I have been using the Essential Film Holder for a while now & in my option it is the best bang for the buck. It has a wide option of different film holders at reasonable prices & very good customer service. My results using it have been excellent & I highly recommend it. For my copy stand I use a monitor holder with a Manfrotto super clamp & Neewer Pro 4 way macro focus rail. This idea came from a great Utube channel the 120ist. Well worth watching!
Good review, Hashem - balanced as always. Money no object - yes the Negative Supply products are beyond the 'gold standard' and if you've got around $1,000 to spend on a film holder set, then don't hesitate for a moment. For most people dipping their toes into the waters, then $100 on an Essential Film Holder will be a perfect solution as everything you require (masks for 35mm and 120 PLUS diffuser) are all included and the free worldwide shipping is for real, regardless of the courier cost to me to send to Taiwan, Korea, New Zealand or Hawaii. Andrew - Essential Film Holder.
I bought the EFH kit and love it. Can't see that spending $500 will make the film flatter... Beyond that, the best thing I've done to max out scanning quality (beyond my Sigma SD Quattro H and Sigma 70mm f2.8 DG 'Art' macro lens) has been to buy the superb 99CRI light from Negative Supply.
Andrew from EFH just started a limited sale of 'Self Assembly' version of the Essential Film Holder (includes all the masks like the EFH-09) to select people on the mailing list for £65 / $74. You just have to assemble it yourself. I think he is planning on a full launch of this soon because it's becoming laborious to assemble them all at the current volume. This will hopefully end up being the most cost-effective choice for most people (next to 3D printed options).
Oh wow! I want an Essential Film Holder for my father (I already bought mine back in September 20) - he'd love to build his own. Do you know how I can buy this version?
To me, strangely the biggest info was your explanation of the purpose of the diffuser. I had not heard anyone mention them before and I think now a diffuser makes important sense. One suggestion - do a review on some light sources. Who is the brightest with the least amount of spotty light. I recently got a light that produced the ugliest spotting you could imagine. Another great video Hashem!!!
I've done a multipart article on my website's blog covering my adventures in DIY film digitising, from film scanners such as Nikon Coolscan up to the latest film holders for digital cameras. My eventual winner was the Valoi system. I didn't actually try the Negative Supply as the price initially put me off at the time I started doing the articles, but they seem to have added budget options and free shipping. I found the EFS struggled with short film strips, and I have loads of those in my archives. I also very recently tried a JJC Film Digitizing set, which is like the old slide duplicators or the Nikon ES-2. At £64 it was almost a third of the price of the Nikon one and more adaptable to different macro lenses. I used it with an Olympus OM-D EM-1 Mk3 in high-res mode with M.Zuiko 30mm macro, which gave me a 40MP file that looked really good. In terms of budget options that proved the best as it didn't need a copy stand, or even a tripod. I used a decent light source (Raleno) but even that is not vital especially with B&W. The JJC is only good for 35mm film and comes swith holders form film strips up to six frames and a holder for two mounted slides. Great for casual use, but hot for large amounts of roll films. I'd put a link to the articles but I believe links in comments can cause issues on UA-cam.
Hi Chris, thanks for your review and input. I'm looking at the JJC option as well. Given that I'm not a heavy shooter, it seemed like the simplest setup. I note there's a version that also comes with its own LED light, so was wondering if its worth getting it with the light?
@@philipau3847 I already had a very good Raleno light, so didn’t need it, but the JJC light would certainly make it into a nice compact all-in-one solution. The important thing is to match the colour temp of the light and the colour temp on the camera, especially if working with colour film. It’s not so important with B&W. It’s better not to use auto white balance as the results won’t be as consistent.
Hi Hashem, As always your reviews are so well put together, I have been watching so many reviews on scanning negatives My problem is I have so many different sizes 110 to 4x5. What sensor size on the camera is best full or apsc ? I almost fell off my chair when I saw the prices for copy stands with out lights. 100 to over 1000, well I just want to thank you for all the hard work you put into your utube channel.
