Hi There, I have just ordered the negative supply pro kit and am now debating which camera to use for the actual scanning. I have the hasselblad x2d ii but not the macro lens. I have been told the Sony A7R V with sigma 105 would be the best possible way to go, but would I not be better with my Hassy and getting the 120 macro lens with extension tubes.
I shoot 35mm, 120 and more recently 4 x 5.
I spend far too much on film cameras and film so really just want to make sure I am getting the best possible option to scan.
Having read more on this and various other forums than is probably good for me I’d say that for 35mm it would be very hard to beat the 61MP Sony and 105mm Sigma ART combination for 35mm. For MF and 5”x4” then a 120mm or possibly 80mm Makro-Symmar is likely to perform better than a Hasselblad macro and extension tubes. That would need a bellows or custom setup though. Note that I believe there are different versions of the Makro-Symmars according to magnification required.
Megapixels and aspect ratio… not to be taken without consideration, or you waste sensor resources because of format mismatch. I’ve posted about it several times, so look around for details.
The Hasselblad would serve me well. Most of my negatives are 645, which corresponds to the 4:3 aspect ratio of a X2Dii 100 Mpixel sensor. I’d loose a minimum of pixels due to format mismatch.
If I had that camera, I’d consider the Novoflex Balpro bellows and (for ease of purchase) the lens they offer or one of the other speciality lenses optimised for 1:2 to 2:1 reproduction. All of it could cost a lot and would also necessitate a rig robust enough to not waste money spent by a flimsy repro stand. Check out the examples given in the forum.
One thing that most setups have to cope with is stray light. This is best managed by a tube/bellows/box that connects to the lens on one side and carries the film on the other. One example is the Nikon ES-2 unit or the valoi easy gear.
Presumably the Hasselblad has a 35mm ‘crop’ mode which will give you 61MP at 1:1 for copying 35mm just like the Sony. It’s difficult to imagine that more is needed for 35mm and I suspect that one of those Makro-Symmars will be as good as the Sigma. I’ve seen superb resuts published on another forum with a 50MP Hasselblad back and an 80mm Makro-Symmar using Vlad’s 35mm Test Target. I don’t have a Hasselblad but I’m pretty sure that the Hasselblad 120mm Macro with extension tubes is not the way to go for film copying.
Firstly, a bellows set up is inherently better than a tubes set-up because it gives you more flexibility when it comes to filling the frame, the magnification ratio and cropping. A Balpro is an excellent bellows - no light bouncing around inside it to cause issues. Secondly, the main difference that matters between those two cameras is pixel dimensions. How many pixels you need on the long dimension depends on how big you want to enlarge the results. If you are planning to make many prints very much larger than 17 x 24 inches, and you don’t want to resample to achieve the input resolution specified for the printer, then the Hasselblad would probably be a better choice. Otherwise up to 17x24 inch prints you can’t go wrong with the Sony, and their tethering software is very good. Thirdly, for the lens, always a macro lens regardless of the make. The key thing to make sure of is that you have a return privilege if you don’t like what it produces. Examine the MTF information before buying.
I read this with a lot of interest. I’ve been trying to set up my 907x/100c for scanning 6x6 and 35mm film.
The 38v lens with a 20mm extension gives great center sharpness, but the corners are not nearly as good.
The Ballpro looks like a great system, especially with the Schneider Pyrite lens, unfortunately, the X adapter for the Ballpro is on back order.
I’m thinking of ordering just the adapter from B&H, just to get a place in line, and test out the NS stand with the Sony A7cII with the Sony 90mm macro to see if I get better corners.
Does anybody have experience with the old Hasselblad V 135mm macro with bellows? It’s rated for 1:1 and is a relative bargain, even when you factor in the cost of the V series adapter.