[Vicioustuna2012]

I'm interested in an affordable setup or attachment, etc., that I can use to scan my film negatives using my DSLR (K-30). What are some of the cheaper alternative, or attachments? I feel like I've seen an attachment that just clips onto the front of the lens before, and you slide your negative through horizontally with a lightbox behind it, but I don't remember where or what it was, and google hasn't yielded any affordable setups. Can anyone offer some advice?

[SpecialK]

Here's an article about scanning with a camera.

Scanning without a Scanner: Digitizing Your Film with a DSLR | B&H Explora

A "camera slide duplicator" would be what I google on. $35 and up to a couple hundred....

[35mmfilmfan]

When I enquired about a 'slide duplicator' for use on my K20D, I was informed that it 'wouldn't work', although no reason was given. The salesperson was, however, standing next to a somewhat expensive slide scanning computer peripheral. Having asked the 'expert', I went ahead and got one cheaply anyway, and I have had better results than I anticipated. One possible drawback is that it will not (obviously) accommodate the entire area of the slide, so you have to decide on where to 'crop', but the slide can be moved around in the holder. Another is that you will have to construct some form of 'negative carrier' to scan strips of negatives, as the spring clips are designed to hold slides. Finally, exposure can be hit and miss - I use a north-facing window, with the setup on a tripod, and use auto-bracketing. Some surprisingly good results can be obtained this way, and of course it is free to experiment - you also stand a chance of rescuing under or over exposed slides / negs. The results I have obtained have been better than using the neg scanner portion of my (admittedly second-hand) flatbed scanner.

Good luck

[WPRESTO]

Don't overlook the little 5mp converters that run about $100~$150. They are quick, very easy to use, and 5mp is more than what's allowed for a post here on PF. IQ I have not deeply compared with, for example, scans from a flatbed or from ScanCafe.

[SointulArt]

I've used a macro lens, copy stand and light table, but you have to be careful to have everything aligned properly. But it works quite well. Then you need to process it in your favourite editing program to convert it into a positive image.

[Vicioustuna2012]

When I enquired about a 'slide duplicator' for use on my K20D, I was informed that it 'wouldn't work', although no reason was given. The salesperson was, however, standing next to a somewhat expensive slide scanning computer peripheral. Having asked the 'expert', I went ahead and got one cheaply anyway, and I have had better results than I anticipated. One possible drawback is that it will not (obviously) accommodate the entire area of the slide, so you have to decide on where to 'crop', but the slide can be moved around in the holder. Another is that you will have to construct some form of 'negative carrier' to scan strips of negatives, as the spring clips are designed to hold slides. Finally, exposure can be hit and miss - I use a north-facing window, with the setup on a tripod, and use auto-bracketing. Some surprisingly good results can be obtained this way, and of course it is free to experiment - you also stand a chance of rescuing under or over exposed slides / negs. The results I have obtained have been better than using the neg scanner portion of my (admittedly second-hand) flatbed scanner.

Good luck

I have one question: why couldn't my camera accommodate the entire frame? If the negative is an appreciable distance from the lens, why wouldn't the entire negative fit in the frame. I'm thinking of a setup with a bellows in between the lens and the negative, with the negative in some kind of holster attached to the far end of the bellows...

[tim60]

What light source do you use to get the colour balance right. In days of slides I did some once with sky and got a blue cast.

[35mmfilmfan]

why couldn't my camera accommodate the entire frame?

As far as I understand it, it is because the slide copier is set up for use on 35mm equipment - the lens is fixed focus, so has to be used at the same distance from the focal plane. I experimented with extension tubes, and was unable to focus at all, whilst a (cheap) tele-converter merely increased the size of the already-cropped image. I have seen on ebay a Pentax bellows / slide copier combination, which may do what you require, but as I have never used it (and at the prices required, probably never will) I can give no personal experience. FWIW, I suspect that the same caveat would apply, as again this was designed for use on the 35mm format, and would probably only cope with enlarging the slide, not, as would be necessary in the case of digital, reducing it in size. I don't know if it would be possible to obtain acceptable results using the bellows and a lens of less than 50mm focal length - perhaps an expert in optics could advise here?

[Vicioustuna2012]

What light source do you use to get the colour balance right. In days of slides I did some once with sky and got a blue cast.