Ok I’m decided after weeks of looking at reviews & websites I’m ordering the EFH with 35mm + 120 kit plus 35mm slide holder. I’ve just ordered the Viltrox L116T for the backlight and I’ll use my full frame 36mp Pentax K-1 with Pentax DFA 100mm macro lens to digitise. It’ll be interesting if ultra high res digitisation makes a difference on, say, 120 negs. The K-1 also does pixel shift (takes 4 images in quick succession and combines them into an extreme high res DNG). I’m going to use my solid Manfrotto tripod as the camera stand initially as the legs have flexibility to set up different ways. I’m on my away!
I can vouch for the negative supply basic’s. Makes like much easier compared to say flatbed scanning carriers on a light box. Far less tedious and time saving, less faffing around endlessly.
The most important thing above all is to hold the film flat. I have the EFH and NS film holder Mk1 35mm and whilst the NS is built like a tank does not hold the film perfectly flat. Scanning 6 frame strips the film also moves a little from side to side as advanced which is annoying. Setup is Sony A7r3 ( tethered to laptop ) with canon ef 100mm macro on converted Minolta enlarger with NS light. The EFH holds film flatter but NS is well built. Do I invest in new NS pro film holder 35mm selling the mk1 or use the EFH on the NS light? Film flatness is so important as tolerances copying at 1 to 1 with 100mm macro are so small. I enjoy watching your film and copying videos 👍🏻
Hallo, can I ask you about your lens choise? Why Canon ef 100 macro and not Sony 90mm 2,8 macro? Now I have only AF Micro Nikkor 2,8 D and I was thinking about purchusing the Sony 90mm macro for scaning but not sure if it is a good idea. Thank you for your advice.
@@kamilrychly1790 Price the Canon was way cheaper used but have since changed to a sigma 70mm art which is great. Also changed my Negative Supply stuff to the new Valoi easy 35 which removes the need to level the camera to film and is a lot more convenient with limited space as can be stored in its box.
A very good listing but I miss the Kaiser FilmCopy Vario Kit, which offers very good flatness, especially of medium format film, with an Antinewton glass and a normal glass.
Yes, with glass inserts at the bottom and top for the flatness of the film. I use it to scan 6x6 medium format film and 35mm film. Mostly slides but also film negatives. I'm currently thinking of getting a Laowa 90mm Macro for the purpose, as I've switched from Nikon to Sony. With Nikon I used the Z 105mm S Macro.
Hey! Cut film is the tricky. EFH would be preferable in my experience. If your strips have any curl (lateral or otherwise) I'd consider clip-on style holder systems. They might be slower, but better for flatness and control over the frames on the ends of each strip.
I always wonder, which carrier makes the least contact with the film emulsion when you advance the film? I always worry they they might scratch the film.
thanks for another great vid mate. i wondered if there's any benefit or difference if you tried to scan using a tungsten light source. im thinking that Kodak film was developed when warm light was a thing so perhaps there's a difference? just a thought experiment. thanks!
I have actually experimented with this, and only say a negligible difference after correction. The thing I want to try next is using a good speedlight, which I've heard is the most accurate in terms of colour rendition.
My biggest problem is scanning 4x5 negatives - I found my light source to be too uneven, and my overall set-up is not the best. Negative Supply might have something viable, but their website/shop is really bad (as it gives no clue about what pieces I would need for a basic 4x5 setup, or how the different pieces they offer combine … or I just haven't found what I was searching for).
For 4x5 you'll just need our 4x5 Film Scanning Kit, one of our 4x5 Light Sources and the copy stand will depend on your camera and lens you're using to scan with.
@@BrennanMcKissick Thanks for your reply! I had an inkling that those two items/kits would be enough. A copy stand I already own (an old Rowi one). How even are the 4x5 Light Sources?
When a business offers a personalized meeting with a sales rep to help you figure out what to buy, you know their product lineup is a mess. That said, I've heard good things about their product quality, my comment is solely towards the confusion that is called their website.
