BEOON the Leitz Copy Stand

[Rob-F]

I always wanted one of those things.

 

[coelacanth]

May I ask how true to the negative people feel the image is when using a digital camera as the capture device?

Does it look like an image from a negative with the wide dynamic range and good shadow detail you'd expect, or does it look like a digitally captured image?

Does it capture and represent medium format well?

How does it compare to a high end flatbed like the v700?

Would using a full frame digital make a difference?

thanks!

I'm not techie enough to really talk about dynamic range and whatnot, but I feel it's very easy to achieve very good details in highlights and shadows. Of course it will be depending on the camera body you use, but because it is a very controlled environment you are scanning these rather than quick shooting with unmetered camera on the street. I can check the histogram to make sure everything is within the range, and you are not trying to capture that is beyond what film has captured (super strong light light source etc).

Also keep in mind you are scanning negatives. Camera body's capability towards highlights becomes the shadow details, shadows become highlights in reversed image.

I am a lot happier scanning this way than using V700 I had once.


Blacksmith at the Station by Suguru Nishioka, on Flickr

 

[Nowhereman]

Just trying to bring this thread to life: has anyone more information on the quality that can be achieved through this type of negative copying using digital cameras?

 

[Peter Jennings]

Thanks for reviving the thread, Nowhereman. I had been considering getting a BEOON for this purpose as well. It's nice to see some people are already using it! Does anyone know if a Micro-Nikkor in F mount adapted to M mount would be a workable lens alternative?

 

[Nowhereman]

Here is an article, whose link I posted in another thread, on digitalizing negatives using a camera versus scanning. It's undated but seems to have been written in 2014 or later:

https://luminous-landscape.com/articleImages/CameraScanning.pdf

One of the authors (Mark Segal) wrote Epson V850 that you posted. Looks like there are a good number of issues that need to be dealt with in digitalizing negatives with a camera, including how to invert B&W negatives to positives, how to deal with color negative film and how to deal with vibration. Another issue that I saw in an article on the BEOON is dust landing on the negative. Looks like digitalizing with a camera has a lot of issues that need to be dealt with that I had not realized, and therefore looks more complicated than I thought.

 

[Richard G]

It's a wonderful device. I got mine from Pacific Rim Cameras. I emailed to ask if it was complete. Yeah it is. Well, it had the original box and the insert showed no wear: probably never used. I mount the 2000 Elmar M 50 2.8 on it. That is flat. I am still struggling to find the best method of copying my medium format Rolleiflex negatives.

 

[Nowhereman]

I've just spent the greater part of two days trying to make good "scans" with a BEOON that I bought from someone in Oz. It looks good: spotless with no scratches.

However, using an M-Monohrom, and trying two 50mm lenses (Summilux-50 pre-ASPH and the DR Summicron) and, following the Leitz instructions in setting the lens at f/11 and the focus at infinity, I've found it extremely difficult to hit focus as well as negatives that were scanned for me on an Epson V800 at a small lab in Chiang Mai. My feeling is that the BEOON would work much better for someone using a camera with live view.

As I can't spend more time on this, tomorrow I'll probably decide to sell the BEOON, at the same low price at which I bought it. I'm not about to buy a a variety of the Sony A7 just to use with the BEOON.

 

[a.noctilux]

Nowhereman, the faulty link is the lenses you use.
Those good lenses that I use at normal distant also are optimised for more than 1 meter distance (even the DR).
So using them at 1:1 is not the same thing with your Monochrom or another body with liveview.

Lenses optimised for macro work have "macro" or "micro" (Nikkor) in their names.
And these lenses are not speed shampions, f:2.8 or less.
I use Macro-Elmarit-R 2.8/60mm or Micro-Nikkor 3.5/55mm, sometimes others also.

Or just use some enlarging lenses like Focotar 4.5/50mm, EL-Nikkor.

Arnaud

 

[Nowhereman]

Thanks, but I figured out the problem: I was stupidly setting the lens TO f/11, which is the aperture the BEOON manual states should be used for copying; but, of course, the lens should be set to it's maximum aperture (f/2 for the DR Summicron) for focusing, and then stopped down — that gives perfect focus every time.

Incidentally, I find that the BEOON/MM/DR-Summicron gives substantially more dynamic range than the scan I have that was done with the Epson V800.

 

[Peter Jennings]

I received a BEOON in the mail the other day and am already liking the results. Using a Micro-Nikkor and Sony A7 - both of which I already had - is giving me sharp scans in a short amount of time. Look forward to scanning some MF negatives in the next few days.

 

[Nowhereman]

As I wrote above, I've now figured out how to focus correctly with the Leitz BEOON copy stand. Here is a photo digitalized with the M9/DR Summicron — I'll now have to figure in detil out detail whether, for Tri-X, it makes any visible difference to digitalize with the MM vs M9; so far, I doubt it.

