squirrel$$$bandit
Veteran
This is really impressive. Nice work!
Designing a new film scanner; need your help
- Thread starter quejai
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Johnmcd
Well-known
Yesterday a bunch of us met up in Sydney and Quejai brought along the scanner prototype. So we found a spare table in one of the eateries near Town Hall Station and he fired it up running off usb power and connected to his Surface Pro. I think Peter took some images. I wonder what the lunch-time crowd thought we were doing. It's a wonder nobody thought it was a bomb 🙂
This thing is AMAZING! While we all watched he sat a 4x5 neg between the light source and the lens and the image on the screen showed every one of those bits of film grain. Then in less than a minute we swapped out the lens and inserted the 20x lens for some crazy resolution potential.
In front of us we had proof of concept of a scanner that wasn't much bigger than my old Minolta Multi-Scan Pro but that can do up to 11x14 large format negs at silly resolutions. This is really happening.
It is an absolute credit to both Quejai and Caleb to get to this stage. Two young guys with incredible, inventive minds. Caleb is working on a dust removable system as a 'bolt on' that sounds very impressive. Quejai is dead set on making this open source for continual improvement. What impressed me the most was the sheer flexibility of the modular design. Change lens, sensors etc, as better ones become available.
Stay tuned guys. This is really happening...
This thing is AMAZING! While we all watched he sat a 4x5 neg between the light source and the lens and the image on the screen showed every one of those bits of film grain. Then in less than a minute we swapped out the lens and inserted the 20x lens for some crazy resolution potential.
In front of us we had proof of concept of a scanner that wasn't much bigger than my old Minolta Multi-Scan Pro but that can do up to 11x14 large format negs at silly resolutions. This is really happening.
It is an absolute credit to both Quejai and Caleb to get to this stage. Two young guys with incredible, inventive minds. Caleb is working on a dust removable system as a 'bolt on' that sounds very impressive. Quejai is dead set on making this open source for continual improvement. What impressed me the most was the sheer flexibility of the modular design. Change lens, sensors etc, as better ones become available.
Stay tuned guys. This is really happening...
Chromacomaphoto
Well-known
Just read this over, the whole thread from start to finish = mind blown!
Seriously well done.
Seriously well done.
pyeh
Member of good standing
John is not overstating the potential of quejai's scanner concept. It really has the capability for incredible resolution and versatility. It was a real honour to witness quejai and Caleb's presentation. We are very fortunate to have such inventive and generous people amongst us.
Penzes
Well-known
Nice, good luck with the conceptual challenges and realization! I'm interested, so will follow this further.
Tijmendal
Young photog
Great to hear you guys chime in. I've been following this from the beginning and can't wait till I can get my hands on mine.
Fernando2
Well-known
Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Keep on the wonderful work guys!!!! Thanks for sharing!!
Keep on the wonderful work guys!!!! Thanks for sharing!!
Prest_400
Multiformat
No comment. – I have followed the thread since you first posted, and been aware of the updates. Like a child who is amazed and doesn't know what to say anyways.
Really looking forward to how it is evolving, excited to see such development around scanning, which has been stagnant and in need of propulsion towards a more 21st century approach.
Much support quejai!
Really looking forward to how it is evolving, excited to see such development around scanning, which has been stagnant and in need of propulsion towards a more 21st century approach.
Much support quejai!
jzagaja
Well-known
Next step would be design new electronics/soft, laser light, PMT modules for Scanmate drum scanners 🙂
quejai
Established
thanks all! Just remember that although much of the hardware is done, there are several things still yet to finish. Electronics, software (just linear raw scans for now), film holders (there will be several types), and the enclosure to isolate dust and noise (currently thinking about a dark transparent material). Each of these is getting a fair bit of attention from Caleb and I, although we've realised that we still need to order in a few more parts.
So unless it is (literally) bolted down, the design is still being worked on and improved. We are finishing up though - and once this is done, then yes jzagaja, I'll give that a go.
Last night I was messing around with how to implement the source and take-up spools for scanning uncut rolls of 135 and 120, I'm quite happy with what I ended up with.
Also, I've talked to some people on RFF and against my expectations, they said that they think more people would prefer to buy an assembled scanner than build one themselves.
Be aware that regardless of which option you choose, it will always be in your interest to be well read on the design, when those details are published. Personally I think the design is thoroughly simple, moreso than a typical camera, even though it might look like something out of a terminator movie. It all comes from how familiar you are with the workings.
So unless it is (literally) bolted down, the design is still being worked on and improved. We are finishing up though - and once this is done, then yes jzagaja, I'll give that a go.
Last night I was messing around with how to implement the source and take-up spools for scanning uncut rolls of 135 and 120, I'm quite happy with what I ended up with.
Also, I've talked to some people on RFF and against my expectations, they said that they think more people would prefer to buy an assembled scanner than build one themselves.
Be aware that regardless of which option you choose, it will always be in your interest to be well read on the design, when those details are published. Personally I think the design is thoroughly simple, moreso than a typical camera, even though it might look like something out of a terminator movie. It all comes from how familiar you are with the workings.
Prest_400
Multiformat
The stage of simply having linear RAW cound be supplemented by outsourced plugins. One of the workflows I read around for these is using PS and Colorperfect. For the particular case of Color Negs, legacy software (Kodak, Fuji, Noritsu) seems to have a good hand on getting things right. Probably just due manufacturer's effort at the time when creating the software and profiling...I've often wondered how those could be ported/reverse engineered/based on (IP issues perhaps though).
