Scanning 35mm Film
The VALOI Easy 35, What Has it Taught Me About Scanning my 35mm Films?
Do you, like me, send away your 35mm films to be processed and scanned, to be returned as high resolution digital files? Whilst the ‘wet’ processing of films is a step too far for most analogue photographers, scanning our negatives is relatively achievable and I was fascinated to see that potential increase with the launch of the VALOI Easy35 camera scanning accessory.
Since it’s launch, I’ve been wondering what difference(s) home scanning would make, what am I missing, how different might my negatives look and what parameters am I handing to someone else without fully understanding the process?
This is a living blog post, I’ll update and expand it as I discover more.
I’ve just taken delivery of a VALOI easy35, a camera mounted film scanning accessory, which attaches to the front of your macro lens, has a built in light and replaceable holders.
This now means I can produce high resolution, RAW scans of my negatives, with my Canon R5, import them and process them directly in Adobe Lightroom (more on the process to follow).
When thinking about the difference home scanning would make, a number of specific questions have surfaced:
- What effect does scanning resolution have on the look of my scans? My lab offers a choice of scanning resolutions; medium and high resolution jpgs and high res TIFFs. The grain of film is an important factor when I shoot analogue and I suspect the scan resolution affects how that grain is ‘reproduced’, particularly ‘high grain’ black and white films.
- What exposure range is available when scanning? I think I assume the scans I receive are true to the negative and I want my film photography, whilst produced in a digital workflow, to remain faithful to analogue principles. But is the overall exposure of my scans a ‘choice’ of someone else or simply the result of an automatic process?
- Are the colours of my scans faithful to the negative? Like grain, the particular colour quality of a chosen film is an important factor and something I want to work with and see in my final photos. Given the infinite colour adjustments available with digital processing I imagine that colour calibration will again be chosen by human or automatic intervention.
First Impressions
I ordered the easy35 directly from the VALOI website, based in Finland this meant the parcel was subject to UK customs tariffs and a shock bill from the courier amounting to an additional 20% cost! I appreciate this isn’t the fault of VALOI and I mention it here so you’re fully informed and don’t suffer the same shock! A quick Google search shows it’s also available from UK based distributors for the same price as advertised on the manufacturers site, an expensive lesson learned!
unboxing the VALOI easy35
The easy35 arrived in a surprisingly large box, shoebox size and well presented with a detailed instruction manual at the top. The main reason for the large box is the selection of extension tubes supplied to mount the main unit, also included is a range of thread adapters to fit different lenses and the ubiquitous USB cable to charge the unit.
The easy35 unit contains a rechargeable LED light source with dimmer and light temperature adjustment, 35mm film holder, rotation lock and threaded mount to attach to the extension tube. The number and configuration of the extension tubes required depends upon the lens to be used and specifically it’s minimum focus distance. The scanner requires a macro lens but the addition of numerous tubes and threaded adapters means a range of lenses are accommodated, thankfully the VALOI website has lots of clear information about lens compatibility.
My VALOI easy35 loaded with a strip of 35mm film and mounted on the ‘extension’ tubes which will attach to the front of my macro lens
By following the very clear and comprehensive instructions I quickly had the scanner mounted on my camera, scanning my first negatives and importing the images to Lightroom. Again everything is covered in the instructions, including recommendations for negative processing apps, my choice being Negative Lab Pro which operates as a plugin for Lightroom. I almost exclusively work in Lightroom so converting negatives within the application is both convenient and efficient. Unfortunately however I ran into an issue straightaway with Negative Lab Pro, it’s currently not compatible with the latest Lightroom version! This was very nearly a show-stopper for me but, whilst still far from ideal, was solved by utilising an earlier version (13.4) of Lightroom Classic on my laptop. I really do hope this issue is resolved very quickly, as Negative Lab Pro is strongly recommended by VALOI, it’s a serious limitation, VALOI do however suggest alternative apps.
image scanned by my film developing lab and processed ‘lightly’ in Lightroom
my image scanned with the VALOI easy35 & processed with Negative Lab Pro
again, image scanned by my film developing lab but this time ‘unprocessed’
my image scanned with the VALOI easy35 & processed with Negative Lab Pro
Answering My Questions
After only scanning two or three photos very quickly I have some answers to my initial questions, but a whole lot more detail to investigate!
The above example is the first scan I produced and the result of a little trial and error. There’s certainly a fair learning curve, both when capturing the scans in camera and when processing the images in Negative Lab Pro/Lightroom - more detail to follow, but back to my questions:
- What effect does scanning resolution have on the look of my scans? My initial scans demonstrate the scanning process can have a dramatic effect. The black and white example above shows my original ‘lab scanned’ image on the left which I had supplied as a standard resolution jpg (3130x2075, 72ppi, 3.8mb) and my export from LR (6703x4471, 72ppi, 3.6mb). It’s difficult to compare detail in an image when they’re compressed by a website but even so you can see that the grain and detail are subtly different and I’m already delighted with the results.
- What exposure range is available when scanning? You can immediately see how a relatively small increase in exposure brings out a lot of detail in both examples above, opening up the blacks/shadows but retaining highlight detail. Having so much detail available in the shadows is, I’ll admit to my ignorance, a very pleasant surprise and I’m excited to explore the potential.
- Are the colours of my scans faithful to the negative? Colour really is a subjective parameter with infinite variables and I’m going to have to explore this in a lot more detail. Negative Lab Pro has a number of built in profiles that I’ll be checking out. To begin the processing of a negative it is suggested that a custom white balance is chosen from the border of the scanned negative, to balance the temperature of the easy35 light source, and this should provide a relatively accurate starting point. In contrast to black and white ‘wet’ analogue developing/printing I have little experience of colour films so delving deeper into individual characteristics will take a while!
Initial Thoughts
I’m already excited by the possibilities of scanning my own films and am absolutely sold on the potential for further discoveries. It’s worth saying here I’m a control freak, and if there’s a variable within the processing workflow I don’t have control of, I break out into a cold sweat. This whole subject might very easily send me down a very complicated rabbit warren, we’ll see and I’ll share the journey via this blog.
The VALOI easy35 is immediately delivering on it’s claim, “making camera scanning accessible”. As long as you have a digital camera with a compatible macro lens the easy35 is easy to set up and start scanning with. The information on the website and the included instruction manual are comprehensive and easy to follow and the whole kit appears very well made, high quality and fit for purpose. My first impression is that it offers a value for money alternative to more expensive scanning solutions, utilising the power of my camera’s sensor.
I’m going to reserve judgement on Negative Lab Pro, mainly because of the Lightroom compatibility issue which is potentially a huge stumbling block, but also because it offers so much that I need to investigate and explore further, I’m cautiously optimistic though!
I can already see that home scanning does unlock the potential of the digitisation of my analogue photos and hands me control of the process, with lots more to follow…..
Are you interested in scanning your own films, is this something you’re already doing? Do you use a easy35 or thinking of purchasing one?
Let me know your thoughts and experiences in the comments below, and watch out for updates of this blog post.
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