BEOON the Leitz Copy Stand

[Nowhereman]

...focus shift and diffraction upon stopping down...

Sure, most anything can happen but the above two are not issues on the BEOON with the two lenses I tried: from my testing, I had no diffraction with the DR-Summicorn at f/11 used on the BEOON macro setup; and the Focotar 2 doesn't have a diffraction issue at f/8 on the BEOON. As for focus shift, I didn't have it with the DR-Summicorn at f/8 and f/11, nor with the Focotar 2 at f/5.6–f/8. Actually there is extensive literature on the web about the Focotar 2 being a lens without any focus shift (when used as an enlarger lens). See post #143 on page 4 above.

 

[Peter Jennings]

I re-focus the BEOON when beginning to scan each new roll and check focus every few frames. The focus doesn't change, so it's not necessary to keep re-checking. But with a live-view camera this is very easy to do so I do it anyway - just in case.

The cheap Huion LED light table I got off eBay has a glossy surface, so I lay a sheet of matte plastic over that to avoid Newton rings. I scan with emulsion facing up and lay a .25 inch sheet of acrylic over the film to keep it flat. I don't use the BEOON masks as again, because the A7 has live view, it's easier just to frame with the LCD on the camera. Oh, and I tape the base of the BEOON so it doesn't scratch the acrylic. If I find the correct size sheet of glass I'll switch to using that instead of the acrylic.

 

[Nowhereman]

Why do you scan the film with emulsion side up? Does it have something to do with placing the acrylic on top of it?

 

[Emile de Leon]

OK..I just tried out my BEOON magnifier..for the 1st time..
And I have to say..its the worse POS I've ever seen Leica make..
Mostly flimsy plastic..an afterthought..unlike the rest of the BEOON..
And the view..OMG...truly friggen awful..no wonder you want to focus at f2...and even then..
Suggestion..ditch the magnifier and get a new or used a7 + adapter....and actually know if you are really in focus or not..and be in heaven..end of story..you will never go back..
The magnifier..is total junk..

 

[splitimageview]

Lol

As for film flatness and ease of scanning a roll, nothing beats a Beseler Negatrans.

Focus the first frame, after that just turn the dial to the next frame, and shoot. Super quick and easy with flat negative, no Newton rings, nothing touching the neg except on the sprocket edge
Mine was $25

 

[Nowhereman]

OK..I just tried out my BEOON magnifier..for the 1st time..
And I have to say..its the worse POS I've ever seen Leica make..
Mostly flimsy plastic..an afterthought..unlike the rest of the BEOON..
And the view..OMG...truly friggen awful..no wonder you want to focus at f2...and even then..
Suggestion..ditch the magnifier and get a new or used a7 + adapter....and actually know if you are really in focus or not..and be in heaven..end of story..you will never go back..
The magnifier..is total junk..

I don't agree with this at all. The magnifier is very good, you can adjust it to your eyesight. And it's simple and effective: you're focusing on a ground glass. I don't need autofocus for the BEOON. Just because it's plastic doesn't make it junk.

 

[Emile de Leon]

I may eventually try a piece of glass...suffer the dust and the occasional Newtons rings..on important negs..
I'm doing a search on the Beseler Negatrans right now..thx for that!

 

[Emile de Leon]

I don't with this at all. The magnifier is very good, you can adjust it to your eyesight. And it's simple and effective: you're focusing on a ground glass. I don't need autofocus for the BEOON. Just because it's plastic doesn't make it junk.

Trust me..you are just used to it...and haven't used a better option yet..and imo..its not usable at all..for any kind of focusing accuracy..
If I were you..I would..
Just borrow or rent an A7 for a week..and..trust me..after you do that..you will toss the magnifier and its crappy round GG with tons of light falloff.....that may or may not be in alignment in its cheap plastic mount..and the M9 and its inability to focus on every neg quickly and efficiently..and the DR and its compromised corners..right out the door..for this kind of work..
Not to say you cant keep using your current setup for awhile..
But with the huge eyestrain..and the inability to see the corners of the neg in perceptible way..
Why bother..

 

[Nowhereman]

I'm now using the Focotar 2, not the DR-Summicron. With the Magnifier, you can see the corners by moving the negative. Haven't had a flatness issue with 35mm film held down by the BEOON 1:1 mask, so focus on the center is sufficient.


