transforming colors and contrast drastically during the inversion, you will benefit from the full color data provided in RAW.
Your equipment as stated is probably enough, or close to enough, to get you going.
Sep 12, 2026 at 04:44 PM
p.1 #3Copying negs with a dslr???
Pixelpuffin wrote:
As per title
I’m sure I’ve read where good results can be got using a dslr to copy negatives and slides.
Can anyone explain in really simple terms how best to go about this - assume I know nothing.
I have macro lenses and extension tubes also have (somewhere?) a Ohnar slide copier attachment
Have lots of flash guns plus a few mains strobe lights (cheapo brands)
Probably a 1000 negs to copy
How’s then best to convert to positive? If possible don’t want anything subscription based.
Equipment is either canon EOS digital or Pentax digital
Anybody??
Oh, really would prefer to shoot JPEG’s… is that...Show more →
Pixelpuffin,
I think you are referring to what is commonly called dslr scanning. To copy or duplicate a film slide or negative involves making another film slide or negative with a dedicated machine you can find by googling a "Honeywell Repronar Model 805 A" I've used them, and their lenses are amazing.
To scan with a dslr - thus making a digital copy - you basically put your digital camera on a copy stand, put your film in a carrier (holder) that you set on top of a light source. (led light panel, light box, even a cell phone) - then taking a digital photo of that backlit slide or negative. That digital photo is your copy. After that you asked about "best", and I don't want to go down that rabbit hole. I have an opinion, but so does everyone else. Needless too say - there about as many ways to do it as people that take pictures.
Jim
Edited on Sep 12, 2026 at 05:34 PM · View previous versions
As per title
I’m sure I’ve read where good results can be got using a dslr to copy negatives and slides.
Can anyone explain in really simple terms how best to go about this - assume I know nothing.
I have macro lenses and extension tubes also have (somewhere?) a Ohnar slide copier attachment
Have lots of flash guns plus a few mains strobe lights (cheapo brands)
Probably a 1000 negs to copy
How’s then best to convert to positive? If possible don’t want anything subscription based.
Equipment is either canon EOS digital or Pentax digital
Anybody??
Oh, really would prefer to shoot JPEG’s… is that...Show more →
Pixelpuffin,
I think you are referring to what is commonly called dslr scanning. To copy or duplicate a film slide or negative involves making another film slide or negative with a dedicated machine you can find by googling a "Honeywell Repronar Model 805 A" I've used them, and their lenses are amazing.
To scan with a dslr - thus making a digital copy - you basically put your digital camera on a copy stand, put your film in a carrier (holder) that you set on top of a light source. (led light panel, light box, even a cell phone) - then taking a digital photo of that backlit slide or negative. That digital photo is your copy. After that you asked about "best", and I don't want to go down that rabbit hole. I have an opinion, but so does everyone else. Needless too say - there about as many ways to do it as people that take pictures.
Jim
Edited on Sep 12, 2026 at 05:34 PM · View previous versions
Sep 12, 2026 at 05:25 PM
p.1 #4Copying negs with a dslr???
Pixelpuffin wrote:
As per title
I’m sure I’ve read where good results can be got using a dslr to copy negatives and slides.
Can anyone explain in really simple terms how best to go about this - assume I know nothing.
I have macro lenses and extension tubes also have (somewhere?) a Ohnar slide copier attachment
Have lots of flash guns plus a few mains strobe lights (cheapo brands)
Probably a 1000 negs to copy
How’s then best to convert to positive? If possible don’t want anything subscription based.
Equipment is either canon EOS digital or Pentax digital
Anybody??
Oh, really would prefer to shoot JPEG’s… is that...Show more →
To do simple scanning you'll need
-Macro lens, one that is at least 1:1 magnification. The focal lengths I usually see for scanning are 55-105mm.
-Some kind of film holder. I personally would just get a JJC or ES-2 setup, they're fairly cheap but work well.
-Some kind of light; you've got a couple options. You can get an included light with some holders, like the JJC setup. You can also go with some kind of standalone light table. Or, you could go with the flash. I personally would go with the standalone light table, it's simple but gives you options. If you do, you'll want to look for one with a 95+ CRI/color rendering index. This doesn't have to be expensive; mine was $35 all said and done.
-Software. I think the general recommendation is Negative Lab Pro. It bolts onto Lightroom, and is a flat $100 fee or, if you've got a student ID, $50. I personally use Negative Lab Pro. There are other options but IMO this is the simplest.
-Tripod.
Putting this all together, you'd have your camera with your macro lens on it. Usually with a film holder they attach through the filter threading on your lens, either directly or with some kind of tube to connect your lens to the holder. Then you have it on the tripod and the light table is really close in front of the film holder to illuminate the film. You can also spend a bit more money to keep this all on the tripod and get a cheap tripod rail that lets both the camera and the light table sit on it. Once you've taken pictures of the roll, it's into Lightroom to convert with your software.