Still nor perfect, however: I found that, in the lower-left corner, there is an long, narrow, empty triangle, which I have to crop out. Someone suggested that it could be the film not being completely flat, but I simply don't see that when I set up the scan...Anyone have any thoughts on this?


M6 | Summilux-35 FLE | Tri-X @ ISO 400 | Stand development for 1 hour in Rodinal 1:100, gentle inversion after 30 minutes.

Chiang Mai

_______________
Alone in Bangkok essay on BURN Magazine

 

[Nowhereman]

...Still nor perfect, however: I found that, in the lower-left corner, there is an long, narrow, empty triangle, which I have to crop out. Someone suggested that it could be the film not being completely flat, but I simply don't see that when I set up the scan...Anyone have any thoughts on this?...

On LUF, where I posted the same question, someone responded that he could clearly see that it's due to the camera being not quite well aligned with the mask that frames the slide being copied.

That is likely to be the reason: I found that, while the BEOON I bought looks prefect, there is slight play when the camera is mounted — the tiniest amount of movement (minuscule rotation) is possible clockwise and counter-clockwise. However, when I took two pictures at the extremes of this play, the cutoff triangle got larger in one direction of rotation, but it still remained, smaller, at the other direction of rotation.

I wonder whether there is any solution to this?

If not, then this would confirm that the BOON is really much better for a camera with live view. I'm beginning to like the BEOON, but am not likely to keep on using it if I always have to crop because of this cutoff.

 

[Godfrey]

Thanks for reviving the thread, Nowhereman. I had been considering getting a BEOON for this purpose as well. It's nice to see some people are already using it! Does anyone know if a Micro-Nikkor in F mount adapted to M mount would be a workable lens alternative?

I tried ... It's a bit too bulky for easy use, but it did work.

 

[coelacanth]

I've been using BEOON for all of my scans ever since I got it. My favorite setup so far is with OM-D E-M5 Mk II in high resolution mode. I've been just using my old Elmar 50 as taking lens. Love to try others but I just don't have anything better for this purpose at the moment.


Taking Five by Suguru Nishioka, on Flickr


My favorite pupster by Suguru Nishioka, on Flickr


Path by Suguru Nishioka, on Flickr

 

[Peter Jennings]

I tried ... It's a bit too bulky for easy use, but it did work.

Thanks, Godfrey. I've been using it now a couple days. The Mircro-Nikkor works fine. My biggest concern was whether it would fit as it is a somewhat bulky lens, but it was not a problem.

 

[Richard G]

Did yours come with an M adapter for mounting the camera to the stand? Mine didn't, but I already had one. For months now I have gained the conviction that I must have lost mine in a mad scramble for something or in a big cleanout. Only with this revived thread did I realise that it's been on the BEOON all these months. Maybe that's where your lost 50 adapter is too.

 

[zerobuttons]

Where to find a good Focotar 2 ?

Where to find a good Focotar 2 ?

This thread was extremely enlightening to me. I now have a complete BEOON kit on its way from UK to me.

I will need to acquire a lens as well. My purpose is digitalizing negatives. They are mostly 35mm, but I also have a few 4x5" from my pinhole camera. Reading this thread, these are the two lenses I am most tempted to go with:
# Rodenstock APO 50mm
# Focotar 2

And from those two I would probably rather go with the Focotar 2. Unfortunately, the only specimens I find for sale within EU look crappy. Any suggestions for where to look for a good one?

 

[Jhausler]

I've been looking for a Beoon. I saw one on ebay recently, but missed the auction. If anyone is looking to sell their, hit me up.

What benefits do an enlargement lens have over other taking lenses?

I have a few M mount 50s, but a summilux ASPH is my best. I also have an older Elmar 3.5 and a Jupiter8.

Would the Elmar be any better or worse than the Lux for this purpose?

 

[Emile de Leon]

Best to use an A7 or similar full frame live view cam and a good flat field enlarging lens if you need good corners...I don't believe any regular camera lens is going to do the job as well as an enlarging lens designed for this purpose..as in..its all about the corners..
..even my 60 leica macro R lens..doesn't cut it in the corners..or the DR Summi for that matter..
Its like anything else..do it right..and you get the results you want..cheapen out..and well..
The good thing about the enlarging lenses is..esp the apo ones..that they are good wide open or close..very good indeed..

 

[Nowhereman]

The BEOON is designed for the use of a 50mm lens and the manual states that the aperture should be stopped down to f/11. Using a DR-Summicron, I found no corner problems — and am not certain that an enlarging lens will improve "scans" done with the BEOON.