My Complete Film Scanning Workflow with the GFX50R
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- Опубліковано 5 лип 2024
- In this video, I’m sharing my start-to-finish film scanning workflow using the Fujifilm GFX50R. I wanted to put this video together now that I have my setup dialled, and share the entire process, including the gear, settings, technique, processing, and storage.
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Intro: 00:00
Gear - Camera: 01:22
Gear - Lens: 02:21
Gear - Adapter: 02:55
Gear - Valoi Advancer: 04:07
Gear - Light Panel: 05:47
Gear - Copy Stand: 06:50
Technique - Levelling Camera: 09:19
Technique - Camera Settings: 10:27
Scanning Film: 12:24
Conversion / Processing: 16:25
Storage: 25:00
Closing: 26:33
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Pentax SMC-A 645 120mm f4 Macro: ebay.us/KPgDKT
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Kaiser RS1 Copy Stand: ebay.us/56thc3
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I've made a specific import preset in LR for my scans that turns the noise reduction and sharpening to 0. It also contains the lens profile of the lens I am using with some vignetting correction. Saves quite a bit of repetitive work. I am 100% getting an adapter that I can just leave on my copy stand after seeing this vid.
Oh nice. That's a great idea to make a preset out of it. I'll definitely do that.
19:41 quick tip but you can paste the settings to all frames at once, or you can use the "sync" feature to do the same thing
came to the comments to say this!
@@bradleybalsters2078 me too!
+1
I'm a bit late to this video, but I just wanted to say thanks to you Kyle for helping me to get motivated to try & start on my own digitizing workflow. I've had all the pieces ready to go for months, but no motivation during the colder months & the mental health stuff that comes with it. But I'm going to try & take the first steps to get this side of my love & hobby started. Many thanks, Kyle! 🙏🏻
Cheers, Michael! All the best with your journey. Glad you found this helpful.
Having a dedicated copy stand is such a luxury. I found a retro pentax one for cheap and it is sturdy as hell and has a macro rail too. Also finally got the valoi advancing system too, used just a film holder for a long time. Absolutely worth it.
Nice! Glad to hear you're happy with the setup. A dedicated copy stand in a permanent place is really beneficial.
This video has so many perfectionist aspects to it. I always have lots of concerns when purchasing new gear and you pretty much answer all my questions immediately. Love your content :)
Thanks for what you do Kyle. Your content is so well thought out and informative.
Thanks for that. I'm glad you enjoy it!
my current setup is almost identical! glad to see this combination of gear being used by a professional like you.
Thanks Kyle. I just got my scanning setup ready. My first roll was cool but definitely left some room for improvement. I want to use your settings as a baseline and go from there. Thank you for putting out great content. You’ve had a positive influence in my photography journey.
Cheers! Glad this was helpful!
I got myself a Fuji Frontier SP500 and I have to say that it is so much fun! And once you got your head around the software it’s really predictable. Most of the complains I’ve heard from labs saying that it’s doing tons of auto stuff are simply not really understanding how the auto stuff works. And the quality is just amazing. I think the SP3000 is somewhat compromised for 120 since it zooms out and doesn’t have the same pixel density as for 35mm, but from what I’m getting with the SP500 (which is similar but 35mm only) it’s truly outstanding what real 20 megapixels can do. And virtual drum scanners work the same way. The light source in the Frontier scanners actually lights every color RGB separately, same as with high end movie scanners, and the sensor is a monochrome CCD, so while the resolution is “only” 20 megapixels the level of detail, colors, contrast, and density curve are superb. It’s also incredibly gratifying to only use CMYK point corrections to get an image. It feels much more like a part of the photographic process, and much more truthful to the light in the shot than fucking with curves and shifts and all. Not that there is anything wrong with using curves and all. Honestly for anyone who’s serious about shooting film an actual lab scanner is the most fun way to scan. It’s brings me proper joy.
perfect timing on this! Thanks Kyle
Cheers, Jason!
I always do repro work with the matte side facing the camera because that's where the emulsion is, so you won't have the shoot "through" a plastic layer to get to the grain.
Thank you so much for the endless amount of simplified education. Cheers.
Awesome tutorial Kyle. I own a GFX 50R and after seeing your previous video I started searching for the needed gear in order to reproduce my film/slides digitally. Hope to start shooting as soon as the lens adapter you are recommending will arrive. Thanks a lot for dedicating your time and knowledge.
Glad to hear it helped!
Thank you for this Kyle! So much faster it’s crazy.
Cheers, Nick. Yeah, that's a huge plus for me!
Thanks. Super useful. FWIW, In my many years of scanning and print making the mantra has *always* been emulsion side facing the light source, so I think you have it nailed.
