Slide Duplicator VS Plustek 8200i or…? (Help with decision)

[MA_S]

Dear swarm-intelligence,

I was hoping to get some advice from you on the following topic:
Recently I got a hold of a very nice/cute Agfa Optima 1535 in perfect working condition. It is the first 35mm camera that I genuinely bought (put aside the ones I “inherited” or found or what not…) as my plan was to get a tiny-tiny camera with a pleasing quality for everyday use for around 50€. I was very happy that the first 2 testrolls I shot through didn’t disappoint me at all! It’s a great camera and I’m very happy with the results.
I want to use the camera exclusively for b&w and my goal is to also start developing at home. The test rolls were developed by my local lab. It was 1 HP+ (shot at 200/ dev. Ilfotec) and 1 APX100 (shot at box speed/dev. Rodinal).

So now to my questions:
I digitized them with my Fuji XH-1/Canon FD 50mm Macro/copy stand setup that I use for my medium format process. I’m not a big fan of this particular process, as my apartment is super small and I have to set everything up and stow away after done using. So ultimately I think I want to get rid of “dsrl” scanning (especially for mf). But please discard the medium format for now…

So for 35mm I thought about how to optimize my setup and get the most IQ out of the negatives and have a more convenient/economical output… my two ideas were: let’s either get the Plustek 8200i or try it with a Slide Duplicator (NIKON ES-2, KAISER).

I’ve read and seen good things from the Plustek, but I’m aware that it’ll take more time. The question here I guess is: Will the bump in IQ justify the time/money spent on this machine vs. my existing setup???

And for the slide copier I’m a bit unsure… in a way it seems to be super easy, but I haven’t figured yet out what will work for APS-C and if it’s the best solution for me. Maybe some of you are using a slide copier on an APS-C camera and can recommend either of the two? Apparently it’s better to use a full-frame camera with some of them for 1:1 reproduction – at least that’s what I read for the older ones on ebay and such. Also: Would I need extension rings for my 50mm macro to get closer?!?

Because they might get compressed here…I’ve also put 4 frames of each roll in my dropbox for you to judge (full size jpgs). They were converted with NLP (LAB – Shadow Hard) and some minor adjustments for shadows/hightlights.

Agfa_Optima_1535

I’d really appreciate your feedback on my thoughts/questions.

Thx in advance,
Marcus

[FatihAyoglu]

I use ES2 with FF Nikon and as for speed I don’t think any scanner can be faster than that. In 10 mins, I can scan 36/38 frames and convert them. With a scanner it’s much longer. The only downside is, it doesnt do dust/scratch correction. I don’t think, you can get much better results with a scanner, as long as it is not CoolScan9000 or drum (for 35mm only).

[JayElDee]

Just an FYI, the Nikon ES-2 seems to be back-ordered world-wide as has been so for months–even Nikon doesn’t have them. I have seen them for sale on EBAY for over 2x the price at photo houses (in the USA that is $140 ish).
In addition look at what your setup would be if you used the ES-2; it has some specific requirements to make it work. BTW, I have been on the list for one at B&H in New York for a couple of months.

[MA_S]

Hey Fatih,
thx for you response. Yes, the time factor is very tempting, even though I used a less convient setup than the ES-1 I got it done under one hour for 2 rolls (NLP included). Dust and scratch removal would be nice, but that’s normally done rather quick.

[MA_S]

Over here in Germany there are plenty ES-2’s available via webshops…
I ordered the Kaiser one below, it’s half the price and seems promising. Apparently it works on APS-C with focal lenghts between 50–80mm (80–120 on FF). There is a macro lens inside that you can take out…

Let’s see how it’ll perform.

[JayElDee]

Thanks for the info…do you have any links to the websites that offer the ES-2? If there is an English translated option, that’s better.
Thanks

[jlw]

Note that dust and scratch removal won’t work on conventional silver-based black-and-white films, only on dye-based C41 and slide films… so presence or absence of that feature may not even be an issue for you, depending on which films you decide you prefer.

[Panatomic]

Hi Marcus, you can get good results either way. I have a film scanner equivalent to the Plustek 8200. I got an ES-2 and worked out a good light source (Nanguang CN-T96) and since then the scanner has gathered dust. After post processing, I can’t tell most images apart from the two methods. I like dslr capture because I can individually adjust exposure as necessary for each image to get ideal histograms, helps rescue negatives that weren’t perfectly exposed. The overall workflow is a little faster with dslr but start to finish it’s not a huge difference.
DSLR capture does a better job rendering deep shadows. I also think film scanners exaggerate grain.
If you use an ES-2 with APS-C sensor Nikon camera it’s easy, just get the Nikkor AF-S 40mm macro lens. For FF sensor, the 60mm macro; AF-S or D. Good examples of both lenses are available on Ebay for reasonable prices if you don’t want to buy new.
If you are space-constrained, the scanner might be a little easier. I’ve tried Silverfast but prefer Vuescan for scanning. For dslr captures of color slides, I prefer Lightroom; for color negatives I like Negative Lab Pro a LOT, and for BW it’s a tossup between NLP, Lightroom, or FastStone which includes a very nice “negative” button.