DIY Slide Film Scanner

For years I have said I will get the best of my film slides digitized and backed up. I kept waiting to buy a slide scanner or simply pay a service to do so. Guess what?… It never got done!

Yesterday I sorted some slides from several backpacking trips I took in the early 1970s. I carried a Kodak Signet Rangefinder 35mm film camera. No batteries, just cock the spring-loaded shutter and shoot. Advance the film and repeat. Two weeks in the high Sierras with 3 role of 36 exposure film. 108 images total for 14 days…

I resolved to get these images in digital format and proceeded to build a quicky film scanner out of my Canon 5D MIII. At 23MP I would have good-sized files to work with.

I shot with a 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens and had the camera tethered to my 13″ Mac Laptop. Using Lightroom 5 to bring the images from the camera into the computer where I could see them right away and check for exposure, sharpness and color balance.

All you need is some inexpensive foam board, some tape, a light source and a camera capable of focusing close. Yes, a tripod too…

Canon 5D MIII, 100mm f/2.8 Macro, Really Right Stuff Tripod, Cable release, 5000k LED bulb (or set your white balance to match whatever light source you use) and focus manually.

In this iPhone video I show you my setup and how I did it. A bit “Blair Witch Project” moving around video. I was using one hand to shoot and the other to show what I was doing…

Enjoy and comment.

 

Sample image scans:

These are memories for me of good times and friends and no worries…

photocrati gallery

Larry Pollock

I am an Artist who's medium is Digital Photography. I paint with Light. Product, event, portrait, landscape and fine art photography

This Post Has One Comment

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe To MyNewsletter

Join my mailing list to receive the latest tutorials, workshops, events and posts.

You have Successfully Subscribed!