Hi Kyle, thanks for the great guide! I've been using my D750 to scan negatives from 35mm to 6x9 and love the results. The tip with the mirror is extremely neat! thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
so awesome! i had the same idea to mount the adapter instead of the camera. makes it so much easier. you rock !
Cheers, Chris.
Learned a tonnnnn from this video Kyle. You just saved me so much time. Thank you!
Glad to hear it!
Another thing I love with dSLR scanning, with newer mirrorless cameras is the pixel shift. With the camera in a fixed holder and controlled light, getting to use the high res mode as an option is great!
What an outstanding and informative post. Excellent. Thank you so much for sharing.
You're welcome. Cheers.
Just the video I needed. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed!
A great video on scanning. Cool to see how others scan
Cheers, Gene! Glad you enjoyed it.
Nice video! I used a similar approach a few years ago to scan my old slide collection. Some of my slides were star and astronomy images and I noticed on a few of them the digital capture caught a reflection of the front of the macro lens that bounced off the film. It might be worth a test with a dark negative to see if there is stray light.
Finally I made my mind to buy the Valoi scanning kit because of your video and the nice discount❤❤❤. I plan to scan my films with my new XT5 using the pixel shift function and the new XF30mm macro lens. I will update my results when I get them!
Awesome! The XT5 should be great for that. Enjoy!
Thanks Kyle, great video. I already have the GFX50R and the Kaiser Copy stand so I’m already half way there :-)
Nice! The Kaiser stand is great. :)
Thanks, that was really helpful. Also, I bought that film cutter when you had
described it in a previous video and haven't regretted it. With 35mm I used to
"miss" all the time, and that never happens. Plus I set this cutter over my light
panel and can clearly see where the line on the translucent part shows between
film frames, which makes it easier to line things up.
Glad you're enjoying it! The cutter is the best.
I shot photostat in the 80s. I used Walzberg but one camera i used at another place was an Acti that shot to 3 microns accuracy.. my job was to make halftones with screens to generate large negatives for printing. this is really cool.
Great video as always! I was having problems with some film conversion in Lightroom, from time to time, and I recently discovered that I am getting way better results, almost 100% perfection control, with NLP conversion while using the Lightroom sliders in backwards mode. What I am doing is basically turning off everything as you show in your video without making any white balance adjustments, converting it with NLP but I won't be using the NLP plugging to make adjustments beside the tones. I am choosing a tone profile for the whole film that feel a bit like a LOG/Raw image, converting without any other modifications and in Lightroom, with the sliders in backwards, I will adjust the white balance, the shadows and highlights by hands. This technique freed me of some massive headache because I realize when I was doing the WB before, depending where you are clicking on the black border, the colours tends to shift slightly. (and that is understandable as the film border isn't totally black) Also, the adjustments in NLP tends to be a bit harsh and tweaking very little was almost impossible. Once you have all adjustments done, you can always get back to NLP to make your TIFF.
Cheers!
Interesting approach. Thanks for sharing!
Nice tutorial!
Wow, how did I not know that a "film cutter" existed?? I need to buy that ASAP.
It's the best!
Awesome ! Thank you so much for that !
You're welcome!
Excellent thank you Kyle
You're welcome. Cheers.
Thanks for sharing!!
Cheers, Ryan.
Seems to be a good option for scanning large or irregular sized film. Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome. Cheers.
Hi Kyle, and happy New Year! I started camera scanning in 2017 after checking prices for medium format scanners. Love that I can tune in to your channel and get some tips like shutting down color noise reduction in LR. And that Pentax macro. I’m using my A7Riv now, because like you I wasn’t going to drop $2000 on a native macro lens for the GFX100S. The 645 lens though, that is intriguing. I want to try the GFX because of the 16 bit raw, although to be perfectly honest, when I first compared the GFX with the A7Riv using non-optimal glass for the Fuji, I really couldn’t see any difference in color reproduction. But I’m always looking to make things better. Scan once, best quality possible, never do it again, that is my mantra.
On a sad note, treasure the pictures you have of Glenrio Texas/New Mexico because you wouldn’t recognize it today. I’ll send you a video I shot as I rode by last week. The short story is a guy decided to buy several of the buildings with the idea of turning it into a state line marijuana dispensary. I don’t care about the drugs one way or another, that’s a decision for informed adults to make. But it did bring a certain element into an area which had been unmolested for nearly 50 years and that really does suck. The guy ran out of cash. Or ambition. And now the things you shot are in disarray, with roofs removed and so on. The rule for old buildings? They won’t remain intact for long once the roofs are gone.
