Film Scanning with a Fujifilm GFX100S (My Coolscan Replacement)
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Recently I purchased the Fujifilm GFX100S as not only a tool for creating images but also with the hopes that it would be as capable as my Nikon Coolscan 9000 when it comes to scanning film. In this video, I’m sharing the results, including comparisons with the Nikon, the lenses that I’m using, and also a few accessories that I’ve upgraded since my first camera scanning video.
►*DISCLAIMER*
Some of the links below are affiliate links, where I earn a small commission if you click on the link and purchase an item. The money I earn helps me make this type of content consistently.
►Gear Used In This Video(*these are affiliate links):
Fujifilm GFX100s: bit.ly/366pgQZ
Pentax 645 A 120 F4 Macro: ebay.us/Emg7z9
Kipon P645 to GFX Adapter: ebay.us/HYr6pV
Novoflex MS-REPRO: ebay.us/h2or4E
Manfrotto 234RC Head: ebay.us/mJrFED
Raleno LED Light: amzn.to/3Ahwz3o
You can check out Valoi products here: www.valoi.co/kylemd
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Videos on this channel are filmed using the Fuji X-H2s: bhpho.to/3UEjFVs
►FILM PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR (*these are affiliate links):
My go-to medium format camera: ebay.us/GaK9Kp
My favourite 35mm film camera: ebay.us/82WyVI
My favourite 35mm film lens: ebay.us/u0V817
My favourite medium format travel camera: ebay.us/FVcfWk
My go-to light meter: ebay.us/QIFXF0
My favourite film stock: ebay.us/orbudp
My favourite 645 medium format film camera: ebay.us/ydY4HK
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Finally someone using a medium format camera to scan film. I’ve been always searching online to see if anyone has experimented with it, glad to see finally someone taking the chance.
You may want to watch this video too: th-cam.com/video/BVmIhwG0XfU/w-d-xo.html
This is not true MF camera, the sensor size is slightly larger than FF
Eric floberg does it aswell.
@@Huginn1000 True but glad to see someone doing it. Mind you this is without using the enhance feature in Lightroom as well, I can only image the results after that.
@@Huginn1000 you don’t know what you’re talking about - anything larger than a FF is considered medium format
For macro I've been using the GF 45-100 with the 16mm macro extension tube and have been very happy with the results for macro photography of architectural models. It does involve buying another fuji lens but the 45-100 is a mainstay on my camera and main travelling lens so could be worth looking at it depending on how long you keep the kit zoom lens for.
In my setup I found to be the lenses coating the most important variable.
I used an old macro as well, and always had issues with lens flair. Then I opted for the very cheap 7artisans 60mm macro, and even though it's softer then the vintage lens the fact that the coating is modern, and fresh really changed the quality of my scans
What a great setup!
Lots of high quality pixels and adapted lenses!
Have a good week!
Thank you.
I have the GFX 100S as well and just bought a Hasselblad macro lens and adapter to do the same thing. I bought a dedicated mount and table as well. I'm excited and hopeful this will all work out.
I have been using the Mamiya 645 80mm f4 macro with extension tube set for over 2 years on the Fujifilm 100, if you want even bigger files, try to pixel shift and you'll get a huge file with more detail than you ever need.
How's the Mamiya 645 80mm? Is it sharp edge to edge? I have a Mamiya 645 so this lens will be perfect if I can use it on both systems.
@@yunhaojiang7708 Most of the Mamiya glass perform well when stopped down to f8 or beyond, one of the weakest lens is the 50mm shift lens, but when stopped down to f16, this lens is capable of corner to corner sharpness. The difference between modern glass and old glass is sharpness at wild open, so unless one is looking for sharpness at wider apertures, there's no point spending money on the new lenses. All old lenses performs well stopped down, also sharpness has very little meaning for moody shots, older lenses render more film like than modern lenses, that's why value of old lenses are relatively high and some are crazily expensive.
I use my GFX for capturing paintings and landscapes, these older lenses are as good as the Fuji's lenses when stop down but with better film like rendering when shoot at wider apertures.
I’ve been amazed at the scan quality I get from my Fuji XT20 and an older Nikon 60mm macro lens. Honestly better than any lab scans I’ve gotten short of drum scans. Even then, the only real difference is resolution.
I’m really hoping Fuji comes out with an apsc camera with pixel shift so I can get super high-res scans.
i shot my first film recently and can't wait to scan with my gfx too 😄
I’m also using the same pentax 140mm lens on my pentax 645Z and The results are amazing.
Oh wow! Another added value to the gfx!
Big time.
