I have been reading up on camera “scanning”. I want to build a rig for 35mm and 120 film (6x4.5 and 6x6). First thing is to decide for an horizontal or a vertical rig. A horizontal setups seems to me intuitively easier to align, and both camera and negative holder can be held parallel with off the shelf parts.
Now I am inclined to use a holder with “advancing” functionality like the Valoi 360 system. It is conceived for vertical rigs with the advancer/holder sitting flat on the base.
Has anyone tried to mount the 360 advancer in a vertical rig? It has screw on feet undereath, so this could be attached (and levelled) to a plate which could be fixed to the rig. The holder could be held with rubber bands to to advancer, but I don’t know if this would work at all .
Imo, a vertical rig is easier to work with, if it fulfils a few requirements.
Having the scanning surface flat on a table with lighting installed underneath the tabletop makes handling very comfortable because you don’t have to stretch and hold your arms while doing delicate adjustments
Stability: Get the heaviest table and mount things directly to it. Prevent flexibility by NOT getting a flimsy column - or mount structures with robust parts.
Adjustability: Add a means to adjust alignment, e.g. with a geared head instead of something that is friction based like a ballhead.
Tethering: Prevents you from having to get up for live view.
A horizontal rig has its merits too, but stability requirements increase with heavier and longer lenses. Also, there is a higher risk of kinking your film unless you have a means to hold the loose ends e.g. of uncut film.
The prototype I show here and here can serve as a vertical rig as shown in the post - and it can be flipped backwards to make it horizontal. Observe the following: Heavy duty material, a short column and the lens support. I plan to further develop the rig though. Shielding stray light is the topic I’ll have to deal with.