therwol wrote:
Just one comment. His paper on digitizing slides and negatives is brilliant. You're one step ahead of the setup in using the ES-2 adaptor on your camera. It has a rock solid connection. The only issue then is the light source.
The same Viltrox L-116t light panel I show in the white paper is a decent choice for digitizing slides and negatives with the OP's existing setup. There are better, if far more expensive light sources with higher CRI ratings. A 3200K quartz-halogen lamp bounced off a dead-neutral white card and diffused through milk Plexiglas or Perspex will work, too, with a custom white balance.
One thing I've seen people miss is to be sure the viewfinder eyepiece diopter is set for your eye. If you have astigmatism, wear glasses while using the viewfinder. If using manual focus, use the focus magnifier and/or "shimmering" focus confirmation aid. If using AF, use the pinpoint AF single AF setting.
Be sure to photograph the EMULSION side of the film and flip it in post. Do not photograph through the base, especially with autofocus enabled.
Since I bought his Essential Film Holder, Andrew Clifforth has made some really good modifications to the design. I ordered the upgrades about two weeks ago, and they just shipped. The new designs hold film flatter and reduce flare near the edges of film. If you bought one, consider the upgrade.
Copying film with a digital camera takes some skill, patience, and practice. The principles are simple, but it is easy to disregard them and achieve poor results. Once mastered, camera scanning IS faster and yields better results than scanning with cheap flatbeds. But you really do have to nail the details. It's not for fumble-fingered nattering nabobs of negativity.
12-24 megapixels are enough for 35mm film. Unless you have a 50+ megapixel camera, however, flatbeds are a better solution than camera scanning for 4x5 and larger film. For medium format (120), 24-50MP camera scanning is fine, especially for 645 and 6x6 formats. The more the merrier for 6x7 through 6x9. 6x17 should be scanned.