Hey Tim! The more tests I've done with camera scanning, I've found there to be marginal improvements when it comes to colour/tone between cameras. The big one is obviously just resolution. I'm actually working on a video right now where I'm using a $100 digital camera and a cheap old macro lens, and the results are impressive. And damn, sucks to hear that news about Glen Rio. Always sad to hear when some of these places disappear or get heavily vandalised. All the more reason to get out there and capture them. Hope all is well with you!
Great Video! Like you, I went crazy and bought a large copy stand although I went with the Beseler model. It's really beefy but it works great for a number of shooting styles so I'm getting good use out of it. I also leave my macro lens attached to the stand all the time and remove the camera to use elsewhere or to change to a different macro lens for specific purposes. I need to look at the Valoi system for scanning film, but right now I'm mainly shooting digital (flat lay macro).
Nice! Yeah, such a great option to have the lens permanently mounted to the stand.
Great job.
Kyle, I’ve watched your camera scanning videos and those from Hashem from Pushing Film and pretty much decided I’m going to invest in the Essential Film Holder (with 35mm, 120 and 35mm slide holders) based on functionality - v - price value and use my full frame 36mp Pentax K-1 with DFA 100mm Macro lens to digitise the images.
I’ve already ordered a Viltrox led light for backlighting. Getting the colour balance right on the colour photos is the one thing I’m sure will be a challenge. And pondering emulsion side up or down….
I’ve never been happy with the workflow or scan results of my Eason flatbed scanner over many years so the results you guys are getting from this camera scanning process has got me excited to get out my 1958 Rolleicord and my 1975 Pentax MX and start shooting film again. I have shot the occasional roll over recent years but now both are loaded with Delta 100 and I’m out walking my favourite street locations.
Thank you for all the work on these videos. It’s valuable for the analogue loving community and I’m so glad there is a resurgence in film. I’ve found a local film processor (who also stock Portra and my favourite Ilford emulsions) so I can get the processing done although I’ve dusted off my processing tank for B&W and I might just get my old Meopta 6 enlarger out of the cupboard. Once inspiration leads to another!
Cheers, Brett! Best of luck with your journey. I've heard good things about the essential film holder. Lot's of great options nowadays for us film shooters, which is exciting. I think you'll be very happy with camera scanning.
Here’s my piece of advice: some not-so-nice macro lenses will change the focus distance when you close the aperture, so it’s necessary to focus them with the aperture closed. Mine is a Canon FD 50mm f/3.5 macro, it definitely needs focusing with the aperture closed
Hmmm, interesting to hear that. I didn’t know that was a thing. Something to keep an eye on.
Thanks so much for this video, Kyle. I already had a GFX (100s) and ended up getting the Pentax 120mm macro based on the results you're getting. Turns out it's a pretty good shooting lens too! For scanning 6x7 negatives, I'm curious... what sensor aspect ratio do you use 4:3, 5:4? And are you going to 1:1 magnification at all? From what I can discern from the video, you seem to be a tad above 2? Thanks again for sharing your experiences.
this is a great video, thanks Kyle, your channel is really great, I have so much film to scan, and my 2023 desire is a GFX Camera....former Fuji 6 x 9 user, current Rollei 120 owner...
Thanks, Lewis! Glad you enjoyed this one.
Wow Wow Wow, what a great great video....
Impressive workflow - excellent end-to-end process coverage!
One gear recommendation - Kinetronics StaticVac. My film passes through that before the holder and basically I spend barely any time on dust:)
I'll have to look that up!
@@KyleMcDougall Valoi does have a similar anti static brush thingy (they call it Duster) for the Advancer.
Amazing vid as always mate, I just picked up a 50r and now look forward to my home scanning adventure! In the meantime though i’m looking for a nice lens for everyday shooting with it, what’s that you’ve got on there at the start of the video? i’m currently using the TT artisans 50 1.4 m mount but it doesn’t quite cover the sensor, and the mitakon 65 looks to be the best option but it’s not exactly the lightest set up for everyday use!
Hey Jacob, I own the 35-70 GF, which is good for landscape, but not the fastest. I have an adapted Contax 45mm 2.8, which is nice as well. The Mitakon is my favourite, but yeah, definitely a bit of a tank!
When you said film scanning, I thought you'd be developing the film and exposing paper in a dark room, and then scanning the paper photograph with a regular photo scanner. I had no idea that people did things this way! Mind: blown.
That's pretty funny seeing your camera settings and workflow, they are pretty much identical to mine that I just came up with on the fly. The camera remote app is something that's really great. I actually tether my gfx100s via USBC to a computer so that the files are transferred directly into a folder and I don't have to do anything with the card. I also have my c6 profile set up for all my film scanning stuff, so I can just switch to it really easily.
