Medium format "scanner" attachment for DSLR use

Phil_F_NM

Phil_F_NM

Camera hacker
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My latest project that is on the forward burner is creating a negative carrier which attaches to the front of a 55mm f/3.5 Micro-Nikkor. I've got all the parts but one. I'm looking for a 6x6 negative carrier which I will permanently modify and make useless for its intended purpose. That said, I don't want to spend $30-75 on a carrier which I'm just going to basically ruin.

I know I should be putting this in a WTB ad but they get almost no traffic. I'll be posting my how-to here with step-by-step photos and measurements, etc.

If anyone out there has a 6x6 negative carrier they'll sell for cheap, I can get this show on the road and start posting some of my Mamiya 6 images. 😀

Thanks all.

Phil Forrest
 
Why not get a copy stand and a light box instead? If I did not already have a Nikon 9000, this is what I would try first. If the negs have curling issues, try some anti-newton glass on top of it.

Another approach is to use an old 6x6 slide viewer and hack it to your needs.

In terms of negative carriers, have u check KEH yet?

Good luck
Gary
 
Great idea phil. I don't have a 6x6 neg carrier (sorry). But I'am curious. Are you planning to stitch multiple frames in to one 6x6 image or take one image with the DSLR per 6x6 image. I might be very interested if your planning on stiching
 
GaryLH said:
Why not get a copy stand and a light box instead? If I did not already have a Nikon 9000, this is what I would try first. If the negs have curling issues, try some anti-newton glass on top of it.

Another approach is to use an old 6x6 slide viewer and hack it to your needs.

In terms of negative carriers, have u check KEH yet?

Good luck
Gary
Click to expand...

because getting everything leveled is a total b****.
 
Because I want it to be portable. All I need is a way to hold the negs flat. I have my design in my head and close to fabbed up. A copy stand is great for copying prints but negs just need an inch in front of the lens and a diffuse light source.

I can't find any on Keh but maybe I missed the link.

Phil Forrest
 
Phil_F_NM said:
Because I want it to be portable. All I need is a way to hold the negs flat. I have my design in my head and close to fabbed up. A copy stand is great for copying prints but negs just need an inch in front of the lens and a diffuse light source.

I can't find any on Keh but maybe I missed the link.

Phil Forrest
Click to expand...

I would use a longer macro lens myself.. In the 100 to 200 range for better standoff.

Anyway portability already rules out a copy stand.

Gary
 
Pramod,
I'll be shooting one image of the 6x6 with my macro lens. No stitching necessary.
With my design, I could shoot as wide as 6x9 depending upon which carrier I use and how far to put the negative from the lens.

To others,
Portability is key here. I've already owned a flatbed scanner and wasn't happy with film flatness. Not to mention the flatbeds take up too much desk space.
AN glass is an option if I can afford it. That's another thing, this way to scan images will make me a very cheap yet decent resolution way to get my medium format work online. Even in print, I'll have enough res to get a 10x10 out of the "scan."

Phil Forrest
 
GaryLH said:
I would use a longer macro lens myself.. In the 100 to 200 range for better standoff.

Anyway portability already rules out a copy stand.

Gary
Click to expand...

INEXPENSIVE is also key. I already own a 55 Micro and I don't want the neg to be sitting a foot away from my camera. That's not as portable. I already tried a 105 Micro and for reproducing 6x6, the distance from the lens was just too cumbersome.

Phil Forrest
 
IC. Anyway will that 2x3 (6x9) for 10 work for u? If not pm me, I will look around my old darkroom stuff to c if I might have a spare.

Gary
 
Thanks for the offer. I'm hoping to find a 6x6 carrier but might be able to make due with a 6x9 at first. Centering the neg will be the only pain if I were to use the larger carrier.
I'll hit one of the used photo shops here in Albuquerque next week before I head back east and see if they have one for cheap.

Phil Forrest
 
In case you haven't already: Maybe check places like Craigslist? Fairly often, someone is trying to get rid of an unused darkroom setup, which puts a good many enlargers into that marketplace, often with a 6x6 carrier.

(I sold my Beseler 23C XL with 120 format carriers just about a year ago. Else, I'd have what you're after. )
 
Sounds like a good plan.

The Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/3.5 is a great choice for this as it is a flat-field corrected macro lens. To capture a 6x6 neg (typically 57mm square) onto Nikon DX sensor (fitting the 16mm vertical dimension to capture the whole negative frame) will need approximately a 1:3.5-1:3.7 magnification ratio, which implies about 10-12" from sensor plane to subject plane.

You'll want to surround the space between lens and negative with a light shield to minimize reflections and ambient light intrusion, and have a diffuse, even light source about 1" to 2" behind the negative stage. With a 16Mpixel APS-C body, you'll end up with a square, 10.5 Mpixel negative capture, plenty for a nice big print or any reasonably sized web image.

Creating the jig such that the negative stage and sensor are centered, parallel, and rigid is always the tricky bit. I've done this same thing with a copy stand, an unused medium format negative carrier from Doug Fisher (http://www.betterscanning.com), a flat panel light box, some black construction paper, and a bubble level. It's some work to set up, bulky, and certainly not portable. But the results are good when you get it all right. I'll be interested to see what you come up with in a portable jig.

G
 
Godfrey - I'm using a full-frame Nikon D3 but basically the whole deal is the same as you describe.

Col - I'm only processing black and white as that is all I usually shoot with my Mamiya.

Phil Forrest
 
Phil_F_NM said:
Godfrey - I'm using a full-frame Nikon D3 but basically the whole deal is the same as you describe.
Click to expand...

Ah, so that's down into the 1:2.3 to 1:2.5 magnification range (9.5-10.5 inch distance). Centering and getting the sensor plane and negative stage parallel is going to be a bit more critical for that, and you're looking at about 9Mpixel capture after the fact. Still enough to do some good sized prints, of course.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with. 🙂

G
 
I'm subscribing to this thread.
I've just started to put things to gather to make a DSLR scanner.
Godfrey, how does one calculate distance required from magnifications?

Thanks,
 
nlubis said:
I'm subscribing to this thread.
I've just started to put things to gather to make a DSLR scanner.
Godfrey, how does one calculate distance required from magnifications?
Click to expand...

There are charts in one of my Kodak Photo Books.

However, I didn't use one, I just fitted my Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/3.5 to a camera and measured the distance required for the magnification range. (It's marked on the focusing ring too, but measuring the distance is a bit more accurate.)

G
 
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