Good call on the copy stand - very few to zero options between high-end and wobbly cheap. Having used a tripod for ages, I got fed up with setup time and shifted over to my diy version of what ends up being very similar to what you have (I use a Negative Supply setup for 135 only).
From birdwatching I have an old spotting scope tripod with pan/tilt head and a hide clamp (an apparatus that slides over the vertical tripod tube to clamp onto window ledges in birdwatching hides); from my macro photography days I have a Novoflex Castel-L macro rail and a very decent Nikon macro lens. Combine the two together:
Take the centre column out of the tripod, attach the hide clamp to the bottom, and the macro rail to the pan/tilt head of the spotting scope; clamp hide clamp to tabletop.
Works very well so far for me even with my pretty hefty DSLR setup, Nikon D800E and 200mm f/4 micro.
Only limitation is length of copy stand in combination with current lens: I estimate the total height to be perhaps slightly greater than yours, but I have to rack it out fully (I'm also using quite a long lens QR plate) to get to about 1:1 with the Nikon lens for 135. Will almost certainly need a shorter f/l 1:1 macro lens to do 6x7 (I usually do a stitch of 2 frames) - sadly I sold my Nikon 60mm a while back.
This is some ridiculous detail! Great video and super awesome setup!
Adding 1 GFX to my basket! 🙂 and thanks for the Novoflex recommendation.
Seven years ago I started to collect gear and started to experiment of scanning film with DSLR.
My gear so far is Nikon D610, Sigma 105mm 1:2.8DG MACRO HSM lens, Sigma 70mm 1:2.8 DG MACRO lens, Rodenstock Apo-Rodagon-D 2 X 1:4.5 f=75mm lens, ARTOGRAPH LightPad 920 Light Box, and KAISER RS-1 Copy Stand.
I have same experience with focusing, it is hardest part of scanning with camera despite of having expensive Copy Stand. For shooting in magnification of 1:1 or more, I'm planning to make custom Copy Stand with thick steel tubing. I would also like to connect 4K monitor for focusing instead of using Camera's own monitor.
I’ve been looking for a solution like this for a long time! Thanks Kyle
You're welcome. Cheers!
Great vid! I've always been curious to see camera scanning results from a bigger digital sensor.
Nice report. I am now about renting a GF120 macro and a 100s to shoot some 4x5 negatives in pixel shift mode..
Finally, someone tried scanning with GFX100S. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Looks fantastic! I have to write the next thing to my thinking list, doh... :D
You're welcome. Cheers.
Ack, I kept meaning to make a comment on your previous video but didn't get the chance.
This is a pretty boss setup! I use my 24 mp A73 with the excellent Laowa 100mm lens and get pretty okay results.
My biggest tips for anyone looking into scanning medium format but not wanting to invest in a pricier digital camera:
1- rotate your camera to match the longer side with the longer film side. This is kind of obvious but for example with 6x45 I line the 3 of 3:2 sensor with the 6.
2- stitching works pretty well actually. I used Affinity Photo initially but now Capture One's built in one. I heard Light room is even easier. My usual flow is 1 image for 645, 2 for 6x6 and 3 for 6x9. I usually get close to 20mp for 645, about 40 for 6x6 and easily above 50 for 6x9. It could be optimized but it's pretty good. For positioning I line the 3 on my sensor with the 6cm on the film and get roughly a 6x4 (cm) image so I take 2 of em for 6x6 and 3 of em for 6x9.
If you really wanted you could maybe stitch your 6x7 negatives with the gfx for even more resolution but it's probably unnecessary and more a hassle than anything lol
Misc: If you have a macro lens that goes closer than 1:1 or a smaller image sensor you can get up to some shenanigans like getting surprisingly high res files from 35mm half-frame photos. Sure they are grainy but hey. Try this with your xt4 some time for the heck of it.
One downside to dslr scanning is that once your film is cut it becomes cumbersome and annoying to scan it lol Color could be another (I don't use light room so I'd have a hard time converting it to a positive).
I almost wish I had the tidy Valoi setup with the integrated light. Keeping things not moving is a bit annoying if you don't have that and use like the efh (which is otherwise pretty good mind you)
My personal biggest editing hassle tbh are what looks like bleeds on the edges of my negative and usually I need some gradient filters to fix this. I have heard that's just a shadow being cast by the essential film holder onto the film.
I started with a cheap copy stand from BIG which was around 70€ when I bought it but now goes for over 100€ but was never really that amazed by it as it didn't have an adjustment to make sure the focal plane is perfectly parallel to the film.
