How To Copy 35mm Film with DSLR Camera

Updated 30/08/2010 – I have now written my step by step guide on scanning negative film

Updated 16/09/2010 – Please see my colour and black and white negative copy results pages

I describe how to incorporate film into a digital workflow

Last year I decided to experiment with a film camera and purchased a Nikon FM3a. The camera produces excellent results, but there is the problem of incorporating the film images into my otherwise completely digital workflow.

After googling the issue which many other film photographers have faced I read several web articles about using Digital SLRs to capture developed film, utilising macro lenses. I own a Nikkor 105mm 2.8 Micro lens and a Nikon D300, so I set about photographing my 35mm films so that I could store them with the remainder of my digital workflow.

I find that captured images of my slides actually retain the properties of the slide film rather well, the limitations of the DSLR (dynamic range for example) are minimised because the capture is being taken in such a controlled environment.

My Copying Setup

Other sites recommend utilising a dedicated light source such as a light box behind the film to be captured, with the Digital SLR secured on a mount pointed towards the film. I don’t. I have a perfectly good light table with configurable colour temperature… my computer’s monitor!

• I make sure that the computer monitor is setup with a white background – such as an empty Google homepage – behind the film to be copied.
• I attach my home-made slide / negative copy adaptor

This is the Toilet Roll Tube Copy Jig, note the seperate piece at the end which is cut to accept slides and may be swapped as required

• I setup the camera pointing at the monitor’s white background, and take a custom white balance shot to ensure a neutral colour balance in the final capture – The camera may be mounted on an old book, or on a mini tripod, whatever works best for you.
• I place the slide film in to the toilet roll jig – in front of the white computer monitor.
• I arrange the film so that a very small border (say 1mm) is visible around the film.
• I set the camera to fire on a 10 second timer to minimise camera shake, and ensure that the viewfinder is covered to prevent the open viewfinder affecting the camera’s exposure measurements.
• I dim the surrounding room by either turning off the lights or shutting the curtains.
• With the camera on Aperture Priority mode Aperture of F22 or higher, I press the shutter release and stand clear to minimise shake.
• The exposure can be as long as 2 seconds.
• Once set up, it should take less than 30mins to have excellent quality copies of your slides.
  

  This is the photo of a slide captured from the North Bridge in Edinburgh

• I open the RAW files in Adobe Lightroom for colour balance editing, sharpening & cropping.
  

  The same slide - processed in Lightroom

Above you can see that the slide has benefit from being processed in Adobe Lightroom.  The same effect can be reproduced in Photoshop or freely using the GIMP.  There was a slight red tone to the clouds in the original slide capture that has been removed.

The areas of the original photo that were sharp remain pin sharp in my macro photo of the slide.  Take a look at the 100% crop below and see just how sharp the results are.

This image shows just how sharp the slide copy is

When walking around a place I visit regularly such as Edinburgh, I prefer the compact form factor of my Fm3a, combined with the fact that film makes you think before you shoot.  Using my DSLR to capture the slides taken on one of my short visits; at no additional cost; gives me complete control over my photographs via my normal digital workflow.  Anyone who has had a disappointing film scan from a photo lab will appreciate the high quality of the output that is possible using equipment that they already have available.

The following sites are great references for more of the same information: Print Head, Simple Slide Copy Jig, Macro Lens & Tripod, Toilet Tube Macro Photography