I also use an anti-static brush on both sides of my film before I scan each frame, I usually do it for the one or two frames after the one I'm currently scanning so that when I reel them in they are clean. I find that the rocket blower doesn't necessarily get everything off
I use a mamiya 645 120 mm 1:1 macro, but unfortunately it's not compatible with the teleconverter. The Pentax one is, so I may pick one of those up, just it's much harder to find the adapters. The 2x tc for Pentax seems to be compatible with all lenses which is extremely cool of them to do. That would mean I should be able to get a 2:1 macro out of that lens which would be perfect for scanning 35 mm.
Absolutely amazing video! Thank you. Is there a major difference between this and 35mm film & b&w?
Cheers, Jake. Nope, same idea!
Thanks for the nice video, I do a lot of this myself (b&w) - still could find some details to try for optimization! Btw, did you ever experience banding when using electronic shutter on yourlight panel ?
Cheers, Stefan. No banding noticed with this panel.
In the GFX 50r what do you set clarity and sharpness too when capturing these? Also do you match the white balance in camera to the kelvin of your light source in the valoi?
Thanks for presentation of your workflow! But the Kaiser stand is no overkill. You can not have enough mass to calm down such a high res camera. It is even better to mount it at a concrete wall if you have too flexible wooden floors. You should also try a blue 80a filter for compensation the orange mask. Then you do not need to torture the raw so much at Whitebalance. That and your high CRI panel helps to get the optimum out of the small bandwith/spectrum of a colour negative…
Interesting idea about the blue filter. And yeah, I had the workbench pulled away from the wall for this video, but usually have it mounted to the wall to lock it down a bit better.
it's kinda crazy that I paid less for my frontier sp3000 than a Negative supply setup (minus camera) costs. Great to see valoi making something that is affordable.
Kyle, I'm moving from full frame to GFX and plan to use my new GFX rig for camera scanning MF film with the Valoi advancer. How high a rail do you need to use the 120mm macro to shoot 6x7?
i need this film cutter. 😮
One of my favourites!
Cool video. I scan a lot of film with a camera scanning setup and do have some observations with running the film through shiny side up or down. If the emulsion is facing the camera (shiny side down), it tends to be a bit sharper (depending on the film, and lens camera setup, the more resolution you have, the more apparent that is). If scanning 35mm film with ~50MP full frame camera (or 32MP APS-C), the difference between the two is very apparent, though if scanning medium format film, it's probably less apparent, but if you look closely, often you can see a small difference.
Interesting. I did some tests and didn't notice a difference. But maybe I'll have to revisit it again.
@@KyleMcDougall It really depends on the lens and how much resolution your camera has. I use a Canon R5 and Sigma 70 Macro ART lens (the newer one) and with 35mm film, it's very apparent, but the same setup for 120 is a lot less apparent simply because I'm "scanning" a much larger area with the same resolution. 35mm film works out to ~5500DPI and 120 film works out to ~2400DPI, so even though the setup is the same, 35mm film is a lot more sensitive to that.
Cool, well thanks for sharing your experience. I’ll definitely have to do another test next time I’m scanning.
I remember vividly the Nikon Coolscan 9000 video you made and how happy you were to find that scanner almost new. Why did you move from that platform for scanning to this? Is it better? You have no discussion in here about that.
I actually did a video comparing the two, a while ago. But basically, I decided to switch, as I found the GFX very close to the same quality when it comes to 'scans', and by selling the Nikon I could purchase a GFX setup, which I also can use for photography. There was a lot of appeal in that. If money didn't matter, I'd keep both.
@@KyleMcDougall Thanks Kyle. Man, do I understand the "if money didn't matter" sentiment. Photography is an expensive hobby. I still like the self contained "magic box" element of the Nikon Coolscans lol, but I did see the comparison video and FujiFilm "scans" looked as good if not better and was faster.
That's pretty cool, will try something like this with the xt4, may not quite be the same thing but probably ok for me since I just shoot film like once a month, as a hobby :)
The XT4 works great as well.
@@KyleMcDougall :D
Hi, and thank you for the beautiful images you share! Regarding the lens you use, would the "SMC Pentax-FA 4/120mm Macro 645" work with the adapter you're using? Do you know if it's also a good lens? Thanx!
That's the lens I'm using in this video.
Hi Kyle, what lens setup do you recommend for Sony full-frame system? other than the Sony 90mm native macro. Thank you!
A lot of good information and thanks for doing the video. Tons of cool gear but I think the piece I would look for, the extension tube or lens collar with the mount. How nice to twist your camera on and be nearly ready!
Would you ever consider making a video of the same thing but for for us poor folk? Is there a way to camera scan for less than $750? Less than $500?