So I replaced it with a diy solution consisting of:
- wooden board (40x40cm)
- metal tube with a flange to attach to the board (50cm length)
- Manfrotto Superclamp and thread for tripod heads
- Smallrig tripod ballhead
And I also got myself an Arca Swiss compatible L-bracket which makes scanning 645 a bit easier.
gonna give this a shot with my GFX and Contax 135 2.8 + extension tube. I've been shooting more film lately and loving it, loving the results, not loving the cost vs quality when compared to GFX. Both GFX and Mamiya give me images I love, but damn do I ever love the 7-10 images from the Mamiya as much as I do the 200 shots I take on the GFX in the same amount of time. Thanks a lot for this video, nothing else like it.
Loving seeing your DSLR scanning journey! One think I might recommend trying , especially with the bigger negatives, is actually getting in even closer and essentially pano stitching the photos to get an even bigger scan!
ETC., I've done that in the past for other types of projects and it had worked brilliantly. I'm considering it here as well, particularly as I'm sitting with the gh6 in high res mode. Which gives a 100mp file, but is still a MFT sensor. If you use a good macro that eliminates barrel, etc, you shouldn't have much issue stitching. The question becomes, how much res do we really need? Usually by around 50mp give or take, we are already down to grain.
I recognized that 120mm 645 lens as soon as it came into frame. :D
I recently started using that adapted to a Pentax K-1 (haven't been able to justify GFX prices yet) and it works great, especially for 35mm. The 36MP is sufficient for my needs and gives me a lot of latitude. I'm now looking into that Novoflex stand, as the tripod rig I am currently using over a light table is squirrelly and time-consuming to adjust.
god that old lens with that kind of results, 100% a go to method for anyone that has a digital camera lying around.
I was just scanning my film last night, and I'm still having problems like you said at the end. trying to get the film flat and control the stray lights from the lightpad. I just might get some proper equipments eventually
I’ve been pleased with using the pixel shift function of my Panasonic S1R, combined with my home made wooden copy stand I made with two sliding dovetails.
The challenge to me has been combining files from minimalist shots from my 6x17.
PS: tethering was the solution for me to nailing super-critical manual focus.
Tethering is a good idea. I'll have to try that out.
how big are your files with pixel shift and without? Asking about medium format. Thanks
I am using a GFX50R, negative supply 120 mask, for lens I’m using a bronica PE 100mm, 40mm GFX extension tube and GFX broke a adapter. I am able to get a full 6x9cm negative filling the frame. The 100mm gets me perfect flatness and sharpness @ 5.6. I have tried scanning with other macro lenses and sure enough, none of the 35s can resolve as good on the GFX sensor.
Ordering that lens. Luckily I have a huge copy stand. Can’t wait to compare to my hacked A7iii rig scans.
Great video thanks Kyle!
Cheers!
my dream camera set up ; )
That’s nice I even like the noise on the gfx
My v750 had broken, time to use my camera now. Thank you.
Hi...I commented on another one of your videos: Thanks for your video greatly appreciate it! have both the Fujifilm film XT4 and the GFX 50S and I just ordered the mounts in 35 mm and 120 from Norway so I’m looking forward to using my GF 120 mm f/4.0 macro on my GFX or my 90mm F2 lens with extension tubes. I just ordered a small light table and I’m going to try to set up the camera on the tripod with perhaps an extension pole. From a Torontonian living in Paris France
Lacking a digital medium format camera, I’ve always been satisfied with my old D800 scanning results, but the desire to get a digital medium format just for film scanning is there.
I am going to try this setup as I have the gfx 50s and a very nice Mamiya 120 macro. However I have to say that to my eye the coolscan has a luminous appearance and a warmth (and I don’t mean colour) that the gfx does not achieve. In all these side by side samples the coolscan wins for feel. It’s a subtle thing but I noticed it right away. There’s a luminous look that an imacon or flextight (and apparently the coolscan) resolves that the digital sensor cannot translate from the neg. How it captures the subtlety of bounce light. Good video though the nova flex stand was good to find out about. I will be interested to see how it stacks up against my v700 which is nowhere near as good as the coolscan but with the better film scan holders and some calibration I have made perfectly good meter wide print from Mamiya 7 scans .
you beat the coolscan!!!! Congrats you just won at photography!! Amazing Amazing video seriously!
Holy moly my jaw dropped when you said you ditched the 9000 it must be impressive then! I'm using a xt3 right now :) looking forward for the results later in the video!
Sad to see it go, but couldn't afford to have both!
As a former Coolscan owner, I knew this day was coming. Corsican is great but so sloooow.
I have been waiting for this! The novoflex riser looks really good. The comparison mti the coolscan has surprised me. the but more details to get out is amazing.
Yeah, other than the Novoflex just being a little short, it's been awesome.
