If, like me, you've been captivated by scanning over the years and simply enjoy digitizing film, it's clear that you follow the market and the countless options available to you. I've written several times about the possibility of building your own small scanner setup. By now, my own setup has changed significantly and what started with a few simple components has grown into a very precise tool. I get a lot of joy from it and can finally scan films the way I want. However, to get this far, I had to overcome several hurdles. But let's start from the beginning.
Fundamentally, photographers who want to scan their own pictures have several options. The most common method is to have the films scanned directly at the photo lab after development. This offers an unbeatable advantage: you get great pictures, scanned with a professional photo scanner, corrected and neatly adjusted by a qualified and experienced operator. This takes you a long way. So why should one consider taking this process into their own hands? There are two main reasons: a certain cost advantage and, more excitingly, the creative decisions that come with scanning film oneself. My personal process is always a combination of both. I order scans from the photo lab that develops my films, which provides a very good template for my own interpretations, which I then implement when I scan the negatives myself. I rely on one of my scanners or on my repro scan setup, which consists of a Fuji X-T5 camera and a Fuji XF 30mm f/2.8 macro lens. Today, I want to write a bit more about this and explain why this setup has become so dear to me and why it is a fantastic addition to my scanners.
The Kaiser Repro stand be easily adjusted in height and has some nice simple features that makes it easy to align and level the camera. Additionally I use a leveling tripod head for this task.
Although I have touched on this before, I must begin by dispelling a myth. There is not one unmistakable film look to achieve. A film negative is always only part of an entire process. It naturally has a significant impact on the final result and certainly, some characteristics of a scan can be attributed to the film used. However, all components of the workflow determine the end result. This includes exposure, development, and storage of the film, as well as the light source used, the lens, the scanner, and also digital processing. The creative language of the photographer operating the scanner is crucial after all the technical aspects. Like in the analog darkroom, he adjusts the color tuning, sets the contrast, sharpness, dynamic range, and color balance. He thus has the decisive influence on the final image effect.
Considering the idea of creating your own scanner setup, one must move away from the notion of chasing an ideal solution. Each scanner has its own qualities and characteristics. However, this does not mean that one should not try to achieve certain quality standards. Thus, the selected components, their adjustment, and calibration play an important role in whether one gets a high-quality scan or just a satisfactory interpretation. Looking at the multitude of hardware components now available, making a choice is not easy. There are many things to consider and one must weigh how much the final touches on issues such as film flatness and quality of the light source are worth. Ergonomic considerations also play an important role. In my view, the setup should be comfortable and easy to use. Stability and quality of the components are thus important. A decisive advantage of this method comes into play here, the modularity of the concept, i.e., the possibility to swap out individual components or add new, possibly better components later.
My rig now looks like this:
Sensor: Fuji X-T5 camera with a 42 MP XTrans sensor and the ability to use Pixel Shif
Lens: Fuji XF 30mm Macro f/2.8 with autofocus and a minimum focusing distance of 1:1
Light source: Negative Supply CRI 99 4x5 Lightsource
Film holder: Negative Supply Basic 120 Film Carrier
Repro stand: Kaiser Repro Stand RS 2 XA
Computer: old iMac early 2009
Software: Fuji Pixel Shift Combiner & Filmomat SmartConvert V1.4
Those who have read my previous blog posts will recognize that almost all components of the original rig have been replaced. Key upgrades for me included the light source, which offers a very balanced exposure with very precise color fidelity. The good imaging quality and autofocus of the Fuji macro lens allow me to get much closer to the film surface, and autofocus makes the work more pleasant and precise. Very important for using Pixel Shift, i.e., the camera's ability to minimally shift the sensor between multiple shots thus significantly improving the quality and resolution, is the high stability of the stand. The Kaiser repro stand I use also allows for very precise height adjustment and can be finely adjusted. Finally, I must mention that I brought an old iMac up from the basement to control the camera and create scans, making the process pleasant and reliable. The scans then go to the main computer via a network connection, where I invert the negatives. In one of my last posts, I already talked about the new software from Filmomat, which I now wouldn't want to miss from my workflow.
All in all, ergonomics play an important role for me. I don't want to have to fiddle with my rig before each scan to make the necessary adjustments. Also, adjustment and calibration should ideally be done once and not have to be reset each time. Here, the repro stand and the fact that I have a fixed place for the setup play a decisive role. So it's just fun and very uncomplicated to pull a film out of the sleeve and scan it.
Regarding aesthetics, the light source from Negative Supply has prevailed for me, although I must say that in terms of brightness, it is not optimal. Due to minimal advantages in later color rendering, it has won out over the CineStill CS-Lite. When considering the relatively low purchase price of the CineStill Light, it is definitely a recommendable alternative. Of course, the light source plays a decisive role. From my point of view, this is a relevant factor that significantly contributes to the later character of the scans. Is there a right and wrong here? Certainly, lights with a very high color rendering index (CRI) yield more natural results, but this does not necessarily mean that this is better and more desirable. First and foremost, one must be pleased with the result oneself. One can assume that actually all scanners speak their own language. It's never about an ideal reproduction but more about an aesthetically successful interpretation. Just as Kodak and Fuji have adjusted the colors of their films to the tastes of customers in their own country, one can also assume that scanners like the Fuji Frontier were built and calibrated to please customers. There is no right and wrong here either. One must even say that the quality of Frontier scans in terms of color reproduction and clipping of tone values is not perfect, but it shaped the famous look of this scanner. So one should consider the desired aesthetics rather than the perfection of the results.
To conclude the topic of image aesthetics, it is important not to neglect the role played by the software. There are now many options that deal with the topic of negative inversion. I think here too it is important not to chase a perfect interpretation but to place artistic aspects at the forefront. Because only if I, as a photographer, have a tool available that creates my image look, can I work satisfactorily. In this regard, a minimalist approach is preferable to a complex workflow, after all, I want to largely retain the character elements of the used negative. The choice of film remains an important part of the creative process. As mentioned above, SmartConvert by Filmomat is currently the tool of my choice. It provides me with the necessary leeway and at the same time limits my options. This makes it very easy for me to create reproducible and aesthetically pleasing images. However, a final edit in Adobe Lightroom still takes place after the inversion. There I can optimize the details as well as make local and global adjustments. For me, SmartConvert essentially delivers the scan that I otherwise get from the lab, and this is always optimized a bit more by me. The local adjustment options in Lightroom are fantastic, and I can adjust parts of an image in terms of color, contrast, and brightness, quite similar to a print in the darkroom. Here the artistic expression plays a further decisive role. All these steps are then a cumulative part of the entire artistic interpretative process.
A relatively new part of my approach is the Pixel Shift method, which has now become possible with newer cameras. The internal sensor stabilization can shift the sensor slightly between multiple shots and then combine the resulting images into a new image in dedicated software. Depending on the settings, a new image is created with improved color reproduction or even higher resolution. What I particularly like is that I can avoid the problems arising from the somewhat inaccurate interpretation of the RAW data of the Fuji XTrans sensor data in Lightroom. The Pixel Shift software from Fuji creates a new DNG file from 20 individual shots that bypasses this problem. Very important for successful Pixel Shifting is a very stable rig, as even a slight vibration can reduce quality and lead to artifacts. I will create a separate post about this. For me, however, the Pixel Shift method is an absolute game changer.
In conclusion, this rig finally delivers the quality I want, and I can create my own interpretations of my film scans that meet my aesthetic standards. I have experimented and tried for a long time and have reached a point where I am very satisfied. I benefit from advances in technology and the latest software. A major advantage of the modular concept of camera scanning. Maybe I've made one or two others curious to try out the topic themselves.