You could technically do JPEGs but because of the color issues that'd cause, it'd be more trouble than it's worth compared to finding storage for the RAWs. You can always import as RAW, export as JPEGs, and then delete the RAW files.
If you want to get more involved in terms of absolute quality this would add some expense and cost, but IMO this would give very reasonable results if you're just looking to digitize old negatives.
As per title
I’m sure I’ve read where good results can be got using a dslr to copy negatives and slides.
Can anyone explain in really simple terms how best to go about this - assume I know nothing.
I have macro lenses and extension tubes also have (somewhere?) a Ohnar slide copier attachment
Have lots of flash guns plus a few mains strobe lights (cheapo brands)
Probably a 1000 negs to copy
How’s then best to convert to positive? If possible don’t want anything subscription based.
Equipment is either canon EOS digital or Pentax digital
Anybody??
Oh, really would prefer to shoot JPEG’s… is that...Show more →
To do simple scanning you'll need
-Macro lens, one that is at least 1:1 magnification. The focal lengths I usually see for scanning are 55-105mm.
-Some kind of film holder. I personally would just get a JJC or ES-2 setup, they're fairly cheap but work well.
-Some kind of light; you've got a couple options. You can get an included light with some holders, like the JJC setup. You can also go with some kind of standalone light table. Or, you could go with the flash. I personally would go with the standalone light table, it's simple but gives you options. If you do, you'll want to look for one with a 95+ CRI/color rendering index. This doesn't have to be expensive; mine was $35 all said and done.
-Software. I think the general recommendation is Negative Lab Pro. It bolts onto Lightroom, and is a flat $100 fee or, if you've got a student ID, $50. I personally use Negative Lab Pro. There are other options but IMO this is the simplest.
-Tripod.
Putting this all together, you'd have your camera with your macro lens on it. Usually with a film holder they attach through the filter threading on your lens, either directly or with some kind of tube to connect your lens to the holder. Then you have it on the tripod and the light table is really close in front of the film holder to illuminate the film. You can also spend a bit more money to keep this all on the tripod and get a cheap tripod rail that lets both the camera and the light table sit on it. Once you've taken pictures of the roll, it's into Lightroom to convert with your software.
You could technically do JPEGs but because of the color issues that'd cause, it'd be more trouble than it's worth compared to finding storage for the RAWs. You can always import as RAW, export as JPEGs, and then delete the RAW files.
If you want to get more involved in terms of absolute quality this would add some expense and cost, but IMO this would give very reasonable results if you're just looking to digitize old negatives.
Sep 12, 2026 at 05:28 PM
RoamingScott
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p.1 #5Copying negs with a dslr???
https://www.scotttuckerphoto.com/blog/a-simple-inexpensive-setup-for-scanning-35mm-at-home-with-nikon-cameras
You can certainly use a DSLR too.
You can certainly use a DSLR too.
Sep 12, 2026 at 07:05 PM
p.1 #6Copying negs with a dslr???
The biggest, easiest and quickest improvement to my film scanning was from using an AF macro lens and a camera that focuses in LiveView i.e. directly off the sensor.
Some DSLRs allow for LiveView AF, and of course all mirrorless cameras do. You will nail focus on the film grain in an instant using AF and LiveView, while doing it manually is far more fiddly, time consuming and inaccurate.
Some DSLRs allow for LiveView AF, and of course all mirrorless cameras do. You will nail focus on the film grain in an instant using AF and LiveView, while doing it manually is far more fiddly, time consuming and inaccurate.
Sep 12, 2026 at 08:21 PM
p.1 #7Copying negs with a dslr???
I use a Zf with a 105/2.8 Z macro and the Valoi Easy35 — usually with pixel-shift shooting for higher resolution. I love the results.
Sep 15, 2026 at 01:34 PM
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p.1 #8Copying negs with a dslr???
I started writing a reply a day or two ago, got pulled away.
All you need is something to hold the film and camera in position, a light source, and a good lens, preferably a macro that can get close to 1:1 (which would be even better if you used a full-frame lens with an APS-C sensor. Accurate focusing is good so an AF lens or at least one with an in-focus indicator is good, though not essential if you can focus well manually. No matter how you swing it, unless you have a machine that can do all this automatically digitizing your 1000+ negatives will take time. I use a scanning rig made by Pro Master. It sits on a tripod, holds the camera at one end, the film at the other. I use a Tamron 90mm macro, F-mount w/FTZ on my Z5ii. A friend 3-d-printed a slide holder for me so I could scan my 1000+ slides from the old days. I still have to do the scans one at time.
