DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

I am resuming my project to digitize slides using a macro lens and Nikon slide holder shooting into a 5600 K LED light source. I have two different bodies that I can use for this - Nikon Zfc and a D500. The sensor sizes and MP are the same. I've not used either of these two for this project. Is there any reason to choose one body over the other?

Dik

Electronic shutter, no vibrations with mirroless.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Try the same slide in each camera,
pick the camera that yields the result you like more.

If you can't tell a difference, pick one.

therwol Loc: USA

I don't know about every DSLR, but the D850 has a silent mode option in the Live View mode, mirror up, electronic shutter.
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"To enable silent photography, press the button during live view and select On (Mode 1) or On (Mode 2) for Silent live view photography.

On (Mode 1): Reduce vibrations caused by the shutter when shooting landscapes and other static subjects. ISO sensitivity can be set to values of from Lo 1 to 25600.

On (Mode 2): As for On (Mode 1) except that photos can be taken at a higher rate."
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Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

If a slide adapter is mounted to a lens, how would any camera vibration make a difference?

gwilliams6

Even though DSLR mirrors' actions are dampened, there is some vibration transmitted by it during exposure. Shoot in electronic shutter in both cameras. Much more important might be any DR Dynamic Range difference.

According to Nikon:

At native ISO the D500 has 8.2 stops of dynamic range

At native ISO the ZFC has 9.3 stops of dynamic range.

I would choose to use the ZFC.

Cheers and best to you.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Not like taking a picture with the camera and the slide in a light box, with no mechanical coupling to the camera.
I would imagine that the slide holder being coupled to the camera would not show any vibration anomalies.

That's why I suggested trying the same slide with each camera.
One may look nicer.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

If you can set the mirrorless to use silent mode, electronic shutter, and a two second delay, you will minimize vibrations. Use multi-area AF. Photograph the EMULSION side of the slides, then flip (mirror) them in post. This avoids having to lock up the mirror on a dSLR.

FYI, 35mm slide films were generally made to be projected with a 3300K to 3350K light source such as an ELH or ENG quartz-halogen lamp. I'm using a Viltrox L-116t light source with bi-color LEDs. It can be dialed to 3300 up to 5600K. I generally run it at 4400K, for maximum brightness and spectral balance, then white balance to taste in post. RUN TESTS with your light source to determine the best look for your film stocks and photos.

If you have underexposed slides, you can pull a lot of detail out of them (at the expense of some grain, which can be moderated with noise reduction). You might find that increasing exposure a bit for underexposed slides is helpful. I've been very pleased with what I can pull out of slides in Lightroom Classic. As an old radio engineer once told me, "I start by setting things for normal, then tune for maximum loudness with minimum smoke." (He was joking, but the point is to move your sliders until you like the result as much as it can be liked.)

See the PDF attachment.

Camera Scanning.pdf opens in your favorite PDF reader.
Attached file:
(Download)

gwilliams6

Longshadow, I respect your knowledge. As a longtime shooter that has done this and used about every kind of gear in the past five decades, any DSLR using the mechanical shutter does transmit some slight mirror vibration throughout any lens/slide holder combo. Just a reality.

It might not be that critical if using a fast shutter speed, but can make a difference if using a slower shutter speed when copying. That is why I always preferred using strobes (filtered for tungsten light temp if copying color transparencies), shooting emulsion to emulsion in my copy situations vs using constant light setups back in the day when I shot DSLRs.

Cheers and best to you

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Good thought. You could hand-hold it.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Whatever is mounted to the camera will vibrate with the camera. When I did critical slide duplication back in the 1980s, I locked up the mirror on my F3. I used a cable release, too. These days, a remote switch, self timer, or phone app can suffice.

gwilliams6

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

That's what I would do! With a slide adapter.
The camera, lens, slide would all vibrate together, not independently.
Yes, there may be vibrations, but since everything is hard-coupled to the camera, the whole physical system would vibrate, synchronously.

Now if one is taking a picture of the slide without benefit of a slide adapter, there is air between the slide and the camera, the camera may vibrate, but the slide will not. In THIS case eliminating camera vibration would definitely be desirable.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Exactly, including the slide, synchronously.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA