Why is contrast so low in my NLP imports

Image Editing Help
1

Hi everyone, I recently started shooting film and I am now trying out developing / scanning my own images. I thought I could start with trying out NLP since everyone in the community recommends using it. I have scanned one roll so far, however I seem to be getting very low contrast images using my setup. I tried with a few files and I seem to consistently find myself maxing out contrast and curves to produce an image which is not washed out. Below are before and after images using my DSLR and you can see the extreme settings I need to apply. As an alternative, I tried to scan an image with my cell phone and the images were not as washed out when pulled into NLP. Wondering what may be causing this. Thank you!

Some details on my workflow:

  • I am using Pentax K1 - shooting in raw
  • Using a Vivitar 105mm macro lens
  • Valoi + CS Lite
  • Settings: 1/60s / F8 / ISO 100, remote shutter release
  • Film: kodak pro image 100
  • Negative Lab Pro version: 3.0.2

Untitled-2 (2)
Untitled-2 (2)1920×2351 1.84 MB

2

Welcome to the forum @nedanov

Key to good contrast is that there is no influx of light between the lens and the negative.
Older bellows systems were built for this. Today, something like the Nikon ES-2 can do the trick.
Bild vom 2024-10-07 um 00.03.32