Thanks Kyle for all the details!
Do you know the Vivitar 55mm f2.8 macro lens? I dont know if it's better or not than your Pentax macro Lens but maybe it would be a good option for your length issue
I use a GFX50S + Canon EF100mm F.28L Macro Lens (when scanning 35mm I add an 18mm extension tube) - EF100mm gives full sensor (GFX) coverage
Interesting video and impressive results! I knew the camera was excellent, but the performance of the Pentax macro lens in the corners was a surprise. For me without a medium format camera the most immediately useful thing was the Novoflex stand. Hadn't seen that before and it seemed convenient for anyone without a permanent place for a copy stand. It even looked somewhat transportable, at least much more so than a scanner.
The Novoflex has been great! Just wish it was a bit taller.
I have a cheap setup that really works for the mounting issue. I just mounted my $30 Neewer ball head to the wall with a $6 Camvate mount, placed a $20 Neewer sliding rail on the ball head and now I have the ability to adjust distance and level in all directions from a solid surface, for $56. It was actually only $26 for me since I already had the ball head. This way it takes up no space, and actually means I can wall mount my camera when I'm not using it.
That alongside with a cheaper lightbox/film holder would give you quite a bit of room for a better second hand macro lens with better corner shapness. The Laowa 65mm 2x Ultra Macro APO is around $320 used and would be a great option if you don't mind manual focusing. The ideal would be the used 80mm macro, but that's out of budget at $600 used.
Great video as always , I’ve been using my Fujifilm XT3 ,Skier copy stand , & complete Valoi 360 set up . How are you dealing with the worm artifact in Lightroom? Again thank you for your awesome videos 🙏
I have gone through a few lenses on the GFX100s trying to scan negs. My only cameras atm are that and the 67ii so it didn’t make sense to buy outside those systems. Initially the Pentax 67 100mm Macro went okay. Then I bought one of the short Fuji macro rings and was using the GF45 for 6x7 scans which surprisingly worked quite well, and the GF110 for 4x5 scans. Both were pretty fiddly with the focus distance so I recently grabbed the GF120 as they are running a $700 cashback offer here in Australia bringing it down to $2600AUD/£1400GBP. I’ve actually used it for a bunch of other payed work and it gives a really different look for portraits than the 110mm. And it’s one of those lenses that seems to retain its value on the second hand market. If you can borrow one to compare you might find no difference or love it. Early signs are good.
Cool to hear that you've been happy with the 120. I think I'll stick with the Pentax for now, as I'm happy with the performance. And try to find a permanent workaround solution with the stand.
I use a Kaiser copy stand. Very sturdy and not expensive and the head is geared. Just upgraded the lens to the RF 100mm L macro for my old EOS R body. For me, at this moment, 30mp is enough and the lens is the most important factor. For me, the issue is the negative carrier. I use Negative Supply but they’re all designed in a similar way. If you’re scanning and entire roll that is uncut, it’s not so bad but if your negatives have been cut into strips, then the advancing mechanism only picks up the film half way through the strip. The first few frames, advancing is manual.
Yeah, all of my film at the moment is cut (from previous scanning methods), but I'm looking forward to scanning some entire rolls moving forward.
Love your vids! Looking to set up my own digital scanning set up now.
Two Question:
Whats the best focal range for digital scanning?
And is 1:1 magnification crucial or will 1:2 do the job?
With a Fuji XT4, taking crop factor into account, I'm wondering if for example you can go too far in the telephoto direction?
A vintage 100mm macro would be my idea on a budget, but is the 150mm equivalent too much zoom or can this work?
Useful info.
My experience is that the 100MP is very good but with 35 mm film in particular, far beyond what is needed to match optical quality printing from the original neg.
The advantage for me in shooting with a DSLR and converting the negs is speed.
I had a commercial lab with Scitex scanners that made brilliant scans in batches. However, I am now retired and Scitex is dead.
A good solid copy stand is a must. The lack of options on the market these days is real as so many seem to be set up for phones. The Novoflex seems a good choice. I use a Negative Supply stand that is very solid for a FF35 but would be shaky for a MF most likely though the 100S seems like it could work.
Using the Manfrotto adapter is a must for Kyle as he uses his camera for his personal work. Adding more pieces adds to the possibility of shake and misalignment. I am fortunate to be able to mount my camera permanently with no adapters.
The Pentax macro seems an excellent choice and is an avenue that many would be well served by.
In the end, a setup that is solid and can be locked down eliminates a lot of the complaints of sharpness and alignment. I eliminate shake with using LR remote tether and the f12
key to fire the shutter. Manual focus is easy and with a good film transport base such as the Valoi or Negative Supply , focus stays on point as the film is advanced.
