Hi everyone, first time posting here!
I was wondering if anyone has tried using the Nikon PB-4 bellows and PS-4 film adapter for scanning 135 film.
Best regards,
Anders
Sorry to be slow. Yes, I am using this rig. Works great. Only tricky thing I’ve found is picking the right lens so you can focus at the magnification you want. 55 macro works at 1:1 (with an FX body); won’t focus at 0.67x to capture 35mm on a DX body.
The shiftable slide/negative holder in the PS-4 is really nice for stitching. Five shots at a little over 1x to a DX body stitches to a very big file.
Thanks a lot Richard!
You confirmed what I thought and hoped for. I have the 55/2.8 and I think I will give this a try.
/Anders
Good to see, this works somehow… I use the following setup to digitize negatives:
- Sony a7II („full frame“)
- Nikon Micro Nikkor 55mm 2.8
- Nikon PB-6 Bellows
- Nikon Slide Copier PS-6
I gave up, because I could not figure out what light source I have to use. Of course I tried to follow some advice I had found online, but nothing really worked (Flashlight, LED-light, natural light). The light is not even enough and sometimes light comes in at the edges (my PB/6 and PS/6 look like new)
Normally, I digitize at night, so I am eager to discover a setup that works with artificial light.
If I had not these light exposures issues, the setup would be great: you can insert the whole 35mm film and advance it manually - this saves lots of time, since you do not have to charge stripes sperately…
Any advice…? This would be much appreciated.
Steph
Steph -
Sorry to be slow; I don’t check this site often enough.
Don’t know what’s causing the uneven lighting, and this has not been a problem for me. One possible tip: setup a narrower light source. I have seen reports of shading at the edges when using a wide light source (e.g. a 10" wide video light) behind the PS-4/PS-6.
If you’ll post an example, I’ll be happy to take a look.
Just in case anyone still cares about this topic: on a PS4 it is (barely) possible to get 0.67x magnification with an fx body and 55mm macro as follows: instead of using a standard Nik-FX adapter (Nikon F lens to FX camera) use a shorter one made out of a PIxco Nik-M42 adapter + a Fotasy M42-FX slim adapter. The combination is short enough (focuses beyond infinity) that in conjunction with the bellows gets you only 0.67 magnification. (You might need to futz a bit with some thin spacers because when you screw the second adapter into the first the camera might end up not being horizontal, but it is an easy fix. Eg: use some copper foil tape.) PLMK if you want more details, pics.
Regarding uneven lighting and related issues: Peter Krogh (the author of the DAM book) shows a PS4 based system that he sells on vimeo #366532954 (sorry as a newbie I can only post two links per post). Basically you can use a small piece of ACRYLITE plexiglass (buy on e-bay) as a diffuser in-between your source and the film holder. BTW, remove the matte glass in the holder to avoid dust troubles.