If you shoot film, you know how time-expensive and time-consuming it can be to digitize each frame, one at a time. Even if you send the images to a lab, it is costly and it it is rare to find anywhere that provides scans over six megapixels. Photographer Marius Hanzak has a low cost DIY project that can help you digitize that box of negatives that you have been putting off.
[REWIND:Watch The Total Film Processing Sequence Condensed Into 4 Minutes – Bring Back Memories?]
The setup involves an empty picture frame braced above a Lastolite softbox to create a DIY “light table.” His flash was triggered remotely, using its lowest power setting, as any higher would have blown out any detail in the negatives. Each scan was captured at a low ISO using a Canon SL1 to obtain the cleanest images. A macro filter was added to the front of the lens to get as close to the negative as possible. The negatives were then inverted and cropped in Photoshop.
Settings
Flash Power – 1/128
Shutter Speed – 1/125
Aperture – f/8
ISO – 100
Using this set-up, a roll of film can be “scanned” in under five minutes, however the quality would only be good for online publication. Scanning one image at a time can produce higher results. The project is a simple quick method, but it will still not sway me from digital. To see more of Hanzak’s work, check out his blog.
What do you think of the set-up? Do you have a different method of scanning negatives? Share your thoughts below!