The real bonus for me in the use of a DSLR is the RAW file functionality and the massive improvements in sensor technology as evidenced in the reduced noice in shadows from the Nikon in comparison to the Fuji.
Kaiser makes a solid copy stand, but it is a bit pricey.
This is fascinating, and because I'm getting a gh6 soon... that has a 100megapixel high res mode, that might be ideal for this type of work...
Brennan, heading down the same road. What lenses have you tried? I picked up a TTArtisan 40/2.8 macro, but wondering if the Lumix 30/2.8 macro would be better.
Hi Kyle, how are you dealing with dust? I've switched to an old laptop dedicated to the Coolscan to use Nikon Scan and I've been happier than using Vuescan + NLP and it also gives me really great dust removal as a bonus. Your new setup looks appealing with regards to speed though.
Hey Diego, I just use a rocket blower and that's it. Dust has rarely been an issue for me.
Congrats again on the camera upgrade, timely indeed: I’ve been using a set up similar to yours for the last four years, first with an A7Riii, then an A7Riv. I built my own copystand and light table from solid hardwood and Arca-Swiss rails, it’s not the most portable option but nothing moves unless I want it to. I’m using a well regarded lens on the Sony, their 90mm macro. So when I got the GFX100S last fall, I was immediately curious how the 16 bit files from it would compare with the 14 bit from the Sony. The sensors in the two cameras are in fact identical in technology, same generation and transistor design, the only difference being of course the Fuji is larger, and has the 4/3 aspect ratio. I have one lens right now for the Fuji, a 32-64. I tried a 13 mm extension tube for it: not enough magnification to fill the frame but I was able to compare files, Sony VS Fuji. Using the NegativeLabPro plug-in for LR, I honestly didn’t see any difference between results from the two cameras. Again I wasn’t judging sharpness I was looking at color response. I wanted to see a huge difference but it wasn’t there. Not that I felt the Sony was deficient but I thought the extra two bits of granularity in the Fuji raw files might show something. Still, the Fuji is a better fit for medium format at 6x6 and 6x7.
A friend of mine who is well versed in the Fuji medium format world told me that the native 120 macro does not do 1 to 1. So, I am still looking at extension tubes if I wanted to take the plunge on that lens. Anyway, you’ve got a great set up. It’s future proof which is one thing I really like about camera scanning because we know cameras only get better year on year, they are still being developed. Film scanners not so much. I already have an adapter which lets me use Canon EF glass on the Fuji, that lets my 24 mm tilt shift act as a 19 mm wide angle and because it’s a tilt shift it actually has full coverage on the Fuji. Because it seems like none of the Fuji glass is in stock right now I’m also looking at adapting some of my Pentax 6 x 7 glass, so this video is timely indeed. If and when you camera scan transparency or black-and-white the dynamic range available in the resultant files is going to surprise you. It’s amazing how much detail hides in those black shadows of Velvia 50.
Hey Kyle, I hope you are well and that you are enjoying the British summer. It’s a great place to be this time of year.
I have a Frontier SP3000 which is great for Colour 35mm & 120 but I don’t like it for black and white. I also have a GFX 50s so your video piqued my interest as my Frontier is on the fritz and may need an expensive fix. As I only use it for personal use I may just move it on and go with a camera scan set up.
So my questions for you (if you don’t mind) are, how do you like it for black and white conversions and do you miss your dedicated scanner now you’ve been without it for a few months?
Cheers,
Ben
thanks for sharing Kyle! I have been scanning with my mirrorless camera but still havent found good copy stand..
Cheers, Ryan.
@@KyleMcDougall I have been enjoying your podcast recently!! thanks alot!
Thanks for this nice video, was very curious about it since I'm scanning with a Fujifilm X-T4 setup since last year. I'm curious too about a multi shot test: the technique allows to remove the demosaic process from the output file so I guess we could have even better details. One little side note: is it possible to zoom more than 1:1 with two images in Lightroom Classic, but you've to be in the compare mode inside the Library module 🙂
Cheers! And yes, someone gave me the heads up about the compare mode. Next video!
Hey Kyle, thanks for the multiple videos on the subject. I've had the Nikon scanner and it's a beauty. But getting them serviced anymore is near impossible. I just picked up a Panny GH6 for video work. But it has a very impressive high resolution mode that delivers 100mp image. (As an aside, I got to compare it briefly with the Phase One's 150mp, and they were amazing close!). I also picked up a similar macro to your first video (you got the Artisan 60/2.8?), I got the TTArisan's 40/2.8, which is surprisingly sharp. But I'm wondering how much better the images are with your more costly lens. Did you A/B those as well? Much thanks!
