Digitization of negatives, slides and dry plates
Digitizing negatives, slides and dry plates involves a series of steps and techniques for converting analogue image formats into digital files. In the following, I would like to describe my approach to this process in a little more detail.
Cleaning the source material
Years of storage may result in dust, fingerprints and other soiling that require cleaning. For cleaning, we recommend the use of isopropanol, available in pharmacies, together with a microfiber cloth. For lighter soiling, a lens cleaning kit containing a cleaning brush, microfiber cloth and bellows is particularly suitable.
Selecting the digitization method
Flatbed scanners are a tried and tested method of digitization, but the use of cameras in combination with a light plate can be faster and more efficient. This technique allows slides and negatives to be photographed with a macro lens and is particularly advantageous for large volumes of images. Due to the time involved in using a flatbed scanner, I personally prefer digitization using a camera and light plate.
My setup for digitization includes the following components and equipment
Camera
Sony Alpha 7 III (ILCE-7M3)
Lens
Remote shutter release
Macro extension rings
Meike MK-S-AF3A (required for some formats)
Repro stand
Light panel
Kaiser LED-Leuchtplatte (slimlite plano 22×16 cm)
Holding fixture
Kaiser FilmCopy Vario with various format masks and glass inlays. For larger formats, such as dry plates, I have made individual format masks from thick photo cardboard.
Note: Before purchasing the Kaiser repro stand, I used a tripod and later the V5 repro stand kit from DOLD Mechatronik. However, neither method convinced me 100%.
My camera settings
Aperture
F8
Exposure time
1/8s
ISO
100
Focus
Manual focus
Image stabilizer
disable
File format
RAW
Note: The room should be very well darkened in order to avoid unwanted light inclusions.
Digital post-production
Scanning or photography is often followed by a phase of digital post-production. Programs such as Lightroom and Photoshop can be used here to make color and exposure corrections, align the image, remove dust and scratches and, if necessary, convert the image into a positive. The Negative Lab Pro extension from Nate Johnson is recommended for the conversion.
Further articles
A very good reference book is the detailed article (german) by Thomas Raatz on analoge-fotografie.net, which helped me a lot at the beginning.