How I scan my film with a DSLR.
Yes, that’s right. I use my DSLR to scan my photographic film, and you can too. A photo of a photo basically, how meta. When I first started out scanning my own film in early 2020, I was using a thrifted Plustek 7600i for my 35mm and an Epson V600 for my 120 & 4x5. While I was loving the results I was getting compared to lab scans, I always felt I could get a little more out of my negatives. Early last year, after hemming and hawing for some time, I decided to dip my toes into DSLR scanning. One roll was all it took to convince me this is what I needed to get the best of the best out of my film, and I haven’t looked back.
Now of all the different scanning options, DSLR scanning is definitely the most finicky to set up and learn. Compared to your other options, it takes the most time in fiddling with settings and equipment to get the best results. And like any scanning method, there’s a learning curve. But I’ve found it’s well worth the effort in my opinion.
The biggest benefits I’ve seen in DSLR scanning:
1. Sharpness. Compared to my Plustek & Epson Scanner, I get the sharpest results using my DSLR.
2. Grain. Now, I don’t know why, but I’ve found the grain to be the most pleasant on my DSLR scans. It’s not necessarily less grainy than other methods, but for whatever reason, DSLR scanning gives the most uniform and pleasant looking grain to my eye.
3. Dust reduction. Probably most surprising to me, my DSLR scans have noticeably less dust than when I use my Plustek or Epson. Again, I don’t know why. I always use my rocket blower no matter what scanning method I use, but my DSLR always has considerably less dust I have to clean up in post. The only thing I can surmise is perhaps there’s dust under the glass or on the optical elements on my other scanners?
4. Time efficiency. When scanning a roll of film with either my Plustek or Epson, it would take me close to an hour to get through one roll. Maybe 45 minutes if I really booked it. But with DSLR scanning I can get a whole roll done in about 15 minutes.
Unlike other scanning methods, DSLR scanning does take the most amount of equipment and possibly investment depending on what you already own.
Here is a list of everything I use:
1. Digital Camera. To state the obvious of course. Either a DSLR or Mirrorless camera will work. I use my Nikon D800, which is a full frame DSLR. Some people use crop sensors, which work great as well. I already owned my camera, so this was not an additional investment I needed to make.
2. Macro Lens. I use the Nikon Nikkor AF 60mm 2.8 macro lens. You will definitely need a macro lens for 35mm & 120. I didn’t already own one, so I nabbed mine on KEH for $160.
3. Tripod. I use an old Benro tripod I already had. I also have a really nice Gitzo tripod I use for my regular camera use, and keep this Benro tripod set to the height I need for DSLR scanning with the center column reversed so it’s less time and setup for me, though you can definitely use one tripod for all your photographic needs. If you do, I recommend making note of the tripod settings you need for scanning, to make setup smoother.
4. Geared Tripod Head. I already had a great Really Right Stuff Ball Head, but found it was quite difficult to use for DSLR scanning, as you often need to make really minute adjustments for leveling, and it was hard to get that acute control with the ball head. The Really Right Stuff stays as my main on my Gitzo for my regular camera shooting, and I grabbed a used Benro Geared Head on eBay for $130 for scanning.
5. Shutter Release. This will cut down on camera shake from using the regular shutter button on your camera, and will make things go quite quick. I didn’t already have one for my Nikon D800, so I grabbed one on Amazon for $14.
6. Light Panel. This one I already owned to light the still life scenes I like to shoot at home. The one I already owned works great, and it’s a Neewer Light Panel I had previously bought on Amazon for ~$50.
7. Film Holder. This is the piece of equipment that has given me the most grief. I have tried several different brands, and struggled with finding one that was easy to use while still holding my film secure and flat. Currently I’m using the Lobster Film Holder that can be found on Etsy for ~$100. It’s by far the simplest and best holder I have found, and I’ve been really happy with it.
8. Digital Level. You will need to make sure your camera and light panel are level both side to side & front to back. Due to the awkward shape of my camera back, a traditional level wouldn’t work. I nabbed a small digital level on Amazon for $30.
9. Rocket Blower. An essential tool to make sure you have all the dust cleared off your negatives. I already owned mine for years and have no clue how much it was, but these can easily be found on Amazon for ~$15.
Now of course, this is the equipment I found that works best for me but you might find something completely different, so don’t feel bad if you have a different line up of equipment. As I mentioned above, there’s definitely a learning curve with DSLR scanning. It took me a good amount of trial and error to find a process, setup, and way of doing things that worked best for me.
Since there’s a number of steps to DSLR scanning, it’s very easy to forget to do one. It’s happened to me a number of times where I only remembered what I missed halfway through scanning and then had the awful realization that everything I had scanned up until then was probably useless. The most common steps I forget is either leveling or forgetting to set the settings on my DSLR right. It’s very similar to shooting large format, in that you have to take your time and remember to do each step to take a good photo.
To help make sure I don’t miss any steps and I’m being deliberate in my setup, I created a checklist on my phone. Here’s a walk through of my process:
1. I start by setting up my tripod on my dining table. I have the center column upside down so my camera connects underneath.
2. I double check I have my battery and memory card in my DSLR, and review all my shooting settings. I turn off image review, set my white balance to Daylight Fluorescent so I have the same colors on all my scans, ISO to 50, and Manual exposure with Aperture of 9.5, as I’ve found that’s the sharpest aperture on my 60mm lens.
3. I lock my camera into my Geared Tripod Head and hook up my shutter release.
4. I turn on my light panel, make sure it’s set to 100% with 5200 white balance, and place it under my camera.
5. I level my camera & light panel. If the light panel needs adjustments I use paper shims I cut out to get the best level.
6. I set up my film holder with negatives and blow off any dust with my rocket blower.
7. I use the Live View setting on my DSLR. I zoom in and manual focus my lens. It’s best to have Auto Focus off so your camera isn’t moving focus on its own.
8. Start capturing negatives!
9. Once all my negatives are captured, I download them to my MacBook Pro and process in Lightroom with the Negative Lab Pro plugin for converting them to positive images.
A few final tidbits, the biggest adjustment I've had in switching to DSLR scanning is in remembering and understanding it's all on me to get good results. Flatbeds and dedicated film scanners automatically do a lot of the work for you. They're already built to be level, they focus themselves, etc. But with DSLR scanning it's really all on you to get everything right. But with practice you can do it, and you'll get it into a rhythm the more you do it.
Additionally, for my 120 film I choose to scan my frames in two halves and photo merge them in Lightroom. Some people chose to scan them all in one frame. However, to me that’s reducing your 120 negatives to the quality of a 35mm full frame sensor. I want to get a higher resolution out of 120 so I prefer my method of scanning them in halves. Similarly for my 4x5 sheets, I shoot them in quarters and photo merge in Lightroom.
Lastly, as you’re learning the DSLR scanning process, you will miss or forget things. I still forget steps from time to time. Just the other day I did a roll of 120 before realizing I had my white balance set to the completely wrong setting and had to redo it. My checklist has been a big help though in cutting down missing steps in my setup. Don’t beat yourself up. Remember you’re learning and it’s no big deal to back track and rescan some frames if need be.