I converted an old Durst M601 Enlarger into a copy stand. It is rock solid and was cheap on eBay. I felt bad about trashing the old color head, but really no one uses these things anymore.
Useful video, thanks a lot for sharing your experiences, very helpful :-)
I have been waiting for this video 😁 Thanks great information I'm considering a similar setup to add next to my V700 scanner. Did you try the Pixel-shift? I would love to see that.
Thanks again for great content
I did try the pixel shift quickly. Had some issues with the DNG in Lightroom. Massive files around 20,000px for 35mm. Unnecessary for me for most situations.
Hey Kyle, thanks for the update of your scanning setup! I was wondering if you are also scanning your 4x5 with the camera setup, and if so, do you need to stitch them from multiple shots? Thanks!
I've only scanned a couple 4x5 sheets, and have done them full frame. It works fine. But there's definitely potential to stitch and get way more from the large format negative.
Hey Kyle,
I love you videos about this scanning method!
i have one question: Do you think the vignetting of the contax lens is because of the bigger sensor of the fuji and will not be there when i use the contax lens with a full frame camera (e.g. Sony A7 XXX)?
greetings from bavaria,
Thomas
Amazing thanks for the review with the GFX, im using an R5 with the ef 100mm macro and have love the results. I have been considering going fuji gfx in general (for photography and basic video and b cam duties) and wondered about using the system for scanning. Out of curiosity, would love to see how the pixel shift option works for scanning film. Thanks!
I experimented with the pixel shift quickly. The files are massive and I’m not sure id ever need a file that big.
Question for you? Have you ever tried using the 400mp pixel shift mode to scan a 4x5 negative? That is my dream setup, a 4x5 camera and the gfx100s to make 400mp scans. I'm currently shooting with an RZ67 and scanning with a Canon 5DSR and a Tokina macro lens. I'm using a Kaiser RS2 copy stand and light source. My technique is to take a total of 9 captures of the 67 negative using a 3x3 grid and then stitching them together in light lightroom. The results are roughly 235mp. It is a slow and tedious process but I shoot tethered which saves me some time vs copying images over from the card. It's a pretty decent budget setup but someday I would like to upgrade to a 4x5 camera and a gfx for scanning
Pretty crazy use-case for the GFX to get it as a Nikon Coolscan replacement for scanning negatives, but it's funny that even for someone on a much bigger budget than me, the digital camera scanning argument still holds up over a traditional scanner solution these days. You can get just as good (if not better) performance for your money with a camera scanning setup, and when you're done scanning negatives you still have a digital camera that takes great pictures in its own right instead of a big box of specialised electronics that just takes up space in your house or office until the next time you need to scan negatives!
Great video (again). Have you found the aperture sweet spot for the lens both in terms of sharpness but also for having enough dof to handle potential film un-flatness and perhaps not hitting focus 100%?
I shot most of these sample at f8, and was happy with the performance.
That contax lens aswell as being softer in the corners, also seemed to have a slight green cast too.
Oh well, I didn't expect you to part ways with the coolscan ahah! Great video, this just confirms me how bad I need to step up from my 24MP setup!
Yeah, I'll miss it. 24MP is still great. Just all depends on what you need to do with the files.
@@KyleMcDougall Not wrong... mainly for social media and personal use! I'll soon get into printing though.
I would like to try my Rodenstock Apo-Rodagon - D 2 X 1:4.5 f=75mm lens on Fuji GFX 100S camera. This lens is specialized for CCD cameras, macro photography, and duplication of transparencies at reproduction scale of around 2 : 1. The maximum format coverage is 6X7 cms. This lens needs bellows so I'm using Extension Tubes and Pentax Helicoid Extension Tube to find a correct focus.
I was really surprised to see you sold the Coolscan! That thing has been a staple for your channel. I recently had a similar choice to make and I went with Plustek's 120 Pro, but it was tough. I'm really impressed by the GFX!
Yeah, honestly, I'll miss it a lot. If I could afford to keep both, I would have. The coolscan is so simple to use.
Is it useful to take multiple bracketed exposures and combine in HDR software? Or is the dynamic range of film sufficiently limited for a single exposure on the GFX?
Super interesting video, I curious would be super curious to see how gfx compares to a more affordable super high resolution full frame camera such as the eos 5DS R with a compatible setup
Fantastic comparison Kyle! Really interesting results and kudos on keeping your scans so clean using a digital camera. With the 4:3 ratio being so optimal with 645, do you think you’ll give up shooting 67?
