A simple, inexpensive setup for scanning 35mm at home with Nikon cameras
I have been forever unable to find much feedback on using the Z9 with its full electronic shutter for film scanning with the Nikon ES-2 adapter. My primary concern was the potential banding that might occur from using a cheap LED light source with the Nikon Z9 camera which is mechanical shutter only. I finally decided I'd stop wondering and just dive in and see what I see.
In the past, I fiddled with the Negative Supply scanning kit, but found it lacking in many ways. The film being horizontal meant that dust was always landing on it after loading…it was a total pain to get the film completely square in frame which this ES-2 solves simply, and it necessitated using a copy stand for the camera which was bulky and a pain to get above.
What I use:
Nikon Z9 with FTZii F to Z adapter
Nikon F 60/2.8 G Micro - $200 used
Nikon ES-2 digitizer kit - $140
NiceVeedi LED light - $35
Zeadio tabletop tripod for light mounting - $28
You’ll also want a slew of accessories, like a rocket dust blower, anti static brush, large microfiber cloth for a working station, etc.
The main goal was to build an inexpensive yet consistent setup that I can easily run a roll through without futzing with a slow scanner. For the film-specific elements, I spent less than $200 on the hardware, which would be about 10 rolls of low quality lab scanning. I also picked up a license for the Negative Lab Pro plugin for Lightroom. The LED light is powered via USB-C so super easy to throw on the desk and get it powered through a computer port without messing with an outlet or having to charge a battery.
The Nikon ES-2
The core element of this setup is the Nikon ES-2 kit. It comes with a variety of adapters to allow you to use the DX/FX/Z macro lenses (note: the Z 105/2.8 is NOT supported as it does not have a short enough working distance).
Once the ES-2 is screwed into your lens’s filter thread, you load your cut film into the holder tray, which slides into the assembly with soft dentents. From there, you adjust the assembly forward and back to fill your camera’s frame with the negative. Negatives should be loaded with the base layer facing away from the camera, and the emulsion layer facing the camera. You’ll know you have it right if all of your pictures look backwards.
I picked a favorite shot that was digitized via a low-quality lab scan and ran it through this setup. Negative Lab Pro suggests using the WB picker tool on the edge of the film strip after importing to Lightroom, but after trying that method and comparing it to using AutoWB0 on the Z9 (which I've always found to be very accurate for whites), I've settled on simply letting the camera handle white balance and imported to LR without this extra step of WB correction. Since I had a lab scan as a control, I was able see that the only major adjustment needed was a slight warming while using the standard Negative Lab Pro color profile. For ease of use and reliability of replicating results, this was an important realization. Being able to trust NLP's profile and the camera's AWB is huge!
Lab scan
Home scan
How I shoot with this setup:
ISO 64 (or base ISO of your camera)
F8 aperture
Auto shutter speed
2 second release timer
Manual focus
Tripod mounting with VR/IBIS off
6” to 12” away from LED light
All lights turned off in the room while shooting to ensure one constant light temperature
Film loaded into holder with base layer (shiny) facing away from camera and emulsion layer (dull) facing the camera
The linked LED light has 3 warmth settings, and I use the upper setting of 6200K. I had heard it recommended to use 5500K for film scanning but I’m not sure how much that is really needed after seeing the results. I’m happy to report I notice no banding, even with the electronic shutter of the Nikon Z9. I would recommend that if you use a camera with a mechanical shutter that you use that to make sure you avoid banding completely.
The setup
During shooting
I'm finding the setup easy and painless for a price less than many modern competitors like the Negative Supply kit. I have a bit more to dial in for color accuracy but these are darn close for a first stab and less than 5 min of tweaking.
Happy shooting, and more importantly, scanning!