@@abhijit-sarkar Negative Supply's website/shop has improved lately. I found some other solutions (the Raleno PLV-S192 is one part of it - not perfect, but far better than what I used before, and I'm in the process of 3D printing my own scan frame for 4x5 to keep the negative flat).
@@c.augustin I think 3D printing your own scanning rig is far beyond what most people could/would be willing do. Sadly, there's no good scanning option in the market now that doesn't require taking out a bank loan (like a Noritsu or Hasselblad would need).
@@user-ti9zc1xv2b And then spend that hour massaging your files through whatever software and fixing dust & scratches ... which the OF120 and Silverfast already did for you. There's always a trade off (and yes, the OF120 can't _quite_ match camera scanning of positive film when it comes to digging into darkest shadows). Oh, and you can't buy OF120s any more, and even when you could, quality control was hit & miss. Lucky me, mine is great.
Too much time spent on telling viewers what aspects they should know rather than just giving us the details about each unit. which is the reason we are searching on ebay. Also there is no comparison of how flat the film is held by each, how easy it is to advance the film. .
I have been using the Essential Film Holder for a while now & in my option it is the best bang for the buck. It has a wide option of different film holders at reasonable prices & very good customer service. My results using it have been excellent & I highly recommend it. For my copy stand I use a monitor holder with a Manfrotto super clamp & Neewer Pro 4 way macro focus rail. This idea came from a great Utube channel the 120ist. Well worth watching!
Perfect perfect timing for this video, as I was looking at options to purchase today
Good review, Hashem - balanced as always.
Money no object - yes the Negative Supply products are beyond the 'gold standard' and if you've got around $1,000 to spend on a film holder set, then don't hesitate for a moment.
For most people dipping their toes into the waters, then $100 on an Essential Film Holder will be a perfect solution as everything you require (masks for 35mm and 120 PLUS diffuser) are all included and the free worldwide shipping is for real, regardless of the courier cost to me to send to Taiwan, Korea, New Zealand or Hawaii.
Andrew - Essential Film Holder.
I bought the EFH kit and love it. Can't see that spending $500 will make the film flatter...
Beyond that, the best thing I've done to max out scanning quality (beyond my Sigma SD Quattro H and Sigma 70mm f2.8 DG 'Art' macro lens) has been to buy the superb 99CRI light from Negative Supply.
Andrew from EFH just started a limited sale of 'Self Assembly' version of the Essential Film Holder (includes all the masks like the EFH-09) to select people on the mailing list for £65 / $74. You just have to assemble it yourself. I think he is planning on a full launch of this soon because it's becoming laborious to assemble them all at the current volume. This will hopefully end up being the most cost-effective choice for most people (next to 3D printed options).
Oh wow! I want an Essential Film Holder for my father (I already bought mine back in September 20) - he'd love to build his own. Do you know how I can buy this version?
@@nickygardiner4552 Try signing up for the mailing list. The email said he is just experimenting with it right now.
To me, strangely the biggest info was your explanation of the purpose of the diffuser. I had not heard anyone mention them before and I think now a diffuser makes important sense. One suggestion - do a review on some light sources. Who is the brightest with the least amount of spotty light. I recently got a light that produced the ugliest spotting you could imagine. Another great video Hashem!!!
Hashem has a video on light sources here:
ua-cam.com/video/wMTVt3hD5bo/v-deo.html
It, like this video, is fantastic.
Hash made a really great video about that already. ;) ua-cam.com/video/wMTVt3hD5bo/v-deo.html
EFH ftw! The design was bettered with an upgrade this year, making the negative even flatter. There's no need to spend crazy money.
