The Valoi Easy 35 v2 camera scanning system

I recently bought myself the Valoi Easy 35 camera scanning system and have written a couple of blog posts giving some history of my scanning journey to date, and also some initial thoughts on the Easy 35 and the world of DSLR scanning.

Part 1 here: https://steelcitysnapper.wordpress....y-scanning-system-part-1-the-journey-to-date/

Part 2 here: https://steelcitysnapper.wordpress....g-system-part-2-the-chosen-solution-revealed/

Interesting, I'll read your blog posts later.

Nice, good to see some real world non spin yt reviews, some 60mm macros on ffordes at the moment so might with worth the punt with my nikon

FishyFish said:

I recently bought myself the Valoi Easy 35 camera scanning system and have written a couple of blog posts giving some history of my scanning journey to date, and also some initial thoughts on the Easy 35 and the world of DSLR scanning.

Part 1 here: https://steelcitysnapper.wordpress....y-scanning-system-part-1-the-journey-to-date/

Part 2 here: https://steelcitysnapper.wordpress....g-system-part-2-the-chosen-solution-revealed/

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I'm looking to take the plunge, and after some research have decided that camera scanning is the way to go.
@FishyFish are you still as happy now, a few months down the line. I really like the look of the Valoi system.
My bank account needs to take a bit of breather after going a bit mad with some 35mm gear, so I'm probably looking to buy in a month or so.

Same, but looking at the 120 system for the negs and slides from my M645 system....

Chris_911 said:

I'm looking to take the plunge, and after some research have decided that camera scanning is the way to go.
@FishyFish are you still as happy now, a few months down the line. I really like the look of the Valoi system.
My bank account needs to take a bit of breather after going a bit mad with some 35mm gear, so I'm probably looking to buy in a month or so.

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welshwizard645 said:

Same, but looking at the 120 system for the negs and slides from my M645 system....

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Yes, I'm still really happy with it. It's fast and produces great results. If I had to nitpick, it would be the following points (which may be down to my own use and equipment, rather than the system).

First, I find that my lens focus shifts slightly between shots. It's only a tiny amount, but can be enough to knock the film grain a little out of focus making the results slightly softer, so I tend to use Live View to check and adjust focus for every frame. I'm not sure of the cause - possibly the surface I have my camera on transmits vibration from the mirror-slap of my DSLR when I fire the shutter and this moves the focus very slightly? Regardless, even with checking the focus each frame, the process is still vastly faster than any dedicated scanner - a full 36exp roll in ten mins.

Second, while I get very good results and can easily focus on the film grain (and I'm reliant on the LCD of my 10 year old D810 to do so), I have noticed that frames can be slightly softer at the edges than in the centre. It might be down to no lens being as sharp at the edges than in the centre, even the two very good macro lenses I have access to (a Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM, and a Nikon AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED), but it is noticeable sometimes on some "scans", whereas my Reflecta Proscan would have uniform sharpness edge-to-edge. Again, this could be due to my setup and technique, and it's not noticeable in every shot. Also, this is only noticeable if I pixel peep and zoom in at high resolution. In normal viewing it's unnoticeable. It also seems to be less noticeable on grainier films, so could be down to me not focusing effectively on finer grained stocks.

I'm waay too nitpicky, I think.

You can see all my uploaded scans using the Valoi Easy 35 v2 here, all of which can be viewed at silly resolutions.


There's also a Valoi Easy 35 group on Flickr where you can see other people's results:

@FishyFish thank you!
I'm going to order as soon as I have funds.

Interesting read and thanks for linking your blog.
I own a beautiful Olympus 35 RD and have yet to finish my 36 exposures!

welshwizard645 said:

Same, but looking at the 120 system for the negs and slides from my M645 system....

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I tried both at the Photography Show (briefly). The 120 one is, unsurprisingly, massive compared to the 35 (but does 135 as well as 120).

ChrisR said:

I tried both at the Photography Show (briefly). The 120 one is, unsurprisingly, massive compared to the 35 (but does 135 as well as 120).

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My dumb self literally ready your post and thought "why would it be bigger?"

is the v2 only 35mm at the moment? Also need a 120 solution as the negs are not flat enough in the holders of my 4990 flat bed and its a right faff as well

thedistrictline said:

is the v2 only 35mm at the moment? Also need a 120 solution as the negs are not flat enough in the holders of my 4990 flat bed and its a right faff as well

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Yes, only 135. It's possible that a v2 120 version is in the works, but nothing has been announced

I'm on the verge of placing my oder.

Can anyone advise if these two items are necessary or not please?:
- the precision framing helicoid?
- Vlad's test targets?

@FishyFish ?

Thanks in advance

Chris_911 said:

I'm on the verge of placing my oder.

Can anyone advise if these two items are necessary or not please?:
- the precision framing helicoid?
- Vlad's test targets?

@FishyFish ?

Thanks in advance

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I don't have the framing helicoid. It allows precision framing of the negative on the sensor area, but I've not found it necessary. When using my Sigma 105mm macro lens I can get a pretty much exact framing using the supplied extension tubes. If I use my 60mm Micro Nikkor then the neg is either a bit too big, or a bit too small on the sensor but, as it's a 36mp camera I'm not worried about cropping in (and I already use the camera's crop mode to reduce the resolution anyway). I would suggest just using the extension tubes that come with the kit and then decide if it's worth the extra cost.

I did buy a set of Vlad's Test Targets (separately), but I don't think those are necessary either. They allow you to see how well your lens is focusing across the frame with a controlled image and configure the focus if the tubes are not perfectly aligned, but you don't need them to use the Easy 35 and can check the grain on the camera screen by eye.

So, basically, both are probably helpful in some situations, but not necessary to scan your film. Depends how much of a perfectionist you are.

FishyFish said:

I don't have the framing helicoid. It allows precision framing of the negative on the sensor area, but I've not found it necessary. When using my Sigma 105mm macro lens I can get a pretty much exact framing using the supplied extension tubes. If I use my 60mm Micro Nikkor then the neg is either a bit too big, or a bit too small on the sensor but, as it's a 36mp camera I'm not worried about cropping in (and I already use the camera's crop mode to reduce the resolution anyway). I would suggest just using the extension tubes that come with the kit and then decide if it's worth the extra cost.

I did buy a set of Vlad's Test Targets (separately), but I don't think those are necessary either. They allow you to see how well your lens is focusing across the frame with a controlled image and configure the focus if the tubes are not perfectly aligned, but you don't need them to use the Easy 35 and can check the grain on the camera screen by eye.

So, basically, both are probably helpful in some situations, but not necessary to scan your film. Depends how much of a perfectionist you are.

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@FishyFish many thanks for taking the time to reply.
I'll forego those extras for now, which makes the price much more palatable!