MAXD

Burk, hadn't thought about copying emulsion side up for greater sharpness, I'll give it a try.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

When we made prints from negatives using enlargers, the emulsion side of the film faced the emulsion side of the paper. There was nothing between paper and film to blur the image. So having the emulsion side of the film face a digital sensor does essentially the same thing. You do have to flop the image in post-production. But that's a single click in Lightroom Classic for a whole batch of newly-imported images.

View this sample image on a big monitor in download mode to see the sharpness.

John Stanfield — Alternate cover photo for the 1976 album, Carolina 12-String — Ilford Pan F 35mm in a Nikon F, 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor

(Download)

Fencehog

I have an old Nikon Super Coolscan LS5000. Bought it with several of the attachments (but not the film strip adapter FH-3, roll film adapter SA-30 and the medical slide adapter FH-G1, all of which I do not need) for $20. Yup, don't laugh. Spent another $300 or so for the bulk slide feeder. Nikon has not updated the software since Windows XP, but someone has. You can find it free online. VueScan also works very well and is not expensive. Or, get an old computer, install Windows XP and use it with this scanner. Great scanner and easy to use (oh, for the days when Nikon ruled supreme). I recommend it, but prices for used ones (no new ones), are very high. Keep your eyes open in places which sell surplus, junk and odd ball items. You too may be lucky enough to buy one for a song.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Anyone who has an Essential Film Holder, mentioned in the PDF I linked near the top of this thread, should be aware that it has evolved slowly since its inception. Andrew Clifforth, who hand-makes them, has issued an upgrade to "Version 3.2 masks." I had film masks 3.0, so I ordered a set of the new ones. They came today. They are supposed to reduce reflections from the edges of the bottom layer of the mask cutout by making it wider. I'll try them and let you know in a separate post...