After all your shooting is done you will need software to "positive-ize" the negatives. There are two steps to that, negating the base film color (which isn't white) and then negating what is left. That means your initial scan must include enough of the non-picture film that you or the software can pick the base film color from the edges. I didn't know all this when I started.
I tried several programs for this, settled on something called Film.Scan.Converter. It will process a batch but if the batch is too large it bogs down the computer. I tried Darktable but it seemed to process the base film color incorrectly even when I picked it manually. Lots of programs will give you a negative but won't remove the base film color first.
There is my simplistic explanation. The process works for me. When I asked at my camera shop about the whole process they pointed out that the resolution of a spiffy 24Mp or higher sensor was far better than the inexpensive scanning devices available. I like the results I've gotten.
Edited on Sep 16, 2026 at 06:00 AM · View previous versions
All you need is something to hold the film and camera in position, a light source, and a good lens, preferably a macro that can get close to 1:1 (which would be even better if you used a full-frame lens with an APS-C sensor. Accurate focusing is good so an AF lens or at least one with an in-focus indicator is good, though not essential if you can focus well manually. No matter how you swing it, unless you have a machine that can do all this automatically digitizing your 1000+ negatives will take time. I use a scanning rig made by Pro Master. It sits on a tripod, holds the camera at one end, the film at the other. I use a Tamron 90mm macro, F-mount w/FTZ on my Z5ii. A friend 3-d-printed a slide holder for me so I could scan my 1000+ slides from the old days. I still have to do the scans one at time.
After all your shooting is done you will need software to "positive-ize" the negatives. There are two steps to that, negating the base film color (which isn't white) and then negating what is left. That means your initial scan must include enough of the non-picture film that you or the software can pick the base film color from the edges. I didn't know all this when I started.
I tried several programs for this, settled on something called Film.Scan.Converter. It will process a batch but if the batch is too large it bogs down the computer. I tried Darktable but it seemed to process the base film color incorrectly even when I picked it manually. Lots of programs will give you a negative but won't remove the base film color first.
There is my simplistic explanation. The process works for me. When I asked at my camera shop about the whole process they pointed out that the resolution of a spiffy 24Mp or higher sensor was far better than the inexpensive scanning devices available. I like the results I've gotten.
Edited on Sep 16, 2026 at 06:00 AM · View previous versions
Sep 15, 2026 at 02:04 PM
p.1 #9Copying negs with a dslr???
Here is an example of the processing.
The initial scan looked like ths:
ColorNegativeScan
by James Muller, on Flickr
Removing the film base color produces this:
ColorNegativeBaseColorRemoved
by James Muller, on Flickr
Curiously, the base color darkness varies top to bottom. I think that's due to the camera. Picking base color in different places along the right edge produces slightly different results because it "adjusts" a value very near "zero". That difference never shows up in a real picture.
If you just negate the image without compensating for the base film color, you get this:
ColorNegativeScanInvertedOnly
by James Muller, on Flickr
(I had to trick the software about what it was looking at.) This is what you get if you just negate the image with a simple program that doesn't compensate properly.
When you do both processes, remove base color and negate (and the order doesn't matter!) you get this final result:
FInalResult
by James Muller, on Flickr
The initial scan looked like ths:
ColorNegativeScanby James Muller, on Flickr
Removing the film base color produces this:
ColorNegativeBaseColorRemovedby James Muller, on Flickr
Curiously, the base color darkness varies top to bottom. I think that's due to the camera. Picking base color in different places along the right edge produces slightly different results because it "adjusts" a value very near "zero". That difference never shows up in a real picture.
If you just negate the image without compensating for the base film color, you get this:
ColorNegativeScanInvertedOnlyby James Muller, on Flickr
(I had to trick the software about what it was looking at.) This is what you get if you just negate the image with a simple program that doesn't compensate properly.
When you do both processes, remove base color and negate (and the order doesn't matter!) you get this final result:
FInalResultby James Muller, on Flickr
Sep 15, 2026 at 02:27 PM
p.1 #10Copying negs with a dslr???
For conversion I use Filmomat SmartConvert. It is standalone software you purchase once - no Lightroom subscription needed. You shoot in RAW and it will convert for you and export as JPEG and/or TIFF. The adjustments in the software allow you to adjust white balance, saturation and contrasts/density, which is often enough. When it loads a file, it automatically adjusts to what it thinks is best and you might only need a few extra tweaks to taste or none at all. If needed, you can do further editing in whatever editing software you use. Once I got the hang of it, I probably only spend a minute per file doing adjustments.
