Home Scanning Medium Format Negatives

I have an ongoing battle with my Contax 645, which is currently away being assessed for repair.  A part of me is on the verge of selling the whole caboodle, and sticking with digital. I had some films developed and scanned locally, and the output was so poor it almost tipped me over the edge - but I have persisted.

When last working away I spend a little time watching videos on line setting out how to digitize film.  Now that I am home I needed to give it a go, and the results are good enough for me to want to carry on with the Contax 645 experiment.

The method for digitizing the negatives is fairly straightforward, and I was lucky to have most of the kit needed.  The only new buys were a couple of sheets of perspex, one clear and one opaque, from amazon.  A picture paints a thousand words, and there are some pictures here, but in short;

• Line a small cardboard box with foil to bounce light (I have no idea if this is necessary)
• Cut a couple of holes in the base of the box for speedlights - I used two, one at each end
• Tripod mount a camera over the box.
• Fit a macro lense - I'm using the Canon 100mm macro and extender tube
• Link the camera to your laptop for tethered shooting
• Put opaque perspex over the box, negative on the perspex, clear perspex over that.
• Use whatever tether software you use to frame focus and shoot
• If seeking very high resolution, shoot multiple frames per negative exposure and merge in PS later
• Using LR or PS, convert from negative view to positives
• Print, post, store... or whatever your favoured outcome is

I did not experiment a great deal with camera settings.  I set flash to 1/4 power, ISO50, Shutter Speed 1/200 to kill ambient light, and f9 - f11 to make sure I got the focus.  These are not the best scans ever.  They are not going to compete with well done professional scanning services.  But they are better than I can get with my flatbed scanner, and better than I get from my local lab.  While they may not stand professional scrutiny if they are good enough for social media and a decent sized print (they are) then I will be happy.

The next step is home development of film, which we will try out next weekend when No 1 Daughter is home from school.

Some more output from the Contax here - this is a mix of my own scans, and scans from the lab which I was not happy with; http://www.chrispookphotography.co.uk/Equipment/Contax/

The images below were digitized using my camera at home;

It is not that I have a thing for drag acts... although these guys were brilliant...  it is more that I was pleased with the output, shooting hand held, without flash;

Norfolk Holiday

Home from traveling, at least for a while.  We went to the sea side...  It was good to go away with the family to a place with few distractions and no crowds. 

Racing at Huntingdon 06 April 2015

 

We had a great day out at Huntingdon Racecourse on the 6th of April;  

More photographs here:  Huntingdon

A BAND CALLED ALISON LANE

Alison Lane, Performing at The Horseshoe Pub and Restaurant, Offord Darcy, 04 APR 2015;

More Photographs here:  Alison Lane

Boxing Day Meet

 

Had a nice morning out with the Cambridgeshire Hunt and Enfield Chace - a very welcoming lot of supporters and followers.

Home for Christmas

Family Portraits...

Suitably bizarre from Emily...

 

Huntingdon Races

It has been a Hunting sort of week, following an introduction by a friend to the local hunt.  Sunday, though, we went racing.  I tried to capture some of the dynamics of it, with a slower shutter speed, to blur movement.  That kind of worked.  Here though are two favorite photographs of the day, one developed using NIKs Silver Efex Pro 2, and the other with Color Efex Pro 4.   I think we came out of the betting about even, which is as much as you could wish for.  A few more photographs here.

Equine Portraits - Horses and Owners

I had a couple of hours with two friends of mine, and their horses, which gave us some nice portrait shots, which I must get around to printing up. 

Following the Hunt

It has been a fun half term with the children, getting up early twice this week to follow the local hunt after an introduction from a friend.  They are a nice lot, and I have managed to shoot some decent photographs.  I have set up an account for commercial retail of photographs.  No idea if it will come to much.  Not without marketing I suppose.  Some more hunting shots here.

With the right lighting even a modest mirror-less camera can return some nice images - here boy child and dog, with my Samsung NX300.

Horses for Courses

I was riding in Dubai last year out at a Desert Resort off the Dubai to Al Ain road.  We got up early to be there for a sunrise get go before the heat of the day.  I snapped a few photographs afterwards, of the horses and camels.  Most have just sat in a file since, and I came across this the other day.  The groom has a face with character.  There are more snaps of horses at home and far away here.

Rear Gunner, Helmand

Wow, this all seems such a long time ago...  Flying fast and low level out of LKG over the Green Zone, then popping up to high level at the edge of the desert.  Interesting times.  Fun times.  Worthwhile times, mainly.  Aviation in Helmand

Mountains and Sea

This could be mountains in the mist - but is not:  Muscat to Dubai revisited

Beauty and the Beast

At home for a while.  My neighbors are a really talented bunch.  This is a customer car they have more or less re-built from scratch.  It is Beauty and the Beast; AC Cobra

Desert Dunes

This is the view North East from the Al Ain to Dubai motorway.  Much of the desert between the two towns is flat and unremarkable, but in the last 20 miles there are some big dunes, favoured by off roaders.  At the right time of day and the right time of year there are dozens of 4 x 4s charging around the dunes, and families camping out.

Muscat to Dubai Revisited

I took a car last week from Dubai down to Muscat, via Al Ain, Nizwa, Ibri, Al Hamra, Jebel Shams and Somail, retracing the route of my 400 mile solo walk for Stu Kyffin back in March.  At the time it seemed like a long plod, which it was, but driving it reminded me of the distance.  I remembered most of the landmarks along the way, but much of it also was completely new.  I guess I spent a long time, particularly in the last week, just with my head down and making slow but steady progress.  Not sure I will be doing anything similar again in a rush, although.....

Dubai

Back in Dubai for a few days catching up with old friends.  Dubai, like life, will offer you what you are looking for, but perhaps to a greater degree than other places.  It is expensive, and can be hi-octane, but beyond the glitz and the glamour of the newest developments there are other lives, good and bad.  I would not choose to be a migrant worker here.  Although perhaps the stories of their abuse may be overdone I am sure there is some substance too them, and it is only by a chance of birth that it is they who are out in the heat building the glitz and me on the other side of the glass enjoying air conditioning.  There is a third life, one that some of my friends enjoy, which is a relatively normal family life. For me for now it is another week in my favourite hotel, being well looked after, finishing a short period of consultancy, and hopefully making some further useful connections along the way.

Gallery:     Dubai Marina +  Oman and Dubai Revisited

Migrant Workers

If ever you feel life is not too great, spare a thought for the guy who escaped to Tripoli and stands on the side of the road with a bucket and a roller hoping to be hired.

There are more snaps from Libya at this link:  Tripoli

Tiger Cats

 

As cats go... very pretty, very bright, loves to play games, very curious.  Great cat...

Tripoli

Sweet to ride forth at evening from the wells
When shadows pass gigantic on the sand,
And softly through the silence beat the bells
Along the Golden Road to Samarkand.

Tripoli Visit