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10-22-2021, 09:14 AM   #1
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Cheap stand alone film scanners, are they any good?

I was watching a veho smartfix for a while, it sold for £25. The reviews tended to be poles apart and certainly not reliable. Does anyone use a cheap film scanner? Are they worth a punt? Please bear in mind I am asking about cheap stuff here. I can get them scanned at the lab for £5 per film so I am not that interested in something that would take 50+ rolls before it started to pay for itself.

10-22-2021, 09:22 AM   #2
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They are basically a P&S camera built into a copy stand. The Veho is advertised as 14MP but is actually more like 13MP and does not cover a 36x24 negative.
10-22-2021, 09:28 AM - 4 Likes   #3
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I tried a cheap "Ion" branded one of those a few years back as an experiment, and the results were awful beyond belief. Just a horrible low resolution mushy blur. Inside, the device was just an LED light table at the bottom with a truly poor quality lens and sensor pointing down at it from on top.

On the plus side, I cannibalised the light table and film holder and turned them into a DSLR scanning rig that produced some excellent results. So it might be worth a go if you're the type who enjoys a bit of casual gear hacking.

Edit:
Here's a snap of the DSLR scanning rig made from the guts of the Ion.


Last edited by Dartmoor Dave; 10-22-2021 at 09:33 AM.
10-22-2021, 09:32 AM   #4
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You should give it a try if they come with money back guarantee and report on it!

10-22-2021, 09:43 AM   #5
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https://kosmofoto.com/2021/10/pixl-latr-and-valoi-join-forces-for-new-film-scanning-accessory/
10-22-2021, 10:41 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Dartmoor Dave Quote
I tried a cheap "Ion" branded one of those a few years back as an experiment, and the results were awful beyond belief. Just a horrible low resolution mushy blur. Inside, the device was just an LED light table at the bottom with a truly poor quality lens and sensor pointing down at it from on top.

On the plus side, I cannibalised the light table and film holder and turned them into a DSLR scanning rig that produced some excellent results. So it might be worth a go if you're the type who enjoys a bit of casual gear hacking.

Edit:
Here's a snap of the DSLR scanning rig made from the guts of the Ion.
What is the circuit board function in the new rig? Also maybe a few more details on what you did to make it work?
10-22-2021, 11:03 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
What is the circuit board function in the new rig? Also maybe a few more details on what you did to make it work?
It turns out that you need to keep the circuit board attached to make the LED light source work, so it's there for no other reason than that. Then you just need to connect a 5 volt USB supply to the B type socket that you can see in the photo and that will illuminate the LED light table. Superglue the ring from a cheap deglassed filter to the top to give the lens that you want to use for the job something to screw on to, and you're done -- although it needs to be a lens with a non rotating front element. I'll dig out some sample scans with that particular rig and post them when I can, although it might be tomorrow morning UK time.

Edit: I should add that the LED failed after a while, so I'm suggesting this as a fun thing that you can do without spending too much money rather than being a really practical long term DSLR scanning solution.


Last edited by Dartmoor Dave; 10-22-2021 at 11:09 AM.
10-22-2021, 11:10 AM   #8
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I bought the ION years ago (2007) and was a good entry level system at the time
Not worth the time or money today though
10-22-2021, 11:51 AM   #9
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Do you want “cheap” or “inexpensive “ scanners?
10-22-2021, 11:54 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by Cerebum Quote
I was watching a veho smartfix for a while, it sold for £25. The reviews tended to be poles apart and certainly not reliable. Does anyone use a cheap film scanner? Are they worth a punt? Please bear in mind I am asking about cheap stuff here. I can get them scanned at the lab for £5 per film so I am not that interested in something that would take 50+ rolls before it started to pay for itself.
Are you scanning slides or negs or both?

If slides only AND you already have a Pentax 35mm macro lens, then you could get the Nikon ES-1 and a 49mm->52mm step up adapter ring as an inexpensive set-up. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/37453-REG/Nikon_3213_ES_1_Slide_Copyi...981&

If both slides and negs AND you already have a Pentax 35mm or 100mm macro lens, then you could get the Nikon ES-2 and a 49mm->52mm step up adapter ring. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1357884-REG/nikon_27192_es_2_film_dig...981&

The bottom line with scanners is you get what you pay for. I have an expensive film scanner, but it's slow. I could scan faster and cheaper with a flatbed film adapter, but it's not as good quality. Using your DSLR with a macro and an adapter is probably the least expensive solution with quality.
10-22-2021, 12:54 PM   #11
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Sadly, one gets what one pays for with any commercially available product. Your lab scans are probably better quality than any of the cheap stand-alones. The most attractive option at present, in terms of quality per frame at a moderate price point, is probably using a dSLR to digitize. PF member BigMackCam's recent article on his project might be a good reference...

Creating a DSLR-based film negative digitising rig - PentaxForums.com


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10-22-2021, 01:05 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
Sadly, one gets what one pays for with any commercially available product. Your lab scans are probably better quality than any of the cheap stand-alones. The most attractive option at present, in terms of quality per frame at a moderate price point, is probably using a dSLR to digitize. PF member BigMackCam's recent article on his project might be a good reference...
Thanks for the nod, Steve

@Cerebum - within that thread of mine, there's a response from @Denver describing his own setup. It uses more economical components than mine and requires a little extra alignment, but should provide more-or-less comparable results. Total outlay will be more than the cheap Veho scanner you were looking at, but still cheap
10-22-2021, 01:42 PM   #13
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Negs, just negs what I would really like is something like a stiff snoot that can be fastened onto the end of the lens via a filter holder, at the other end of said tube is a neg holder. Surely some enterprising tog has created something like this. It sounds so simple, I bet there are lots of sciency reasons why this won't work

---------- Post added 22-10-21 at 01:45 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
Thanks for the nod, Steve

@Cerebum - within that thread of mine, there's a response from @Denver describing his own setup. It uses more economical components than mine and requires a little extra alignment, but should provide more-or-less comparable results. Total outlay will be more than the cheap Veho scanner you were looking at, but still cheap
Maaaaarvelous, thanks Mike
10-22-2021, 01:57 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Cerebum Quote
Maaaaarvelous, thanks Mike
No problem PM me if you've any questions...
10-22-2021, 05:05 PM   #15
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Asahi Pentax bellows with negative holder... 1960s technology .. LoL

QuoteOriginally posted by Cerebum Quote
Negs, just negs what I would really like is something like a stiff snoot that can be fastened onto the end of the lens via a filter holder, at the other end of said tube is a neg holder. Surely some enterprising tog has created something like this. It sounds so simple, I bet there are lots of sciency reasons why this won't work

---------- Post added 22-10-21 at 01:45 PM ----------



Maaaaarvelous, thanks Mike
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