If doing 1000 photos an AF macro lens will be you best option. Mirrorless cameras tend to have more accurate contrast detect AF systems. I'm not sure how good your DSLR is but it may be good enough. The JJC film holder, with light source and tubes to connect to your macro lens is a good place to start. Mine came with holders for both negative film and mounted slides. For 35mm, I wouldn't bother with a copy stand or light table. That is more useful for larger film formats, where the volume of scanning is likely going to be lower.
If doing 1000 photos an AF macro lens will be you best option. Mirrorless cameras tend to have more accurate contrast detect AF systems. I'm not sure how good your DSLR is but it may be good enough. The JJC film holder, with light source and tubes to connect to your macro lens is a good place to start. Mine came with holders for both negative film and mounted slides. For 35mm, I wouldn't bother with a copy stand or light table. That is more useful for larger film formats, where the volume of scanning is likely going to be lower.
Sep 16, 2026 at 12:58 AM
p.1 #11Copying negs with a dslr???
Pixelpuffin wrote:
...
How’s then best to convert to positive? If possible don’t want anything subscription based.
...
Oh, really would prefer to shoot JPEG’s… is that possible??
Sorry to bomb with a second response but I missed two of your points.
The Film.Scan.Converter program I mentioned is a free Windows exe file that uses Python. I run it either under wine on Linux or on native Windows. (I have moved most of what I do to Linux because Win11 is so dog-slow for even the simplest things.)
Film.Scan.Converter does various things such as crop, rotate, adjust brightness, gamma, shadows and highlights, etc. I rarely bother with those features because whatever needs doing can be done elsewhere. It can work with raw files or jpgs.
I shoot jpgs exclusively. Whenever I've bothered with raw files I can never process them as well as Nikon's firmware in the camera! Anything else I want to do can be done starting with jpgs.
My physical rig:
scanner
by James Muller, on Flickr
With this rig I have to cut the film into strips only 6 or fewer shots because the hinge on the left side of the film holder doesn't allow the film to extend outward that way. If you don't want to cut your film this rig won't work for you.
Even though I'm using an F-mount lens with FTZ, the lens does show an in-focus indicator which makes focusing easy and precise. The only demanding thing is getting the camera pointing straight at the light source during set-up. Otherwise the sides of the image may be OOF even though the center is focused properly.
...
How’s then best to convert to positive? If possible don’t want anything subscription based.
...
Oh, really would prefer to shoot JPEG’s… is that possible??
Sorry to bomb with a second response but I missed two of your points.
The Film.Scan.Converter program I mentioned is a free Windows exe file that uses Python. I run it either under wine on Linux or on native Windows. (I have moved most of what I do to Linux because Win11 is so dog-slow for even the simplest things.)
Film.Scan.Converter does various things such as crop, rotate, adjust brightness, gamma, shadows and highlights, etc. I rarely bother with those features because whatever needs doing can be done elsewhere. It can work with raw files or jpgs.
I shoot jpgs exclusively. Whenever I've bothered with raw files I can never process them as well as Nikon's firmware in the camera! Anything else I want to do can be done starting with jpgs.
My physical rig:
scannerby James Muller, on Flickr
With this rig I have to cut the film into strips only 6 or fewer shots because the hinge on the left side of the film holder doesn't allow the film to extend outward that way. If you don't want to cut your film this rig won't work for you.
Even though I'm using an F-mount lens with FTZ, the lens does show an in-focus indicator which makes focusing easy and precise. The only demanding thing is getting the camera pointing straight at the light source during set-up. Otherwise the sides of the image may be OOF even though the center is focused properly.
Sep 16, 2026 at 05:03 AM
p.1 #12Copying negs with a dslr???
Geoff D F wrote:
For conversion I use Filmomat SmartConvert.
Out of curiosity I just tried the demo Windows version. It runs fine (I think) under wine on Linux. However it would not open jpgs. It did not respond when I tried dropping a jpg into the "drop images here" area and the Open dialog did not show any jpgs. When I clicked the down arrow to see other acceptable file types it listed a bunch like .tiff etc. in a long string that ran off the right side of my screen. Perhaps it does not have a jpg deconstruction function.
For conversion I use Filmomat SmartConvert.
Out of curiosity I just tried the demo Windows version. It runs fine (I think) under wine on Linux. However it would not open jpgs. It did not respond when I tried dropping a jpg into the "drop images here" area and the Open dialog did not show any jpgs. When I clicked the down arrow to see other acceptable file types it listed a bunch like .tiff etc. in a long string that ran off the right side of my screen. Perhaps it does not have a jpg deconstruction function.
Sep 16, 2026 at 05:37 AM
p.1 #13Copying negs with a dslr???
Definitely get a dslr or apsc, I find it scans faster than my coolscan 5000ed, perhaps in less than 10min I've scanned a whole roll of 35mm.
Sep 21, 2026 at 04:29 PM