VALOI easy35 Film Scanning Kit 35mm ?

[JohnWolf]

I’d appreciate any thoughts from easy35 users on using it with an M10 and 55 Micro Nikkor. Will the included tubes get me to 1:1? Other thoughts?

I'm pretty content with my Plustek for day-to-day scanning. But I have a one-time project where it would not be realistic for the volume of slides and BW negatives I have in mind.

Appreciate your comments on this configuration.

John

 

[Disappointed_Horse]

I’d appreciate any thoughts from easy35 users on using it with an M10 and 55 Micro Nikkor. Will the included tubes get me to 1:1? Other thoughts?

I'm pretty content with my Plustek for day-to-day scanning. But I have a one-time project where it would not be realistic for the volume of slides and BW negatives I have in mind.

Appreciate your comments on this configuration.

John

No personal experience, but if I recall correctly the 55mm Micro-Nikkor only goes to 1:2 magnification. I think the easy 35 requires a lens with 1:1 magnification, so you would need the correct Nikkor extension tube to get to 1:1 (which I believe is the PK-13).

 

[Ljós]

I’d appreciate any thoughts from easy35 users on using it with an M10 and 55 Micro Nikkor. Will the included tubes get me to 1:1? Other thoughts?

I'm pretty content with my Plustek for day-to-day scanning. But I have a one-time project where it would not be realistic for the volume of slides and BW negatives I have in mind.

Appreciate your comments on this configuration.

John

The included tubes only serve the purpose of bridging the necessary (for focusing at the given magnification) distance between the filter ring of your lens and the easy35 negative holder. To achieve 1:1 magnification with a 55 Micro Nikkor in combination with a full frame sensor you need the PK-13 extension ring, otherwise your limit will be 1:2.

I'm very happy with the easy35, I use a 2.8 55 Micro-Nikkor in conjunction with an APS-C sensor (Sony Nex 7), getting (I think and for my purposes) excellent results. One thing to consider: in actual practice you *may* want to have a bit less than 1:1 magnification, because it is good to have some leeway around the edges. Otherwise your negatives would have to be perfectly centered all the time. Which means that the PK-12 *might* be more practical for you than the PK-13. (You can of course achieve less than 1:1 with the Micro-Nikkor and PK-13 extension ring by focusing further than the minimum focus distance, but the 55 Micro-Nikkor (at least the 2.8) is optically best close to minimum focussing distance.)

 

[JohnWolf]

Okay, I get it. That make sense. I was confusing the easy35's tubes with lens extension rings. Duh. That's good tip on the PK-12. If I lose a few pixels, that's okay.

Appreciate your help!

 

[JohnWolf]

Just an update on my experience. I received the Easy35, have started scanning, and love it. I'm using a pre-AI Nikkor 55 with a PK-3 extension ring on my M10, with one 40mm Valoi tube. Focus peaking works great. I'm inverting in LR, but will try Negative Lab Pro.

The image quality is noticeably better than my Plustek, and I don't see any vignetting. I wish I could tether, but that's okay.

Thanks again for you responses to my question above. I'm very pleased with this device.

 

[bennok]

I got a Valoi Easy35 almost a year ago, and it's been surprisingly fabulous. On one level, $300ish is a lot of money for a plastic box with a small light panel and some tubes, but it's a fully drama-free setup. You screw it onto a macro lens, the double-S curve holds the film flat, and you're ready to scan rolls and rolls.

I will say, I recently thought I'd upgrade my setup by getting a modern, native auto-focus lens (the Olympus 60mm f/2.8 macro) rather than the 1970's Canon FD 50mm f/3.5 that I'd been using, and blown up to 100% and compared side by side, the results aren't virtually indistinguishable, it's actually impossible to tell which is which, eyeball pressed to screen. Maybe this is a benefit of Micro-4/3 sensors, using only the center of the old macro lens, but it left me convinced that basically any macro lens will be 100% optically perfect. (I'm returning the new lens.)

 

[Godfrey]

I got a Valoi Easy35 almost a year ago, and it's been surprisingly fabulous. On one level, $300ish is a lot of money for a plastic box with a small light panel and some tubes, but it's a fully drama-free setup. You screw it onto a macro lens, the double-S curve holds the film flat, and you're ready to scan rolls and rolls.

I will say, I recently thought I'd upgrade my setup by getting a modern, native auto-focus lens (the Olympus 60mm f/2.8 macro) rather than the 1970's Canon FD 50mm f/3.5 that I'd been using, and blown up to 100% and compared side by side, the results aren't virtually indistinguishable, it's actually impossible to tell which is which, eyeball pressed to screen. Maybe this is a benefit of Micro-4/3 sensors, using only the center of the old macro lens, but it left me convinced that basically any macro lens will be 100% optically perfect. (I'm returning the new lens.)

That old Canon lens is a very very good lens... Friend of mine had had one since the 1970s, hard to get better!
Most 'real' macro lenses are very good quality, however. They are a technical lens bought by professionals for specific purposes and the manufacturers tend to put a lot of effort into them. I have a similar era Micro-Nikkor 55/3.5 which is outstanding as well. For flat-field rendering, it even outperforms my much later Macro-Elmarit-R 60mm f/2.8 ... the latter has a bit more field curvature and works better for 3D subjects. They're all good; each has its own peak capability. 🙂

G

 

[JohnWolf]

I got a Valoi Easy35 almost a year ago, and it's been surprisingly fabulous. On one level, $300ish is a lot of money for a plastic box with a small light panel and some tubes, but it's a fully drama-free setup. You screw it onto a macro lens, the double-S curve holds the film flat, and you're ready to scan rolls and rolls.

I will say, I recently thought I'd upgrade my setup by getting a modern, native auto-focus lens (the Olympus 60mm f/2.8 macro) rather than the 1970's Canon FD 50mm f/3.5 that I'd been using, and blown up to 100% and compared side by side, the results aren't virtually indistinguishable, it's actually impossible to tell which is which, eyeball pressed to screen. Maybe this is a benefit of Micro-4/3 sensors, using only the center of the old macro lens, but it left me convinced that basically any macro lens will be 100% optically perfect. (I'm returning the new lens.)

I initially paused over the Valoi price, but, my goodness, it's amazing. As is Negative Lab Pro.
I was a holdout on camera scanning, preferring my Plustek, but I'm thrilled with this combo.