Hi there
I find scanning negatives with a light table & tripod to be quite fiddly to get even focus, so I’m now looking at buying a Nikon ES-2 to hopefully make it a bit easier.
Nikon note that some of the photo is not scannable when using the ES-2 but I’m unclear as to what that means in practice. How much of the photo would you lose?
Also, if you’ve tried both methods, did you find the ES-2 easier for consistent focus?
Appreciate any insights.
Regards
Stephen
Hmm… not sure, haven’t used an ES-2. I believe @JohnMacLean is using an ES-2, so maybe he can provide some insight on scannable area?
Hi Stephen and Nate,
Maybe what you’re referring to is using a 60mm macro with a crop sensor? I have both the ES-1 and ES-2, with a Canon 5D Mark IV and EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact-Macro. I recently got a Nikon PB-6 and PS-6. I haven’t done enough with that setup yet to compare, other than to say it’s very rigid compared to both the ES models that are a bit squirrelly. This video will show you that https://youtu.be/MuEAzNp0PbY. Lining up the film is the most time-consuming part. You’ll also see how the ES-2 masks the film strip, not revealing any film rebate. If you want to shoot negs and include that, the ES-1 will let you slip a bare strip between the pressure clips. I mostly have slides to shoot, and I haven’t really gotten to the negs yet. It’s all become a side project that I wish I had more time for. I hope that helps somewhat.
Thanks John & Nate,
From the video, it does look like you lose a very small part of the image. Also, it’s possibly not ideal not to have the rebate when it comes to setting white balance prior to using Negative Lab Pro?
Stephen
I scan with an ES-2. It crops the image only by the tiniest amount. It’s really not a problem in practice. There are a lot of good reviews on it out there, the only thing I will add is that it excels with uncut film rolls. I just put the first six frames in, shoot them, then unclamp the film holder and move it down the filmstrip by six more frames. I can shoot a roll of 36 in about 10 minutes. I use a tripod to keep the film up off the floor while it’s dangling out of either side of the ES-2.
Overall I find it much faster than using a light table and less fiddly, especially since it’s an autofocus lens (60mm af-s macro). With bright light the AF is fast and snappy. I do use mirror lockup and a 1s exposure delay just to be safe for any vibrations.
I used to do both drum scanner and a flatbed as well, and I find this the best mothod I’ve ever used. 36mp scans of 35mm film are surprisingly close to 24mp drum scans. I think if I got a D850 I could get to parity with drum.
Thanks very much Adam
Luckily I am using this Nikon ES-2, and I really found it best, I am using this from last year and I am very satisfied from it, but you also have many choices as well, I saw many new models on Black Friday sale at Reecoupons, if you are confused to buy it then you can go on other options as well.
When you loosen off the silver thumb nut at the end that allows you to level the ES-2 once screwed on, you can also slide it forwards allowing you to move the film further away from the lens. This results in you being able to “overscan” and capture everything.