Hey Greg, working on a video like that right now. Hopefully will have it up next month.
Kyle,
I have a 50R and am using it for film scanning as well.
I tested the Mamiya 645 macro lens (but not the Pentax; they should be very similar in performance, which is really quite excellent overall). I also tested two other macro lenses (Olympus OM 80mm macro, which is a symmetrical design so optimized for 1:1 reproduciton, and an Olympus OM 135mm macro. Both of these are designed for the OM Auto Bellows and easily adapted to the GFX).
The last lens I tested was a Makro Symmar industrial lens (line scan lens). It is essentially a 120mm Makro Symmar HM lens from large format applications but put into a barrel and optimized for a narrow range of reproduction ratios. They make/made them with very subtle differnces in the optics (spacing of the cells, I think) to make peak performance be at different reproduction ratios. I selected the one that allows me to work on 4x5 images down to about 6x6 images optimally, but the ranges of the lenses overlap somewhat. My thinking is that I will be (after I finish the 4x5 copy work) only doing a single reproduciton ratio for everything, wihch will be based on 6x6 film, so I can select an optimal lens to be the best in that range with a very flat field and very high sharpness. The benefit of this is that I don't have to stop down as far to ensure good corners and that means the overall image is sharper (by avoiding diffraction).
It's a bit obsessive, but it does produce a better scan than the 645 macro lenses and the OM macro lenses.
Otherwise, the process is nearly identical to yours.
Here's a link to a website with more info in the Makro Symmar lenses I'm talking about.
www.closeuphotography.com/schneider-makro-symmar-sr-120/2018/10/7/schneider-makro-symmar-sr-120mm-f56-line-scan-lens
Thanks for sharing this! I did come across that website at one point in my search. Maybe something I'll have to deep dive at some point in the future!
Great video. I have the same camera and I am thinking about using it to scan some of my 4x5 sheets. I was wondering if you have any experience of that ? and how do deal with the distortion when stitching the scanned files ?
I just photograph the entire sheet in one frame, no stitching. Still gives a fairly large file.
Great video. I own a Frontier which I love but it is getting harder and harder to keep Windows XP running on a virtual machine. I would love to get access to a few of these raw files from the Fuji to see exactly what the quality is like. I’ve tried NLP a few times but have never been able to match the Frontier in terms of color.
Shoot me an email: info@kylemcdougallphoto.com. I'd be happy to send you a couple RAW files.
I use a G9 to photo scan using HiRes mode. I also have a K-1.II and a KP that do a pretty good job with Pixel Shift turned on. I wouldn't mind have a 50R just because it's probably my favorite camera with that body style on the market, but for my needs I get by with my MFT mirrorless and Pentax dslr cameras. Maybe one day there will be a true GX8 successor to have the weather sealing and updated high-end feature set/hardware in a rangefinder style body. I doubt it, but one can hope. Maybe OM will release a Pen-F Mark II with EM1.3 internals and weather sealing like the OM-5. Maybe even the OM-1 internals after they've been out a bit and can be sold for less/binned processors at lower cost.
Glad to hear that's working for you!
Hi, thanks for this video. I'm also someone who has agonised over my scanning process.
How do you think the XT compare to the GFX for scanning? I assume you thought it was a worthwhile update.
I'm shooting mostly 6x6, 6x7 and 4x5. I'm leaning towards the extra resolution of GFX so I spend less time stitching in Lightroom which never really works perfectly anyway.
Plus it gives me another option for a digital camera once I have the money to buy some lenses...
Thanks!
The GFX is a much better fit for me, as I shoot mostly medium format. So I can use the entire sensor (or most of it). With the XT, I was always having to crop quite a bit off the frame as the aspect ratio was much wider.
Yes, i received the pentax 645, the gfx50 and the Fotodiox Pro P645 Adapter. Which extension tube do you recommend for scanning 35mm negatives with this setup? 18mm, 45mm?
Just the video I needed, thanks man! Quick question- I notice you’re using a cinebloom filter… which percentage do you like? And do you prefer it to the tiffen black pro mist?
I actually just bought the 5%, out of curiosity. Only used it a little, but I don't know how much I like it. It's uncoated, so there can be weird reflections at times. So far I prefer the Tiffen.
@@KyleMcDougall Appreciate the reply! I've been on the hunt for the best filter to use with my GFX 50sii for a while. I've gotten great results with the cinebloom 5%, and also the tiffen glimmerglass 1/4. Never noticed the reflection issue with the cinebloom, but I'll look out for it. Cinebloom seems to have a nice smooth effect.
