Rob Trek Forum

Hi Rob, I have 1000's of 35mm negatives and would appreciate a tutorial on scanning using an em5 mk2 with the 12-50mm1:3.5-6.3 EZ lens.
Kind regards.
Peter

I think depending on the volume of scans you need done will dictate the best method.

A few roles can easily be done with camera and lens. More than that I'd get an epson scanner. I use a v500.

Nick Carver has a good video on this.

You can also get a Nikon ES-1 slide copier (iits just a holder that with an adapter will fit your Olympus. But of all the things I've tried, Rob's mention of the Epson scanner ( I have the V500 photo) is still the easiest and fastest. Fast, however is relative. I would consider having them done by a lab if you really have a lot, otherwise its very time consuming.

I agree with @Rob Trek and @Lemonhawk. Scanning is very time consuming. I have a Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 scanner. They still sell for nearly the new price on the used market because of their quality. I use VueScan software to drive it. Scanning takes several minutes per image to review, align, color balance, scan, and save. A roll of 24 easily can take over an hour. You also have to get proper cleaning solution and lint-free wipes to clean them.

1000s of negatives? How much is your time worth? How soon do you want the job completed? If you have and can afford the time to do it yourself, it can be a rewarding experience. If not, look for a very reputable scanning service.

Don't use a service that only scans into 8-bit sRGB JPG files. Look for a service that will scan into 16-bit Adobe RGB TIFF files. The files are larger but the quality will be worth it. You only want to do this once. I also recommend carefully reviewing all your negatives and only scanning those worth scanning. That will save you money and time.

Coolscan is the way to go but it is expensive. For initial scans I use a Pakon F135 which is quick but only about 3 meg files. It will do a 36 roll in about ten minutes. Unfortunately these are also expensive and only run on Windows XP.

In two days (Sept 15 2020) the guy from Cameradactyl will be starting a kickstarter that looks promising: a film holder and feeder that will automatically feed the film, find the film edges, and trigger your digital camera to take the picture of the negative. I have no idea of the cost but it seems like a good method to speed up the method. Joe Van Cleave on youtube has a video of the design process.

Otherwise, yes, the best bet is a flat bed. I use an Epson V600 and it does pretty well. I suggest you pare down the negatives with a lightbox so you will only scan the keepers.

Good luck!

Don't use a service that only scans into 8-bit sRGB JPG files. Look for a service that will scan into 16-bit Adobe RGB TIFF files. The files are larger but the quality will be worth it. You only want to do this once. I also recommend carefully reviewing all your negatives and only scanning those worth scanning. That will save you money and time.


_________________
adidas yeezy