A quick look shows various models of Negatrans — one sold on eBay for $350. Also, the frame opening could be an issue if the following dimensions that I found are true:

Inner opening 22.2mm x 34.9mm
Outer opening 26.8 x 39.5mm

 

[Peter Jennings]

Why do you scan the film with emulsion side up? Does it have something to do with placing the acrylic on top of it?

I have no good reason other than that's the way I started doing it. Does it really make a difference? I think I'll try it both ways next time and find out. *Now that I think about it, if I scan emulsion down I would definitely get Newton rings from the two glossy surfaces of the film stock and acrylic contacting each other.


I'd ditch the plastic and use something like the Negatrans if I could figure out which one to get. I did an eBay search a while ago and was totally confused. So many models and some were so expensive and others so cheap and I couldn't find any documentation on the web that helped.

For right now, the system I have is quick, easy and gives great results. There is the occasional speck of dust, but it's maybe half a dozen per roll.

Don't mess with success!

 

[fti]

OK..I just tried out my BEOON magnifier..for the 1st time..
And I have to say..its the worse POS I've ever seen Leica make..
Mostly flimsy plastic..an afterthought..unlike the rest of the BEOON..
And the view..OMG...truly friggen awful..no wonder you want to focus at f2...and even then..
Suggestion..ditch the magnifier and get a new or used a7 + adapter....and actually know if you are really in focus or not..and be in heaven..end of story..you will never go back..
The magnifier..is total junk..

Hehe I agree, the magnifier sucks. But it still let's me use my M9 for scanning negs. I double check focus on the computer screen by hooking up my M9 with the USB cable.

 

[Richard G]

Hehe I agree, the magnifier sucks. But it still let's me use my M9 for scanning negs. I double check focus on the computer screen by hooking up my M9 with the USB cable.

This thread gets wilder and wilder. Tethered shooting with the M9? Or individual image imports as acquired. Pretty good idea.

 

[Nowhereman]

With the M9 or MM connected to the Mac with a USB cable, I've been importing, using Image Capture, individual images for the various tests of the BEOON setup — and, then, with everything working correctly, I've been importing batches of images. I invert the Images in Photoshop and then save TIFFs that I import into Lightroom.

I've read somewhere that one can use the M9 tethered to a Mac by using Aperture. Anyone know about this? That could be useful in checking focus.

_______________
Alone in Bangkok essay on BURN Magazine

 

[splitimageview]

A quick look shows various models of Negatrans — one sold on eBay for $350. Also, the frame opening could be an issue if the following dimensions that I found are true:

Inner opening 22.2mm x 34.9mm
Outer opening 26.8 x 39.5mm

This is the one that I bought (ebay listing number: )

351636413241

And then this replacement belt:

272234304985

The frame opening isn't an issue.

I'll post pics of my setup later, but it's a simple stack:

BEOON
--------
Negatrans
--------
Light pad

Due to the added height/gap from the Negatrans, the final size of a scanned neg is about 22.6mp (5800 × 3900) after cropping out the border.

The dial at the lower right advances the negative strip to the next frame.

 

[zerobuttons]

Lol

As for film flatness and ease of scanning a roll, nothing beats a Beseler Negatrans.
.....<snip>.....

Could I persuade you to post a photo of your setup with the Beseler Negatrans?

EDIT: Sorry, I was too eager there and didn´t read all new postings before sending my question. Never mind......

 

[Emile de Leon]

I'll post pics of my setup later, but it's a simple stack:

BEOON
--------
Negatrans
--------
Light pad

That's a pretty hip setup!

 

[zerobuttons]

That's a pretty hip setup!

It certainly is. I bought a Beseler Negatrans just now, since it seems to solve all the problems concerning risk of scratching negatives. The eBay seller shipped right away. The shop I ordered an enlarger lens from, however, has told me that expected delivery is prolonged by 1-2 weeks.....:bang:

 

[Monochrom]

Hi, i have also a beoon

The results as a scanner are really impressive. I use my M9. The scartches in the last picture is because i used an acrylic surface that was in poor condition, afterwards i used nothing.

beoon low res by Enzo Betinyani, on Flickr

Epson v500

epson v500 66 perc by Enzo Betinyani, on Flickr

Beoon + M9

beoon 66perc by Enzo Betinyani, on Flickr

 

[Jerevan]

What about the BEHOO? Could this work too for the purpose?

 

[Nowhereman]

Does anyone have any experience digitalizing with the BEOON using an M9 vs an MM. I've tried both on a couple of Tri-X frames and, so far, see no difference.

_______________
Alone in Bangkok essay on BURN Magazine