I've done a multipart article on my website's blog covering my adventures in DIY film digitising, from film scanners such as Nikon Coolscan up to the latest film holders for digital cameras. My eventual winner was the Valoi system. I didn't actually try the Negative Supply as the price initially put me off at the time I started doing the articles, but they seem to have added budget options and free shipping. I found the EFS struggled with short film strips, and I have loads of those in my archives. I also very recently tried a JJC Film Digitizing set, which is like the old slide duplicators or the Nikon ES-2. At £64 it was almost a third of the price of the Nikon one and more adaptable to different macro lenses. I used it with an Olympus OM-D EM-1 Mk3 in high-res mode with M.Zuiko 30mm macro, which gave me a 40MP file that looked really good. In terms of budget options that proved the best as it didn't need a copy stand, or even a tripod. I used a decent light source (Raleno) but even that is not vital especially with B&W. The JJC is only good for 35mm film and comes swith holders form film strips up to six frames and a holder for two mounted slides. Great for casual use, but hot for large amounts of roll films. I'd put a link to the articles but I believe links in comments can cause issues on UA-cam.
Hi Chris, thanks for your review and input. I'm looking at the JJC option as well. Given that I'm not a heavy shooter, it seemed like the simplest setup. I note there's a version that also comes with its own LED light, so was wondering if its worth getting it with the light?
@@philipau3847 I already had a very good Raleno light, so didn’t need it, but the JJC light would certainly make it into a nice compact all-in-one solution. The important thing is to match the colour temp of the light and the colour temp on the camera, especially if working with colour film. It’s not so important with B&W. It’s better not to use auto white balance as the results won’t be as consistent.
Hi Hashem,
As always your reviews are so well put together, I have been watching so many reviews on scanning negatives My problem is I have so many different sizes 110 to 4x5. What sensor size on the camera is best full or apsc ? I almost fell off my chair when I saw the prices for copy stands with out lights. 100 to over 1000, well I just want to thank you for all the hard work you put into your utube channel.
Negative Supply has another 35mm holder called the MKI. I'm not sure if that fits in the mid-range or high end though.
Ok I’m decided after weeks of looking at reviews & websites I’m ordering the EFH with 35mm + 120 kit plus 35mm slide holder. I’ve just ordered the Viltrox L116T for the backlight and I’ll use my full frame 36mp Pentax K-1 with Pentax DFA 100mm macro lens to digitise.
It’ll be interesting if ultra high res digitisation makes a difference on, say, 120 negs. The K-1 also does pixel shift (takes 4 images in quick succession and combines them into an extreme high res DNG). I’m going to use my solid Manfrotto tripod as the camera stand initially as the legs have flexibility to set up different ways. I’m on my away!
I hope you enjoy the process and learning curve! The results are worth it
I can vouch for the negative supply basic’s. Makes like much easier compared to say flatbed scanning carriers on a light box. Far less tedious and time saving, less faffing around endlessly.
The most important thing above all is to hold the film flat. I have the EFH and NS film holder Mk1 35mm and whilst the NS is built like a tank does not hold the film perfectly flat. Scanning 6 frame strips the film also moves a little from side to side as advanced which is annoying. Setup is Sony A7r3 ( tethered to laptop ) with canon ef 100mm macro on converted Minolta enlarger with NS light. The EFH holds film flatter but NS is well built. Do I invest in new NS pro film holder 35mm selling the mk1 or use the EFH on the NS light? Film flatness is so important as tolerances copying at 1 to 1 with 100mm macro are so small.
I enjoy watching your film and copying videos 👍🏻
Hallo, can I ask you about your lens choise? Why Canon ef 100 macro and not Sony 90mm 2,8 macro? Now I have only AF Micro Nikkor 2,8 D and I was thinking about purchusing the Sony 90mm macro for scaning but not sure if it is a good idea. Thank you for your advice.
@@kamilrychly1790 Price the Canon was way cheaper used but have since changed to a sigma 70mm art which is great. Also changed my Negative Supply stuff to the new Valoi easy 35 which removes the need to level the camera to film and is a lot more convenient with limited space as can be stored in its box.
No mention of the inexpensive pixl latr? Comes with built in diffuser and you can use it to scan 4x5, 120 and 35mm film.
A very good listing but I miss the Kaiser FilmCopy Vario Kit, which offers very good flatness, especially of medium format film, with an Antinewton glass and a normal glass.
Are you using this Kaiser Film Copy Vario Kit and how are you satisfied with that?
