Useful to shoot some slide film – BEOON+M10

[Steve Ricoh]

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For B&W negatives, this tutorial produces better results for me.

https://bartwronski.com/2015/02/19/processing-scanneddslr-photos-of-film-negatives-in-lightroom/

Thanks for linking the tutorial.

I do not understand why the author chooses not to invert the negative using Photoshop, sending the positive back immediately to Lightroom for further development. I think he claims that doing so has a detrimental effect on quality?

 

My B&W workflow:

Import camera* scanned RAW file into LR;

Select B+W in develop module to desaturated;

Send image in PS, invert and then return to LR without further adjustment;

Process in LR to taste, white point black point etc

 

In light of Bart Wronski's tutorial, perhaps I need to modify my work flow. Any comments would be welcome.

 

* Camera has Bayer filter

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[digitalfx]

Thanks for linking the tutorial.

I do not understand why the author chooses not to invert the negative using Photoshop, sending the positive back immediately to Lightroom for further development. I think he claims that doing so has a detrimental effect on quality?

 

My B&W workflow:

Import camera* scanned RAW file into LR;

Select B+W in develop module to desaturated;

Send image in PS, invert and then return to LR without further adjustment;

Process in LR to taste, white point black point etc

 

In light of Bart Wronski's tutorial, perhaps I need to modify my work flow. Any comments would be welcome.

 

* Camera has Bayer filter

 

 

 

I didnt quite understand his rational...but I dont use Photoshop, so I ignored most of those comments.

 

Once you get it down, its actually quicker to invert the file in LR than to jump back and forth. Ive also saved a basic negative setup and paste it into new captures as a starting point, then I just tweak per image.

[Reeray]

Most, if not all, of those actions can be simplified using the Niks Suite. I use Analog Effects a lot on BW images. It's basically a contrast tool with localized control points as opposed to pulling a curve line which makes it more accurate to control highlights, shadows and tone.

 

My workflow

 

Import Raw camera scan in Photoshop

Crop

Invert

>Image>auto tone. That gives me a base to start

Adjust levels

Desaturate

Analogue effects

Finished

 

 

[wlaidlaw]

I was really struggling with the lovely condition (like new) boxed BEOON I had bought. I tried with a Zeiss ZM Planar 50/2, a Rollei Rolleinar 50mm and Schneider Kreuznach Componar 75mm. None of them would get near focus with any combination of extension tubes I could come up with. I have the A, B, C and D BEOON tubes plus a whole load of Periflex L39 tubes in different lengths. I bought a Schneider-Kreuznach Componon S 50mm f2.8, which is their top of the range enlarging/copying lens. It arrived today and is in very nice condition with just a very small amount of internal dust. I am delighted to say that it focuses perfectly with the B and D tubes. I am looking forward to actually copying/digitising some films. I bought a FirstCall LED A5 panel to replace my elderly Jessops fluorescent tube light box. It seems very evenly lit and well made. I will make a black card mask to go round the BEOON. 

 

Wilson

[Steve Ricoh]

I was really struggling with the lovely condition (like new) boxed BEOON I had bought. I tried with a Zeiss ZM Planar 50/2, a Rollei Rolleinar 50mm and Schneider Kreuznach Componar 75mm. None of them would get near focus with any combination of extension tubes I could come up with. I have the A, B, C and D BEOON tubes plus a whole load of Periflex L39 tubes in different lengths. I bought a Schneider-Kreuznach Componon S 50mm f2.8, which is their top of the range enlarging/copying lens. It arrived today and is in very nice condition with just a very small amount of internal dust. I am delighted to say that it focuses perfectly with the B and D tubes. I am looking forward to actually copying/digitising some films. I bought a FirstCall LED A5 panel to replace my elderly Jessops fluorescent tube light box. It seems very evenly lit and well made. I will make a black card mask to go round the BEOON. 

 

Wilson

Are you using a FF camera? With the Leica M240 and the Shneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8, it is normal to use tubes B, C and D for 1:1 registration of Object to Sensor. With a FF camera using tubes B+D with the Componon-S 50 f/2.8 should result in unused pixels.

Interested to know what you're achieving as I have the same set up (I won't bore everyone with my less than acceptable experience).

[wlaidlaw]

Steve,

 

I can certainly obtain good focus with the B, C & D tubes but with the focussing eyepiece, I seemed to be getting significant vignetting with that combination. I therefore took the C ring out and that certainly reduced the vignetting with the eyepiece. It may well be that a camera behaves differently to the focus eyepiece and I will have to experiment further with my SL, M to L adapter and the SL App. I presume the SL App has now been updated to work on iOS 11.x.  Otherwise, I would have to use the SL tethered to my Mac and use the Shuttle App. What I don't really understand is why the Rolleinar 50mm lens would not focus at all but as the Componon-S works, I am going to proceed on the basis: "if it ain't broke - don't fix it". 

