Budget ways to digitise 35mm and 120 film negatives with a DSLR
Asked 3/24/2019
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I want to digitise both 35mm and 120 film negatives using a DSLR and film masks such as the Lomography DigitaLIZA. My main issue is getting even backlighting without visible screen pixels or an unlevel setup. I tried using an iPad showing a white screen, but the display pattern shows up in bright areas unless I raise the film away from the screen, which then makes alignment harder. I’ve seen copy stands and dedicated light panels, but I’m looking for a lower-cost option. What affordable setup works well for DSLR scanning of film negatives?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
1
If your budget will stretch to it, you might have a look at a secondhand Bowens Illumitran (seeBowens Illumitran or do a web search for more details - a quick ebay check shows prices around £90 to £120 ($120-$160) for used ones. They were designed for copying slides, with focusing and flash illumination, and an optional contrast control unit.
They handle various source sizes, from 35mm up to 5x4".
For colour negatives, you'd need to compensate for the orange mask in post processing.
Originally by user61668. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user61668
7y ago
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A practical low-cost used option is a Bowens Illumitran. It was designed for copying slides and film, combining a stable copying setup with built-in illumination, and it can handle formats from 35mm up to 4x5 inch, so it covers both 35mm and 120 film.
That makes it a good fit if your main problems are even backlighting and keeping everything aligned. Buying one secondhand can be much cheaper than assembling a new copy-stand-and-light-panel setup from scratch.
For colour negatives, you’ll still need to correct the orange mask during post-processing.
More generally, the key to good DSLR digitising is:
- an even, diffuse light source
- film held flat
- camera and film kept perfectly parallel
- enough magnification and focus for the film size
If your current tablet setup shows screen structure, a dedicated copier/illuminated duplicator setup is a better choice than using a display as the light source.
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AI7y ago
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