Great new film scanning box

[bags27]

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I've been looking for a better film holder and I think I really found it.

http://www.clifforth.co.uk/

Just got it last night, used it quickly, and was quite, quite pleased. The film is perfectly framed, moves through quickly, and remains flat. What more do I want?

A couple of things to add:

1. Andrew is an engineer and seems devoted to producing the best product possible. This is already version #2. He includes extra parts which, through his own experience he needs.

2. When I was deciding on light boxes, a tipping point was the diffuser. No matter how good the light source, what comes through emerges from the diffuser. I researched Andrew's claim about the Perspex SPECTRUM OPAL 1TL2 and found it to be accurate: it's top grade.

3. Although $100 seems like a lot for a bunch of plastic, be assured that it is all super high quality. Wonderfully finished. Comes pre-set to the best adjustments.

4. There was a hold-up on delivery and Andrew was fabulous about responding to all my emails and investigated the problem (at the U.S. end, as it turns out). I can't imagine better customer service.

This is his very detailed and helpful discussion of scanning in general and in specifics.

http://www.clifforth.co.uk/howto/

 

[alb59]

Hi

Very interesting. Thanks for posting. I think I’ve seen a similar approach from Cinestill but I think costs much more. I might be tempted to get this.

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[mdp]

It looks interesting, similar to the Kaiser system which I use.

 https://www.speedgraphic.co.uk/copy_stands/kaiser_2458_filmcopy_vario_kit_with_light_panel/29037_p.html

[bags27]

1 hour ago, mdp said:

It looks interesting, similar to the Kaiser system which I use.

 https://www.speedgraphic.co.uk/copy_stands/kaiser_2458_filmcopy_vario_kit_with_light_panel/29037_p.html

Thanks. I think that's right. The Kaiser system includes the light panel but is a lot more expensive.

[benqui]

Looks very good to me. I use the film holder from Lomography and I am not convinced. The negatives are never as flat as they should be. I will give Andrew's machine a try.

Edited May 22, 2020 by benqui

[frame-it]

5 minutes ago, benqui said:

Looks very good to me. I use the film holder from Lomography and I am not convinced. The negatives are never as flat as they should be. I will give Andrew's machine a try.

after watching this video, i managed to get the film flat..slightly confusing film holder at first glance

 

[250swb]

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Why not use the film holders from your Epson scanner? The advantage of them is that you don't need to move the film and clamp it for each frame, simply move the film holder under the camera lens from shot to shot. And just a tip on saving a day scanning a roll of 35mm, use your Epson for a quick low res digital contact sheet, then only do a full scan of the good ones, not the whole roll.

[mdp]

A day to scan a roll of film? More like 15 minutes with the Kaiser (& probably the one above). The benefit with it over the film holders is that it stays in place (focused and aligned) and only the film slides through. 

Each to their own though, if people prefer flat bed etc, that's fine. 

[bags27]

The guy who builds the one I use says he can do a roll in around 6 minutes. I can confirm that myself. Especially if you don't cut your film. Just take it hanging from the dark room, thread it through, set the focus once (I use a bubble leveler on the camera also), and just run the strip through. The CL has a 2 and 12 second timer. One is too short; one too long. I use 12 seconds. That's the biggest hold up. If FOTOS worked, I could do the whole roll in 2-3 minutes.

Edited May 23, 2020 by bags27

[benqui]

Thanks a lot for this tip! To me it is the best film holder, I have ever used. The negatives are alway flat and you can work as fast as never before. Makes digitalizing negatives much easier!

[tom.w.bn]

Do you really need this at all? I use a Kaiser light table and scan the film directly placed on the light table. I hold the film flat with my fingers (of course with gloves) just outside of the image area. That's fast with no extra cost. The alignment of the x/y axis of the film is a bit more complicated because there is nothing to guide the film on the light table but you can easily correct that in post processing. 

The advantage of this device is probably that it takes the film away from the light table and tiny scratches or dust on the surface of the light table are not visible in the image because they are in the unsharp are of the image (not a problem I currently have...).

 

[wlaidlaw]

I find the supplied 35mm frame with my Leitz BEOON holds film flat enough without using glass or plastic, which can lead to Newton's rings. I sit the BEOON over a Speedgraphic 5200ºk LED panel, use an SL601 camera and a Schneider-Kreuznach 50mm/f2.8 Componon S Green Stripe reprographics lens. This gave better results than any 50mm camera lens I tried (Elmar,, Summicron V, Summilux III and Planar. 

Wilson