Digital Camera Film Scanning | A how to and look inside fotoScan by Foto Care

Summary

In this engaging video, the speaker explores a cutting-edge scanning system at Photocare in New York, designed to digitize old negatives with remarkable precision. The system, combining vintage enlarger equipment with modern tech, uses a Fuji GFX 100S camera and Schneider 90mm lens to capture high-resolution scans. The speaker tests the system on a photo of Leonard Nimoy, detailing the meticulous process of exposure adjustment, focus, and editing. The outcome is an impressive, detailed image, highlighting the power of this new system to bring archival negatives to life, blending darkroom tradition with digital innovation.

Takeaways

• 😀 Photocare in New York City offers a new system for high-quality scanning of film negatives, improving the digitization process for photographers.
• 😀 The scanning setup uses a Fuji GFX 100S camera (100 megapixels) paired with an enlarger lens to ensure high-resolution scans with minimal distortion.
• 😀 Photocare's system involves custom-built frames and light sources, using equipment from old enlargers, making the process more efficient and familiar for photographers.
• 😀 The system allows for the creation of detailed contact sheets from negatives, enabling photographers to easily select frames for further scanning.
• 😀 After capturing the contact sheet, the scanning process adjusts exposure and color using digital tools like Photoshop, enhancing the quality of the image.
• 😀 The enlarger lens is specifically chosen to avoid curvature, ensuring that the scanned image is flat and accurate without distortion.
• 😀 The scanning setup includes Kaiser copy stands and lightboxes, which help stabilize the negatives during scanning for consistent results.
• 😀 Photographers can see the grain and fine details of their negatives in the scans, offering a level of precision that traditional darkroom methods couldn't match.
• 😀 The process emphasizes color accuracy and detail retention by adjusting the exposure, histogram, and tonal values to capture all the information from the negative.
• 😀 Once scanned, photographers can easily make further adjustments in Photoshop, such as dodging, burning, and color correction, before printing their final image.
• 😀 The new scanning system at Photocare offers an efficient way to digitize old negatives, preserving their integrity and enabling photographers to make large, high-quality prints.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the system demonstrated at Photocare?

The system at Photocare is designed to digitize old film negatives with high quality. It uses a combination of traditional enlarger components and modern digital equipment to create high-resolution scans, making it possible to view and print the full detail of the negatives.

How does the scanning system ensure high-quality results?

The system uses an 8x10 frame for contact sheets and adjustable carriers for different film sizes, combined with a Fuji GFX 100S camera (100 MP). The camera is paired with a Novaflex bellows system and a Schneider enlarger lens, ensuring sharp, distortion-free, and detailed scans.

Why was an enlarger lens chosen for the scanning process?

An enlarger lens was chosen because it provides a flat, apochromatic image, meaning there’s no curvature in the image and everything remains in sharp focus. This is important for getting the best possible scan from the negative.

What is the significance of using a 100-megapixel camera in this process?

The 100-megapixel camera, specifically the Fuji GFX 100S, allows for extremely detailed scans. This resolution ensures that even large prints (up to 40 inches wide) can be made with high clarity, preserving the full breadth of the negative's information.

What role do the histograms play in ensuring accurate exposure during the scanning process?

Histograms are used to monitor the exposure of the image. The goal is to ensure that the data is centered, with no clipping in the highlights or shadows. Adjustments to exposure are made to optimize the information captured from the negative.

What post-processing techniques were applied to the scanned image?

In post-processing, the image was adjusted using curves layers for dodging and burning, similar to darkroom techniques. The color was neutralized, and any dust or imperfections were removed digitally. A final adjustment to contrast and saturation was made before the image was prepared for printing.

Why is it important to maintain the RGB color channels during the scan?

Maintaining the full RGB color channels during the scan ensures that all the information on the negative is preserved. This allows for more flexibility during post-processing, such as adjusting color balance and saturation in Photoshop, without losing detail.

What is the benefit of using a contact sheet in the scanning process?

A contact sheet is useful because it allows the photographer to view multiple images from a roll of film in one shot, making it easier to select which frames to digitize. The system can quickly generate a contact sheet from the negatives, saving time during the selection process.

How does the system handle different film formats, like 4x5 or 2 1/4?

The system is adaptable to various film formats. For larger films (e.g., 4x5), the negatives are placed in specialized carriers, and smaller films (e.g., 2 1/4) are scanned using an adjustable tray with a lightbox. The setup is flexible enough to handle different film sizes and formats.

What did the narrator say about the final print after post-processing?

The narrator was extremely impressed with the final image quality, remarking that the scan revealed much more detail than they had ever seen in a darkroom print. The high resolution and the digital adjustments made it possible to produce a stunning print that showcased all the nuances of the original film negative.