Interesting! We have evolved similar processes. One area where my process is a bit more automated than yours is that my copystand is permanently located next to my PC. I also shoot fuji (and copy with my XT3). I attach a standard USB connection between the PC and the camera, and fire up Fujifilm Acquire, which can be linked automatically to Lightroom. You do have to mess around with a number of not very intuitive settings with both Acquire and Lightroom for them to speak to each other, but once worked out, as soon as you take each shot with the camera, after a few seconds, they are loaded automatically into LR, and so this speeds up the workflow a little. PS - its a shame we can't turn the Fuji LCD menu upside down, so we can navigate it easier ;-).
Thanks for sharing your process. I’ve thought about potentially tethering. My volume of images is usually pretty low though, so I don’t mind transferring.
Hey Kyle! Coming back to this video for the hundredth time! It's so useful, so thanks! I have one question though, which is the intensity you are using in your Raleno light panel? Thanks man!
Glad it's been helpful! I use full power. Both dials at max.
@@KyleMcDougall Thanks so much!!!!
Thats exactly what i searched for - Thank you for the detailed infos. Are u happy with the Valoi? Is the film 100% plan or should i buy the EFH?
I don't have any experience with the EFH, but I've been very happy with the Valoi products.
I use an Olympus Pen F digital in pixel-shift high-res mode (80 MP files) and the very affordable Olympus 30 mm F4.5 macro lens. An E-M5II would do (50 MP files, somewhat resembling the GFX50). I also use this camera for digital photography, but if I would be an FF shooter who couldn't afford something like a Sony A7RII or III for scanning, I would still go with a used E-M5II and 30 mm F4.5 macro lens to do my scanning (fastest and cheapest way to get 40-50 MP scans from negatives of any size).
Hey Kyle, have you tried scanning 35 mm with this setup yet? Despite shooting at 100 ISO I feel like I'm seeing a lot of digital noise on my scans and wondering if I'm doing something wrong. I've got the 50S, not the 50R, but besides that our setups are basically identical - though I'm using a Pentax 6x7 macro lens (100 mm f4). Did you leave noise reduction on in the camera or turn it off?
Yep, I've scanned a lot of 35mm with this and haven't had any issues. I have NR turned off in the camera, but at ISO 100 that shouldn't be an issue. Could it be an exposure issue with the actual film images?
Does tethering provide any advantage in terms of adjusting light/color/exposure for negs which are "off" before you take the shot? I remember when scanning slides in Epson 750 that silverfast software could make a big difference on a slide by slide basis rather than just scanning them all on the same exposure/white balance.
great
I’m revisiting this video since I just purchased a gfx 50sii (arriving today 🙌🏼). I happen to have a late Pentax 67 Macro 135 f/4, that I’ve used with the 67ii and seems to perform well. Would you say this could work for digitizing my negatives with the 67 adapter?
I haven't used that lens, but I'm sure it would work just fine, seeing as the 645 Pentax macro is great. I'm sure the 67 macro is also good.
Thanks for sharing this, Kyle!
I have a question: what metering method do you use when scanning (in combnation with the 2/3 comp exp)?
Thank you!
I use multi-mode.
@@KyleMcDougall Thank you
What is the height needed for a copy stand for film scanning with the GFX50R with the 120 mm Lens + adapter?
Depends on which film you're shooting. 35mm, 645, 6x7, etc.
Hello Kyle. Great video. Do you use flat field correction at all? I recently got a Mamiya 120 macro and it has a quite heavy vignette which causes a slight orange light bleed at the edges. Flat field correction fixes all that. Is the Pentax lens so good you get no vignetting ?
I haven't noticed any vignetting on the 120. :)
@@KyleMcDougall Wow, that Pentax lens is truly amazing then. I have a few vintage macro lenses and they all vignette and create this slight orange bleed in the corners. I was disappointed that the Mamiya 120 macro also vignettes. Have to get that Pentax lens then.😀
Could you make a low cost solution? For example is it better to use a multifunction scanner/printer or an old apsc digital camera? What can we us for free software? Etc… just an idea 😊
Already working on an idea like that. :) Hopefully will have it up next month.
Whats the reason for choosing adobergd? When you use the camera for photography do you also use that colour space?
Yes. Either AdobeRGB or ProPhotoRGB. Always after a larger colour space than SRGB.
your videos are so great kyle. I've been following you now for a few years. just moved to england myself. love your work. Hey not sure if you've answered this but what filter is that on the contax 45mm 2.8? the red one? thanks!
Thank you Andrew. That is the Moment Cinebloom 5%
Does your program to convert from Negative to Positive it has a section to remove scratches from the negative or can you us VUSCAN for conversion?
Any tips for 4x5 scanning with a smaller sensore camera, like sony A7II?