 

Wilson

[Steve Ricoh]

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Hi Wilson,

As pointed out by Pop, a slight variation of nodal point of the enlarger lens results in 4x change in setting of the BEOON column. So a matter of 2mm difference of lens nodal point can result in 8mm change in column height to achieve focus. I have tried two enlarger lenses, the Shneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 and the El-Nikkor 50mm f/2.8, both with tubes B, C +D, and I cannot obtain critical focus since the BEOON column bottoms before hand, ie it runs out of travel. On the other hand if I use the Summilux 50mm f/1.4 (set to infinity at f/11, as specified in the instructions) the column height is at the 1:1 mark and critical focus is achieved (tubes A+D).

 

I think I'm at the point where I'm getting frustrated with the BEOON and I'm pursuing a different approach using the Plustek 8200.

[gbealnz]

Hi Wilson,

As pointed out by Pop, a slight variation of nodal point of the enlarger lens results in 4x change in setting of the BEOON column. So a matter of 2mm difference of lens nodal point can result in 8mm change in column height to achieve focus. I have tried two enlarger lenses, the Shneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 and the El-Nikkor 50mm f/2.8, both with tubes B, C +D, and I cannot obtain critical focus since the BEOON column bottoms before hand, ie it runs out of travel. On the other hand if I use the Summilux 50mm f/1.4 (set to infinity at f/11, as specified in the instructions) the column height is at the 1:1 mark and critical focus is achieved (tubes A+D).

 

I think I'm at the point where I'm getting frustrated with the BEOON and I'm pursuing a different approach using the Plustek 8200.

About how I finished up too Steve, and I was an early adopter of the BEOON. I must have lucked out with the only real enlarging lens that I tried an Apo Rodagon I think, 50mm. I tried briefly the 80mm version, with no real success. I was using a Fiji X to digitize though. My Summicron M 50mm worked.

 

In the end I sold it all, and happily use the Plustek 8100. Each to their own, I am happy with my work-flow, others will be happy with the BEOON.

Gary

[Guest Nowhereman]

...I can certainly obtain good focus with the B, C & D tubes but with the focussing eyepiece, I seemed to be getting significant vignetting with that combination...

 

 

Wilson - By "focussing eyepiece" I assume you mean the EVF on the SL. But if you mean the BEOON loupe, that would show huge vignetting. While anyone who's used a grain focuser with an enlarger could focus well with the loupe, the EVF will of course be much easier to use.

[wlaidlaw]

Yes I was using the loupe but today it will be the SL. While I was messing about determining focus with various lenses and extension tubes, it was easier than having a camera mounted on top of the BEOON. 

 

I am going the other way from a Plustek Opticfilm to a BEOON, as I just could not get truly sharp images from my Plustek. These seem to be fairly cheaply made pieces of equipment, certainly compared with my much missed Microtek/Polaroid Artixscan 4000. Obviously, the film to scanner register on my Plustek is at or beyond the manufacturing tolerance and there is no manual focusing/autofocusing/register adjustment mechanism in the Plustek, like the Artixscan had. The focus/film register is what the manufacturer supplies and also at the whim of the accuracy of the film holder moulding. My Epson V700 has the same issue. You can buy variable register film holders for medium format/120 film but not 35mm. At some point, if I am ever feeling flush with cash, I will buy a S/H Hasselblad Imacon scanner or a rebuilt Nikon 5000. 

 

Wilson

[Guest Nowhereman]

Wilson - Also, when you use the loupe, it's best to focus at the maximum aperture of the lens and then stop down to the shooting aperture. When I first tried the BEOON, I had to use the loupe because I was using the M9. Before I got the Focotar-2, I was using the DR Summicron and stupidly tried to focus at f/11, which was almost impossible; after a few tries I opened the lens to f/2 for focussing and stopped down to f/11 for shooting. That made it relatively easy.

 

As you know, I've been very happy with my experience with the BEOON, although some people in other threads seem to to have taken this as a personal insult but, hey, it's the internet. In any case, please let me know how you fare.

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[pop]

...As you know, I've been very happy with my experience with the BEOON, although some people in other threads seem to to have taken this as a personal insult but, hey, it's the internet. ....

It seems that there is a surprising number of lenses with focal lengths just under 50mm, and those won't work well on the BEOON.

[Steve Ricoh]

It seems that there is a surprising number of lenses with focal lengths just under 50mm, and those won't work well on the BEOON.

