I have mentioned needing to improve my skills at scanning my film with my DSLR and macro lens, in particular my medium format film. I made a big stride in that department recently with the purchase of a Valoi medium format film mask and adapter plate for my Pixl-Latr that I bought from the Pixl-Latr website. (I shall leave a link at the end of this article)
When scanning photographic film you need a film holder or Mask that holds your film nice and flat. This is important to give you a nice even scan of your negative that you can load onto your computer to process with the software of your choosing.
I have been using my Pixl-Latr for quite a while to hold my film and for ease of use, my Nokia phone camera to quickly digitise my negatives. This is ok for social media, but one thing I have been struggling with is getting a nice flat and level scan.
Film has a habit of having a slight curl to it in varying degrees across the manufacturers. This can be quite severe, but is often mitigated by leaving the film in a storage sheet with some books on top to weigh the film down and leave it for a while. The weight will, over time, flatten the film.
There are times when I don't have the luxury of time. Long time readers will know I am notorious for leaving things until the last minute and yes, I rush my scanning because of it. This has led to quite a lot of my photographs being less than their best, despite my best efforts at mitigating the uneveness across the negative with my editing software. It had to change.
I have been looking at various products on the market that have been developed by small companies, enterprising folk with 3D printing facilities and in some cases, Lego. My Pixl-Latr is a universal scanning mask. You can scan everything from 35mm to 4x5 sheet film with it by adding or removing elements of the modular scanning mask.
Much as I love my Pixl-Latr, it has been having bother keeping my film flat, particularly with the extra curly films that turn into a slinky as soon as you remove them from the clips after drying. I needed another solution, but I didn't want to totally bin my Pixl-Latr. I paid good money for it and I'm averse to throwing stuff away.
This is where Valoi comes in.
Valoi is a modular scanning system developed and produced by Arild, a young chap from Norway who wanted to improve his scanning. He designed his Valoi Scanning System using Lego and then prototyped it with a 3D printer before getting the whole shebang manufactured by a company specialising in injection moulding. You can buy a complete scanning system, or just a single film holder, it all depends on how much money you wish to spend. (I shall leave a link at the end of this article)
Hamish, the man behind Pixl-Latr, Arild of Valoi and other interested parties chatted about using Valoi film holders on a Pixl-Latr. An agreement was reached and Hamish had an adapter plate made to fit Valoi film holders to the existing Pixl-Latr 4x5 mask. This is ideal for folk like myself who already own a Pixl-Latr. It also provides an entry point for the Valoi System.
As it was medium format film I was struggling with, I ordered the Valoi medium format film holder and Pixl-Latr adapter plate from Hamish at Pixl-Latr. It arrived a couple of days later and I got to work learning how to use of this new addition to my scanning work-flow.
I set up my camera on my tripod and levelled it using my trusty spirit level. I also made sure my A5 led light pad was level on my desk and plonked my Pixl-Latr on top of it. The Pixl-Latr adapter plate slotted into the 4x5 mask and the Valoi medium format film holder slotted into the adapter and again I checked everything was true both horizontally and vertically with each other. Preparation is the key to just about everything we do, it's called P Theory. Proper planning and preparation prevents piss poor performance.
I chose some medium format film I have shot over the last couple of years and inserted it into the Valoi film holder. By eck it's a very nice fit. The holder is designed in such a way that the film, no matter how curly it is, is always held flat. That's the important bit. You need everything level and the film to be flat to get a nice and sharp image when you hit the shutter button on your digital camera and it doesn't get scratched either.
Once you have fitted your film into the holder, check the negative is nicely focused and preferably fills the frame, find your settings and then release the shutter. Once you have done one, you slide the film through the holder to the next frame and repeat the process. Simples!
Once I had "scanned"a few frames I uploaded them to my computer and processed the images with Affinity Photo 2. In the past I was getting images that were falling off to a blur on the edges or at the corners, now I am getting images that are sharp side to side, top to bottom and across the diagonals, corner to corner. It's made my processing much simpler and quicker too.
Just that one change has given me the confidence to go back and re-scan some of my favourite medium fomat photos. I always knew I could do better, but a lack of cash held me back until I saved enough to buy a Valoi film holder. Saving money for a new toy isn't easy when you have a big family and serious camera G.A.S, but it was worth the wait.
Here's a few old photos I have re visited and made a big improvement on compared to my previous photos. Some of you may not notice a difference, but I can and that's all that matters. My next purchase will be a Valoi 35mm film holder so I can make improvements to scanning that format too.
If you want a decent low cost scanning mask or a full all singing and dancing kit, please visit Pixl-Latr and Valoi using the links below. (No, I don't get anything at all for saying nice things about them, I wrote this article because I believe in their products.) They have the tools you need to scan your own film at home. All you need is a Digital Camera, a good Macro Lens a Tripod and an led light pad. I always try to make my photos look their best so I can share them with you, now they will look even better thanks to Valoi and Pixl-Latr. I hope you enjoy them.
Pixl-Latr Scanning Kits
Valoi Scanning Kits
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