Thank you Kyle this is great -I have a GFX 50S and am interested in doing this.
Can I ask, how have the results been for you for printing these captures? For instance, how big have you been able to print your 50R film scans and how do these prints compare to an Imacon or Drum scan print in your opinion? Would love to know your thoughts on this! Thank you!
Great video, Sir. That copy stand is, indeed, an impressive beast. One other potential route (and some may baulk at the idea) is modifying an enlarger to mount the camera/lens combo. This is the way I went with my old Durst 670 Colour. I managed to do it such that the mods are reversible if I should ever decide to go back to the old ways (couldn’t bring myself to start chopping bits off for the purpose). The colour head and lamp house were removed, as were the lens mount/focussing bellows and a aluminium plate mounted where the neg carrier used to sit. In the centre of the plate I cut a clearance hole for the standard M42 lens mount. This plate then sits sandwiched between an old M42 extension tube and the helicoid adaptor to my Fuji X-A3. On the tube is mounted a Componon S 50mm enlarging lens. It’s a bit heath robinson compared to a dedicated stand and mount, but I find it works really well and I’m lucky enough to be able to leave it set up permanently. As you say, having the facility to be able to just go to it and scan reliably and repeatably is such a bonus.
Cheers, Ralph. And yep, I've heard a few people mention working with an older enlarger. Sounds like a great option as well if you're okay with doing a little modifying.
I did this because I didn't want to spend the $600 on the copy stand that Kyle got (which is the one I was considering). On hindsight, it would have been easier to just go the copystand route, but I did make it work very well.
I got an old Durst M600 to use. It works very well and is very solid, but one thing I discovered is that this model doesn't have a riser lock on the riser arm. I'd like to be able to tighten a screw to lock the riser arm down and this model doesn't allow that, so I have to use another method to ensure that no drifting of the head occurs (like if I were to bump the head).
@@mjmdiver1137 When I set out on this endeavour one of the objectives at the time was to costs to a minimum (not knowing at time how well the camera scanning technique would work). Luckily the 670 does the job nicely. I’ve not noticed any drift issues with the rack and pinion on the column so far. One thing I have found, though, is how much of a difference using the electronic shutter makes, even at a humble 24mp.
@@ralphturner7852 Yes, they are great for sure.
Have you tested front curtain electronic shutter vs. the full electronic shutter?
I think I tested that back when I was using a Sony a7R2 for the copy camera and I felt there was no shutter shake difference, but my recollection was that there may have been reasons to want to avoid the full electronic shutter (having to do with noise level differences? I don't remember exactly).
@@mjmdiver1137 Sounds interesting. Thanks for the tip.
Thank you for a really informative video, Kyle. I'm currently using a D850 and 105mm micro but always looking at improving the quality. Apologies if I missed this in another video, but I'm intrigued why you gave up on the Coolscan 9000 for the Fuji given the 9000 takes up less space, has ICE etc. Is the image quality really comparable to the 9000? Interested to hear your thoughts. Many thanks.
Hey Robert, few reasons I made the switch. One, is that selling the 9000 funded the GFX setup, which I can also use for my work (and a tool that I really enjoy). Second, is the speed. The Coolscan was amazing but sooo slow in comparison. I find the quality to be very similar between the two.
@@KyleMcDougall Hi Kyle, thank you so much for taking the time to reply. Makes sense! BTW, I'm in north Kent and my specialism is the North Kent Marshes so if you'd ever like a day out here, give me a shout . I'd be happy to show you a few spots. Thanks, again.
Hello Kyle, your videos inspired me to get a GFX 50R and I am also planning to use it for film scanning so this video is just perfect! Just out of curiosity, do you know whether there would be a difference in the final result by using the Pentax vs the native Fuji 120mm or would the outcome be the same or negligible for this particular use case? I'm new to all this so just trying to understand how much lens choice actually affects the outcome when it comes to scanning film. Also wondering if using a GF 45mm or 50mm with an macro extension tube would work just as well as the Pentax or Fuji 120mm?
I can't comment on the Fuji lens, as I've never used it, but I've been very very happy with the Pentax 120 macro. It's a high quality lens, and I personally wouldn't spend the difference to get the Fuji. The extension tubes can work, but I've always preferred to use a dedicated macro lens.
@@KyleMcDougall thanks for the response! In that case Pentax it is 👍
You could tether the camera to the computer and trigger, transfer the exposures to your PC from your PC. I do that with my Sigma sd Quattro, it also allows me to punch in with an 8x magnification on the live view via the tether app.
Very nice setup, Kyle.
Hi. I've been thinking about which camera to get and previously played with the SD Quattro but not for negative scanning. How do you find it to be for scanning negatives compared to other DSLR? Is there a color difference for example?