Yes, with glass inserts at the bottom and top for the flatness of the film. I use it to scan 6x6 medium format film and 35mm film. Mostly slides but also film negatives.
I'm currently thinking of getting a Laowa 90mm Macro for the purpose, as I've switched from Nikon to Sony. With Nikon I used the Z 105mm S Macro.
Thanks! PF. I'm just getting into this. I wonder if which system handles cut film best? Negative supply has a combo basic kit that looks interesting.
Hey! Cut film is the tricky. EFH would be preferable in my experience. If your strips have any curl (lateral or otherwise) I'd consider clip-on style holder systems. They might be slower, but better for flatness and control over the frames on the ends of each strip.
Thanks!
I always wonder, which carrier makes the least contact with the film emulsion when you advance the film? I always worry they they might scratch the film.
The Negative Supply device in minute 10:41 it looks like the Valoi 360, so who copy from who?
I'd like to know who makes holders from these companies for 126mm, 110 and the old Disk from Kodak
Hi! Have you ever tried the new Digitaliza+ by Lomography? It's in the same price range of EFH and I can't choose between them. Thank you.
Hi, I haven't used the new Lomo holders, sorry!
@@pushingfilm Thank you anyway!
Which camera and lens are you using to scan your film?
I'm using a Canon 5DIV with 100mm Macro :-)
thanks for another great vid mate. i wondered if there's any benefit or difference if you tried to scan using a tungsten light source. im thinking that Kodak film was developed when warm light was a thing so perhaps there's a difference? just a thought experiment. thanks!
I have actually experimented with this, and only say a negligible difference after correction. The thing I want to try next is using a good speedlight, which I've heard is the most accurate in terms of colour rendition.
Can you do 4x5 film with these?
Great video! Do you still use the diffuser with the more expensive alternatives?
Thanks! I do, unless it's a completely diffused light source like the negative supply
My biggest problem is scanning 4x5 negatives - I found my light source to be too uneven, and my overall set-up is not the best. Negative Supply might have something viable, but their website/shop is really bad (as it gives no clue about what pieces I would need for a basic 4x5 setup, or how the different pieces they offer combine … or I just haven't found what I was searching for).
For 4x5 you'll just need our 4x5 Film Scanning Kit, one of our 4x5 Light Sources and the copy stand will depend on your camera and lens you're using to scan with.
@@BrennanMcKissick Thanks for your reply! I had an inkling that those two items/kits would be enough. A copy stand I already own (an old Rowi one). How even are the 4x5 Light Sources?
When a business offers a personalized meeting with a sales rep to help you figure out what to buy, you know their product lineup is a mess. That said, I've heard good things about their product quality, my comment is solely towards the confusion that is called their website.
@@abhijit-sarkar Negative Supply's website/shop has improved lately. I found some other solutions (the Raleno PLV-S192 is one part of it - not perfect, but far better than what I used before, and I'm in the process of 3D printing my own scan frame for 4x5 to keep the negative flat).
@@c.augustin I think 3D printing your own scanning rig is far beyond what most people could/would be willing do. Sadly, there's no good scanning option in the market now that doesn't require taking out a bank loan (like a Noritsu or Hasselblad would need).
For the cost of Negative Supply’s pro setup you can get a Plustek Opticfilm Pro 120 and avoid all the camera scanning BS
And scan about 1 roll per hour... a solid Valoi or Negative Supply setup will do a roll in about a minute
@@user-ti9zc1xv2b And then spend that hour massaging your files through whatever software and fixing dust & scratches ... which the OF120 and Silverfast already did for you. There's always a trade off (and yes, the OF120 can't _quite_ match camera scanning of positive film when it comes to digging into darkest shadows). Oh, and you can't buy OF120s any more, and even when you could, quality control was hit & miss. Lucky me, mine is great.
Shame we're talking big bucks here . I'm going to DIY. Make my own film holders and copy stand... what could be so hard?
Too much time spent on telling viewers what aspects they should know rather than just giving us the details about each unit. which is the reason we are searching on ebay. Also there is no comparison of how flat the film is held by each, how easy it is to advance the film. .