Cheers, Nathan. TBH, the 4:3 aspect ratio has always been one of my favourites for composing. I think I'll roll with it for a while.
Something like a Zeiss 100mm macro Nikon f mount with an adapter might work for you
Good information. Have you tried scanning using the pixel shift on the GFX?
I wonder how the 9000 would have done if you had done some wet mounting. I still dream of having a drum scanner one day.
Thank you for the great video 👏
Can you tell what camera do you use for this film shots?
Could try using a blue filter to counteract the red of the film base so that you're not stretching the chroma information in digital. Sometimes you can get some blocking/banding in the blues when you're pulling them up that far
And you’ll have less actual colour information to work with in the blue/red axis
May I suggest you try scanning with the GFX using pixel shift? I can’t help but be curious about how 400mp scans turn out
I played around with it a bit. Massive files that are overkill for me at the moment.
Interesting. I bought a used Kaiser copy stand. It is sturdy and plenty of height.
I've been using a Canon EOS R5 with sigma 70mm macro lens (the new one, it's crazy high resolution) and Negative Supply carriers. For me, the camera scanning is key as it's just so much faster than pretty much any dedicated film scanner I've used, being able to capture pretty much any roll in less than 2 minutes. It's cool seeing the GFX 100S being used, but for my uses, the 45MP of the R5 has been proving to be more than enough for pretty much any output size I've needed to put out. Obviously, everybody will have their own needs, but I've found that once you get up into the 40-50MP+ range, you have a lot to work with. I'd be curious how much sharper 100MP would be. Even though it's double the MP, the actual pixel dimensions aren't really that significantly different, and there are a lot more really performant lenses with the smaller sensor.
I'm curious too! :-)
Hey Adrian, could you use this for 4x5 film?
@@jason-mccarthy Assuming you had a light source and film holders for that, sure.
I couldn’t find a lens which worked for night photos, there was always some orange vignette, perhaps it was from something else but it was incredibly hard to get consistent/good results scanning with a camera. Curious if you tried and had any luck with dark images
THIS WAS SO HELPFUL. I have a GFX100S and have been looking into macro - thanks for saving me a few hours (and $$$) Have you considered Pixel-Shift for this stuff? You have the stability, it's what most museums are using for archival now. MONSTER files though. Thanks for the content
Cheers, Jonny. And yes, I did quickly experiment with it, but the files are massive! Around 20,000px wide for 35mm. A bit overkill for me right now.
When you scan, you have full control of the lighting etc. I would imagine that the resolving power of a macro lens, and the resolution of the sensor would be key. So the dynamic range etc won’t matter much. And a mechanical setup to make stitching easy to do.
Give the Contax Apo-Makro-Planar 4/120 a try!
Sir, I got a picture off the internet and I used Topaz Gigapixel to enchance it. Then I used my cell phone and looked at the picture. I saw something entirely different than the original image. It was almost like the picture was taken, yet the negative of that picture was instilled in the picture of previous pictures. I saw faces, body parts, crosses, lights on walls, different people. Hope u understand the question.
Hey Kyle, any particular reason for going with the Pentax as opposed to a Contax, Mamiya or GF 120?
I have the same setup but added an Pentax extension ring to find the perfect height
Now you need to shoot some CMS 20 II with that scanning technique! I used the A7R4 with Sony G macro in composite mode for 240mpx to scan CMS 35mm frames shot with Sigma Art 105. I got 100mpx of resolution out of that based on usaf charts, but I think the compositing was a limiting factor.
As for adapted lenses for your gfx, you want the Bronica 105mm PE Macro. It is a 1:1 with .35 meter MFD. It was also one of the last new optics they released in the 90s. If you're patient, you can snag one for $250. The 110mm PS or 100mm PE would work, but their MFD is .65 meter and they're and older formula.
Great video!
Good to know... Do you see that big of an improvement using the composite mode/pixel shift ? I'm still using a A7III and since I'm shooting medium format an A7RIV sounds pretty nice, even at 61MP.
@@nygmaa Yes, the impact of composite mode when scanning 6x4.5 and 6x8 with common tmax and delta negatives was dramatic vs lab or v8x0 scans. I can't say for sure, but I believe the limiting factor was the lp/mm of the taking lens along with a "transfer tax", which is basically how I think of the loss factor of transition between mediums.
That being said, the Sony compositing is a pain in the butt. You are far better off, in my humble opinion, buying an old Olympus micro four thirds for $300-500 that does easier compositing and generates 64 or 80 megapixel raw files and just leaving it set up for scanning. You will still got superior results to any traditional scanner in terms of raw resolution.