@@gash1 With the Art macro lens, the quality for scanning is outstanding. But the workflow is VERY slow. I also scan with the 5DsR and an L macro which provides a much faster workflow.
If you're on Mac, don't go the sd Quattro route, I could not get the tether app work on Mac.
thanks for the response@@thedarkslide
Do you get the Fuji "worms" in your scanned raw files using the GFX50R? Something about the X-trans sensors on the Fuji X-mount cameras that doesn't play well with Lightroom. Can be visible when you zoom in quite far on the image file. Remedy is to run "enhance details" processor in Lightroom on all your .RAF files prior to conversion and editing. Takes a while and it creates new "enhanced .DNG" files from your .RAF raw files. Adds storage space requirement, for a modest improvement.
Not that I’ve noticed with the GFX, but yes with the X-mount. Interesting to hear about the enhanced details approach. Sounds like that may be something worthwhile to do regardless. I’ll have to check it out.
Fine, I'll subscribe.
Kyle, is there any benefit from doing color correction in NLP vs on the TIFF file in Lightroom?
hey kyle, huge fan of your videos. made me get into gfx system with mitakon and film cameras, and now im also trying to get in the film scaning workflow with 50r too. and wonder you have any plan or interesting in VALOI's new product Easy 35, planned to get Pentax-a 645 120mm f4 macro and Easy35 supports the filter thread size of this macro lens too. so thought would be awesome to hear your opinion on this kit. always really enjoying your video with both amazing photos and video. thanks again!
I should be getting my hands on one in the next month or two. But at this point, haven't had any experience with one. They look like a nice option though
awesome, can’t wait to see!!! thank you
Hi Kyle, quick question regarding the Pentax lens with the GFX 50R to scan film. Should I be ensuring the magnification on the lens itself is at 1:1 reproduction ratio using the printed numbers on the lens? or do I ignore those numbers and just get the negative to fill the frame and focus?
I just fill the frame.
@@KyleMcDougall thanks!
I thought scanners had more color bit depth. Even the Fuji runs on 14bit color unless you get the GFX 100.
Yes, the Coolscan was 16-bit. I'm not sure about others.
on your light pad do you put color in the middle or all the way up to max? max bright?
Max bright. Although I'm now using the new light from Cinestill.
Hi, finding this video very helpful, so thank you. Just one thing, and sorry if it's already been asked about - at time stamp 19:00 you applied a 'NLP profile' to the file before you even opened NLP to convert it... would you mind telling me what that 'profile' is? I'm genuinely intrigued!
That's a profile that is supplied by NLP. Whenever you import a RAW file to LR, the default Adobe Color profile is applied, which has specific contrast and colour adjustments. The NLP profile, from my understanding, has a linear curve and preps the file for conversion.
@@KyleMcDougall Oh, I thought NLP applied that profile automatically. It just confused me a little, applying it in LR before opening NLP, it doesn't say anywhere to do that. Never mind - thank you :)
Hii Kyle do you recommend these settings for the new fuji xt5?
Hi Nikki, you’d be fine shooting RAW, lowest ISO possible, and electronic shutter. Cheers.
Hi Kyle. Great video.
2 questions:
1: why would you not use pixel shift, seems like a perfect application for it. To ieliminate false colour and aliasing. Have you tried this?
2: why use a light source that is only 95CRI ?
I can see different results when photographing someone lit by a 95CRI source vs 100 CRI, some subtle colours do get lost.
Did you consider other light sources? Did you go with this one just out of convenience ?
I will opt for this configuration. You have convinced me. But what is the setting on the fotodiox adapter for? Where should it be positioned?
That just controls the aperture on the Pentax lens, with the Pentax aperture ring set to 'A'
@@KyleMcDougall Thank you so much. The imacon in my pro lab is broken and I see a solution thanks to you ... sorry if my question seems stupid but I prefer to have all the certainties before purchasing equipment. I mainly need a scanner for 35mm negatives. Does the 645 optic allow you to benefit from maximum resolution of the gfx50? Obtaining a 24x36mm file at 4400dpi is ideal for large prints.
Thanks for the video, its a really expensive setup, would be nice if that was included, equipment and software.
How do you account for light around the egdes of the frame showing and throwing off the metering on the scanning camera? Just started home scanning but not quite sure how to get around this. Thanks!
Are you using a mask similar to the one on the Valoi setup? With just a bit of the film border showing, it's not enough to throw off the meter. If you aren't using a mask or a holder though, then it might be more of a problem.
@@KyleMcDougall I'm using the Essential Film Holder so it has a pretty similar border to the Valoi!