To their credit Leica seem to get their 50mm lenses (not just the 50mm but in context here) almost always spot on within minor tolerances. But not too surprising, they are hand made and tested, are they not.

[Guest Nowhereman]

It seems that there is a surprising number of lenses with focal lengths just under 50mm, and those won't work well on the BEOON.

 

I've only tried the DR Summicron, which has a 51.9 mm focal length, and the Focotar-2 50 mm, whose exact focal length I don't know. 

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[Steve Ricoh]

I've only tried the DR Summicron, which has a 51.9 mm focal length, and the Focotar-2 50 mm, whose exact focal length I don't know.

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Mitch - Pop, God bless him, demonstrated a method of measuring the nodal point - it's in one of the other BEOON threads. From the measurement it should then possible to determine whether an enlarger lens is capable on the setup.

I have two US enlarger lenses but I can not be bothered selling them.... yet.

Edited November 8, 2017 by Steve Ricoh

[Guest Nowhereman]

Steve - Does that mean you've given on the BEOON?

 

t would be good to make a list of enlarger lenses that work, as well as those that don't. The Focotar 2 50 mm is the only one I have.

[Steve Ricoh]

Steve - Does that mean you've given on the BEOON?

 

t would be good to make a list of enlarger lenses that work, as well as those that don't. The Focotar 2 50 mm is the only one I have.

Not quite Mitch, I have the Summilux 50 f/1.4 ASPH that works well with the BEOON, but as far as enlarger lenses are concerned I've learnt that it's a bit hit and miss whether a suitable copy of a particular lens can be acquired. Having failed with the Nikkor 50 f/2.8 and having read favourable reports on the Schneider Componon-S 50 f/2.8 I purchased a copy but found this too failed. I had considered the Focotar 2 50, but having read JMF's account it leads me conclude that not all enlarger lenses are created equal. Some will work, some will not.

[a.noctilux]

Steve, please don't give up.

 

I used other lenses with Beoon:

- Macro-Elmarit-R 2.8/60, Micro-Nikkor pre AI 3.5/55 good result and very easy with other than 24x36 (I scan also Xpan films 24x65)

- Elmar 3.5/50 LTM nice result, almost as good as Focotar 4.5/50 that I use mainly

- Even try new "Leitz Anastigmat 3.5/50mm" unmounted from my rarely used Leica "0" Replica, because I have seen in my Pocket Book the Excellent MTF curves (Flat field at f/6.3)

this one not better than Focotar.

- other macros and standards 50/55 from Pentax/Nikon/Canon/etc.

 

My advice, try your setup with another 50 or 55mm SLR lens or M/LTM

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[Steve Ricoh]

Mitch, my plan is to use the 50 lux since it's the one i have in my bag, and at least I know it works. I also have a Plustek 8200 Ai but I find Silverfast rather clunky, like nothing I've encountered previously... it's so counter intuitive. I can vent my spleen over the BEOON having failed big time with enlarger lenses, but it's so much faster than a dedicated scanner; I can camera-scan a complete roll in the time it takes to scan a few frames with the Plustek.

So now I have two options, my attention is more engaged with picture making - ie taking images worth scanning.

[Guest Nowhereman]

Steve - My experience — better to be specific — is that the Focotar-2 50 mm gives substantially better corners than the DR Summicron, but whether it matters depends on the type of photography one does. When I first got the Focotar I was digitalizing Tri-X negatives that were exposed, developed and processed in LR for high contrast. When I compared a few Tri-X frames digitalized with the two lenses, I initially concluded that the improvement in the corners with the Focotar was "marginal" — and it was because corner sharpness simply did not matter for those type of images, like the two below, which were digitalized with the BEOON and the Focotar. 

 

It was only when I started to digitalize Kodachrome and Ektachrome transparencies that I immediately saw — having the slide image as a visual reference — that the Focotar had substantially more corner sharpness than the DR Summicron, but even then it didn't matter for many of the images. What mattered a lot was the dynamic range which, apart from speed of digitalization, is what drives my preference for camera digitalization over scanners like the Epson V850 and the Plustek, and even the old Imacon Precision III.

 

On your reference to JMF's account of his Focotar experience, my feeling is that his use of a negative carrier affected his framing with the Focotar, although I don't have his post in front of me. My assumption is that any Focotar-2 50 mm lens should work well, based on seeing several posts on other forums.

 

 

M3 | DR Summicron | Tri-X @ 400 | Yellow filter | DR 76

Wiang Pa Pao

 

 

M3 | Summilux 35 FLE | Portra 400 

Bangkok

 

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Alone in Bangkok essay on BURN Magazine