...and having explored extensively the options for camera scanning, do I actually use it? Nope. I bulk scan on an XA Super for 35mm and use an Epson v800 for bigger formats. Why? Because I get to an end result far faster, and if needed I can upscale the images by 2-3X with practically no discernible degradation by using gigapixel AI. Is dynamic range better the camera scanning? Nope - 98% of the time. The other 2% I break out the camera and do the camera scanning and then usually realize it was not worth it, lol.
I average 65 to 75 rolls per year, I am not a professional. I am an IT engineer with a photography hobby and extra time due to covid. So, I'm certainly no expert, but hopefully this was useful.
@@jw48335 Thank you, It was definitely useful! I'll stick to camera scanning tbh since the camera using for the scans serve multiple purposes but thanks for sharing your input and experience on the matter!
Insane results!
have you ever played with flimmlab, what are your thought, or how does it compares to neg lab pro?
Thankyou!
Cheers, Bianca. No experience with Filmlab, unfortunately.
Hey! You mentioned linking the files to allow side-by-side comparisons on the computer. Where can I find this link? Mostly interested in comparingthe coolscan results to the 120 Pentax. Thank you!
Hi Kyle - good post. Am considering GFX100s + Kipon new Mamiya/PhaseOne/Schneider - G mount adaptor + Mamiya 120 macro lens. But... need a tall stand! Stand advice crucial. Negative Supply are very expensive - Valoi 360 bundle works well. Like digital - love film :))
I'm using a large Kaiser stand. The RS1 I believe it is. I'd have to check again. You can find them used every now and then for a decent price.
A comment ( probably a little late) re copy stands: consider using an enlarger base board and column for eg Durst M601. If you remove the enlarger head it is east to attach a tripod head. The M601 would be suitable re stability and height for your Fuji GFX plus Pentax lens.
Think of it this way: it's a hasselblad x scanner that can also take pictures. What a steal.
Kyle, do you think this Pentax lens would work to scan an 8x10 sheet of film on a 32" high copy stand, as well as working on 120 film?
I have the Nikon 9000 -ED and have been considering going the GFX route with a RZ lens since I have the RZ system. From your example with the 6x7 of what looks like an old gas station, the 3 dimensionality of the subject seems better preserved on the 9000-ed and I think that the less detail in the corners is due to lack of film flatness in the film holder which I find a challenge with the Nikon FH-869S film holder. I have stuck with MF film because of that very ability to suggest the 3 dimensionality of the subject versus a flatter presentation of CMOS digital sensors. Maybe CCD sensors like in the coolscan have a more linear dynamic response and the gfx CMOS file can be adjusted, but I had just watched a review on youtube comparing the gfx50s ii to a pentax 645 with fujifilm 400H and in every shot the film looked more 3d and my brain did not have to do as much processing to understand the image.
There no question about the detail, but equally there’s no question to my eyes about the colour of the coolscan being much nicer. Colour is more important to me than resolution (which is why I shoot film in the first place) so I would go the coolscan everytime. I feel like these camera scans look like digital shots now. But these are good results nonetheless, thanks for sharing Kyle.
How did you get critical focus? Did you employ focus peaking on the gfx? Could you magnify the screen image on the back of the camera?
Magnified the screen and focused by eye.
Have you thought about adapting an enlarger lens? I would think that would work beautifully once the mechanics of it are figured out. Certainly would be flat at least. If you're still looking for something in addition to the Pentax that is.
I have actually started to look into that.
Apart from Raleno led light source. Is there any other option for that. It would be so great if you can make a video of comparison between different light source loll. Thank you for the great video!
Makes me wonder how my little Olympus MFT camera would do. It is only 20mp but it does have the IBIS High Resolution mode which gives an 80mp image. Maybe use the Olympus 30mm macro lens
Hi Kyle, really interesting video, thanks for posting. Have you tried scanning E6 transparencies on your GFX? I've been scanning with a Minolta Scan Multi Pro for a many years but I have to run it off an old, old PC (oddly after moving to Macs along time ago, the PC is still called my new PC!) which is becoming a real pain
Hey Paul, haven't tried any slides yet with this setup. Sorry.
Camera scanning slides has been the biggest improvement in colour, sharpness, and latitude for me over the Epson v700. I highly highly recommend camera scanning for slides.
For your Pentax lens with the novoflex, why don't you just create your own copy stand? A thick and heavy nice wood plate so it's stable, you screw the novoflex on it, some rubber feets, but you cut a square into the wood plate so your film holder can go lower and be flush with the wood plate but it would be resting on your table. Or you can definitely create a "double deck" copy stand. I'm pretty sure you could gain like 10 to 15cm in height (that must be like 2 cups and 1 inch 😂).