I would probably buy, or build, a light-box with actual LEDs wired up inside, and some sort of diffusive material covering the front/top. Sort of like this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/images2500x2500/porta_trace_gagne_8_x_10...ic_1095070.jpg

---------- Post added 04-21-17 at 11:49 PM ----------

As far as I understand it, it is because the slide copier is set up for use on 35mm equipment - the lens is fixed focus, so has to be used at the same distance from the focal plane. I experimented with extension tubes, and was unable to focus at all, whilst a (cheap) tele-converter merely increased the size of the already-cropped image. I have seen on ebay a Pentax bellows / slide copier combination, which may do what you require, but as I have never used it (and at the prices required, probably never will) I can give no personal experience. FWIW, I suspect that the same caveat would apply, as again this was designed for use on the 35mm format, and would probably only cope with enlarging the slide, not, as would be necessary in the case of digital, reducing it in size. I don't know if it would be possible to obtain acceptable results using the bellows and a lens of less than 50mm focal length - perhaps an expert in optics could advise here?

How well do you think it would work if I built my own setup where the negative isn't attached to the lens, but instead have a long rail with the negative fixed on one end with a light source behind it, and my camera on the other, where the camera can slide forward and backward and be locked down? Theoretically, I could either zoom in on the negative on the one end, or slide the camera forward if needed, until the entire negative is in frame. My only concern would be, since the system is "open", would the light coming in from all sides between the camera and the negative effect the exposure? I wonder if I could "dial in" the distance between the camera and negative and build some kind of tube or cover to mitigate that...if that would even be a problem?

[tim60]

I would probably buy, or build, a light-box with actual LEDs wired up inside, and some sort of diffusive material covering the front/top. Sort of like this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/images2500x2500/porta_trace_gagne_8_x_10...981&

---------- Post added 04-21-17 at 11:49 PM ----------



How well do you think it would work if I built my own setup where the negative isn't attached to the lens, but instead have a long rail with the negative fixed on one end with a light source behind it, and my camera on the other, where the camera can slide forward and backward and be locked down? Theoretically, I could either zoom in on the negative on the one end, or slide the camera forward if needed, until the entire negative is in frame. My only concern would be, since the system is "open", would the light coming in from all sides between the camera and the negative effect the exposure? I wonder if I could "dial in" the distance between the camera and negative and build some kind of tube or cover to mitigate that...if that would even be a problem?

Thanks for the idea.

[Vicioustuna2012]

LEDs aren't a great choice, since despite appearing white, they almost never cover the entire visible light spectrum.

Oh cool. Thanks for the tip. So would a CFL bulb be better? Or should I just go incandescent, and adjust White Balance in-camera/in-post?

[JensE]

You don't really need a continuous spectrum - the film/slide will have basically 3 independent absorption/emission lines only, not subtle tones at different wavelengths. I've seen setups using flash (at low power eliminates any shake issue), Personally I've simply put my slides onto my light table with a makeshift bezel and the camera on a tripod in a dimply lit room. Dust is a bit more of a hassle than in a vertical setup already.

[arnold]

I have one question: why couldn't my camera accommodate the entire frame? If the negative is an appreciable distance from the lens, why wouldn't the entire negative fit in the frame. I'm thinking of a setup with a bellows in between the lens and the negative, with the negative in some kind of holster attached to the far end of the bellows...

I use a K5 with the 35mm LTD macro lens. A few empty filter holders for spacing between lens and slide holder, and the full slide is captured. I just walk outside, point the lens to the sky, and shoot

[Vicioustuna2012]

I use a K5 with the 35mm LTD macro lens. A few empty filter holders for spacing between lens and slide holder, and the full slide is captured. I just walk outside, point the lens to the sky, and shoot

Woah! That sounds super simple! This may sound dumb, but what are "empty filter holders", and do they attach/mount to your lens like a filter screws on? Is it possible for you to post a photo of this setup? Lastly, which slide holder are you using?

[arnold]

I will post a photo later. The slide holder came from bellows for screw mount lenses. When I stuck it on the front of the 35mm lens, it was too close and did not get the entire slide. I had about four old filters that I screwed the glass out of, and kept adding them on the front of the lens as spacers until the whole slide showed with some cardboard, which can be cropped later. You can shoot at low speeds because the lens it fixed to the camera.