I have quite a few old negatives and would just like to see if there is anything on them that I recognise from my Grandmother and Mothers lives, including rare photos of my father.
i
There does not seem to be many flat bed scanners that handle 120, 620,Brownie negatives and they are expensive, £170-£200, for what will probably be a one off exercise.
e.g Canon Canoscan 9000F or Epson Perfection V550
On Youtube I have seen various attempts at a DIY light source to then use a normal flat bed scanner.
Has anyone attempted this ?
I have some LED light sources and could make a pyramid type holder.
Possible buy a negative holder.
Below shows the regular holders for four slides or two x 35mm strip films or the Brownie negatives.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1423040-1401439-Holder-Assy-Film-Slide-Holder-Brownie-Epson-V500-V600-4490/131849661600?hash=item1eb2da2ca0:g:qgEAAOSwv9FXgIa5:rk:8:pf:0
£19 from China.
|
|
Off the wall idea, but I might try lighting them sufficiently to take a photo on my phone, then just choose "negative" or "invert colours" or whatever you have in the edit options to get a positive. Be good enough to at least filter the good ones out perhaps, at virtually no cost?
Last edited by: Crankcase on Sun 10 Feb 19 at 17:40
|
Thanks
Not off the wall. I will follow it up.
A Youtube clip also shows at least guy doing it so it is a good idea.
I have yet to get a smartphone so I did not follow that idea but I know both my offspring have spare phones.
|
|
I second Crankcase's suggestion, Henry, and I'd opt for a "quick and dirty" way of following it up. Tape a sheet of greaseproof paper to a window to disperse the light coming through it. Then tape some negatives to the paper and take some shots of them. You'll soon know if that's a feasible way of assessing your negatives.
|
Thanks J B.
Putting brain in gear I have a rarely used iPad that I could try.
I also have a home made light box that is about A3 size so I can spread a lot of negatives on it and experiment.
Meanwhile :-
A two tuna can solution using an iPad as a light source plus with a iPhone.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2iC76S10Jo
Amazing what is on the web :-(
A " sandwich box" approach
www.popphoto.com/gear/2011/07/how-to-scan-negatives-using-standard-scanner-0
makezine.com/2011/07/13/how-to_turn_slides_and_negativ/
|
>> I'd opt for a "quick and dirty" way
What does "quick and dirty" mean in this context and how is it derived?
|
|
I used to work in audio visual, Brompt, and we used the term "quick and dirty" for a quick bodge, usually done as an experiment.
|
|
I did a Google search too, Henry, when I saw your post, but didn't find anything as useful as those two suggestions. I like the first one and hope to try it myself during the week with a Hudl 1 tablet as the light source. It's definitely worth experimenting with his suggestion, because the easier you can make it for yourself the better. It's an incredibly boring task even if you've got the right kit.
|
A couple of motoring examples:
On holiday in a hire car, I had one of the mechanical linkages from the throttle to the carburetor come apart ( the nut fell off ). I lashed the two parts together with string which enabled me to drive to the hire company and not waste too much of my holiday.
In the old days when the rear part of an exhaust pipe rusted through and rear silencer then scraped the ground, some bailing wire, if available, or a thin metal coat hanger could be used to lash the box to the underside of the car.
Both these achieved a short term solution and allowed progress to be made but knowing that in the long term there was a " correct " way to do things.
In every day life before electronics :-)
Adding up a small column of 2 digit numbers :- Just add up the 10s will give you rough idea of the total and ensure you are not way out.
|
I've just transferred a white background picture from my PC to the Hudl, displayed it on the screen, laid a 2.25" neg on top, photographed it from above with a handheld iPhone 6s and transferred to image to my PC to be converted to positive.
The result was quite good, but, as indicated in the YouTube video, the pixels on the Hudl screen are visible and would be more intrusive with a smaller negative. That could probably be overcome with some kind of white plastic sheet laid between the Hudl screen and the negative.
More problematic though is the fact that, whilst the Hudl screen appears to be an even white to the naked eye, the iPhone camera doesn't see it that way - it's brighter in some parts than others. I think you'd probably have the same problem, Henry, if you tried to make your own light source.
|
I don't know if this kind of thing might work, or indeed if you have a Poundland near you, Henry, but Big Clive thinks this isn't a bad little lightbox with a relatively even lighting surface. Cost him £2. I expect similar is available online, maybe as a cheap experiment?
The Poundland "cinema light up box".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bWAx1H6JYA
|
Poundland seem to have finished their stock
Interestingly prices - Matalan £4 B&M £5 Amazon up to £18 or you can pay up to £24
I will start experimenting.
|
Getting positives from old odd sized negatives. - Crankcase