Perhaps a semi-assembled kit with the essential/most critical parts already put together would be an interesting option. After taking a second look at the hardware I have to agree that the structure looks quite simple.
I may have the heart to try building it, and I bet it would be a fun affair including some frustrating moments. 😀
I ran out of much comments to add really, rereading some of the progress shown in the thread and John's impressions of the prototype. Versatility, Quality and Simplicity seem nice strengths. Thanks for the update!
PS: Not being from a STEM background kind of frustrates me here, because I'd even join core development if I had tech skills.
jzagaja
Well-known
Don't forget about film gate for 8/16mm film. There will be growing market for cine film. Scanner must at least compete with Shadow telecine. Software must registrate frames by perforations.
Jockos
Well-known
Do you have any idea of when we'll be able to buy the first scanners/kits?
Hoping for Q1, and wouldn't mind being on a beta team! :angel:
Hoping for Q1, and wouldn't mind being on a beta team! :angel:
quejai
Established
Won't forget about it, still anticipate designing those gates but haven't started yet tbh. Should be pretty similar to the other holders.
We are also hoping for Q1, and thanks! We've also been thinking about a beta release. Haven't worked out many details for that yet though.
pembrokehouse
Fast-flying cameraman
hello quejai,
i joined rff a few weeks ago to help with an issue i've been facing for a number of years - scanning the 35mm photos (i use my family's leica m4) i've taken from my times as flying (i work in brooklyn for a private airline company and regularly bring my leica up with me). i've always been unhappy with the results of scanning my images a few weeks ago i realised a number of images have started to really fall in quality. so i came to the rff (a passenger told me about the rff - he had a widelux!) to find a solution- and alas!!!
i'm really excited with this project but i have one concern & its how long will it take you to build these? when can i purchase the kits & will they be offered first??? on what jockos said - wouldn't mind also being on the beta team!!!
😛
i joined rff a few weeks ago to help with an issue i've been facing for a number of years - scanning the 35mm photos (i use my family's leica m4) i've taken from my times as flying (i work in brooklyn for a private airline company and regularly bring my leica up with me). i've always been unhappy with the results of scanning my images a few weeks ago i realised a number of images have started to really fall in quality. so i came to the rff (a passenger told me about the rff - he had a widelux!) to find a solution- and alas!!!
i'm really excited with this project but i have one concern & its how long will it take you to build these? when can i purchase the kits & will they be offered first??? on what jockos said - wouldn't mind also being on the beta team!!!
😛
luuca
Well-known
hi quejai,
I'm very interested in your project, I hope there will be the chance to buy a kit in Italy too.
I'm very interested in your project, I hope there will be the chance to buy a kit in Italy too.
Fernando2
Well-known
What Luuca said!! 🙂
Prest_400
Multiformat
Piano adagio!
The last couple of posts by Italian forumers remind me of the Ferrania approach and how this project matches it for its focus on "future" and sustainability; Modularity/adaptability and smaller scale with a focus on quality. It's great that you took an idea and optimised it for film scanning.
We're excited to hear more of course. Still, quejai, don't feel pressured.
The last couple of posts by Italian forumers remind me of the Ferrania approach and how this project matches it for its focus on "future" and sustainability; Modularity/adaptability and smaller scale with a focus on quality. It's great that you took an idea and optimised it for film scanning.
We're excited to hear more of course. Still, quejai, don't feel pressured.
JChrome
Street Worker
Designing a new film scanner; need your help
Love all of the positivity of this thread and the DIY spirit.
Quejai, excellent work! I just wanted to mention, if you haven't heard of Hackaday, it's a great site that I think you'd be interested in. Lots of folks hacking electronics and building projects like these on it.
Anyway, they have a great write up about structural framing systems (like the kind you are using).
http://hackaday.com/2016/12/14/a-how-to-in-homebrew-design-fab-and-assembly-with-extruded-profiles/
Oh, and this could be of interest as well:
http://hackaday.com/2016/12/15/high-quality-film-transfers-with-this-raspberry-pi-frame-grabber/
They are scanning images at different exposures and combining them using OpenCV.
Keep up the great work!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Love all of the positivity of this thread and the DIY spirit.
Quejai, excellent work! I just wanted to mention, if you haven't heard of Hackaday, it's a great site that I think you'd be interested in. Lots of folks hacking electronics and building projects like these on it.
Anyway, they have a great write up about structural framing systems (like the kind you are using).
http://hackaday.com/2016/12/14/a-how-to-in-homebrew-design-fab-and-assembly-with-extruded-profiles/
Oh, and this could be of interest as well:
http://hackaday.com/2016/12/15/high-quality-film-transfers-with-this-raspberry-pi-frame-grabber/
They are scanning images at different exposures and combining them using OpenCV.
Keep up the great work!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
jzagaja
Well-known
Scanning a film roll like telecine machines or Imacon is best approach. Use ClingZ foil to attract dust with electrostatic force or ultrasonic rolls. When I was developing 16mm film in WFDiF Warsaw it came out very clean after ultrasonic cleaner. Projectors tend to scratch delicate Kodak Vision negatives.
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