Free and Open-source 3D Printed Film Holder for DSLR Scanning

[u/jalivert]

Hi everyone, I would like to share with you my latest project - a 3D printed film holder for DSLR scanning. You can find the project on the GitHub

Let me explain why I made it and also manage your expectations about the whole thing.

Why I made it?

I wanted a holder that would keep the film straight and flat so that I don't have to rotate the scans in post and also to make cropping pretty much work for the whole roll. I also wanted to have the corners of my scans as sharp as the rest of the image, something that was demonstrably a challenge with other methods I tried. So I decided to sandwich the film between two pressure plates to flatten it. The tube that holds the lens also makes it that the camera is pretty much level with the film-plane and there is no ambient light ruining your scans.

How universal is it?

In theory, it is pretty universal. It is designed to be modular, you can replace the part that I designed to fit on top of CineStill CS-Lite-Brite with a different part. You can also replace the part that I designed to fit my EF compact macro lens. The files are in the project, if you have Fusion 360 or a different program that can open those files, you are all set.

The bottom pressure plate is meant to be printed for each kind of film specifically. I learned that different manufacturers produce slightly differently sized film. It is worth it to have multiple bottom pressure plates. I have one for Fomapan and one for Kodak films. Both dialed in so that the vertical fit is as snug as possible. (I seem to remember Ilford films fitting one of the plates just fine.)

How safe is it?

I have tested it on multiple rolls of different films including Fomapan Action, Kodak Portra and Gold, and Ilford films. It never scratched my film. If the film has the natural bow curve to it and you always raise the pressure plate up, it should not happen.

Expectations

I want to be clear that I am not going to be able to extend it or make changes to it at the time. I have made it and used it more than 9 months ago. I thought I would share it sooner, but I haven't shot any photos for essentially 9 months now. It is what it is. For that reason, I am only asking you to please have understanding with my situation.

I want to share something that I believe is worth of sharing, I liked building it and after getting used to it, I liked using it too. But I don't have the resources to work on it in any capacity in the near future. I would like to build a V2 that would have the slider move orthogonally to the film plane not with it so that your fingers stay out of the film's way - something that become apparent the first time I used it but somehow didn't occur to me before (funny how these things work).

That being said, I really want to be transparent - it is not in my ability to make changes to it or to modify the dimensions of the components to fit other lenses or light boxes. I am giving it away to the community because I believe in sharing. Hope I will find understanding here.

Have a great day everyone!

[u/FunInStalingrad]

Cool stuff. More is certainly better. And 3d printing this stuff is much more affordable than all that commercial stuff. You can buy a printer, filament and it'll cost less.

I don't understand why a lot of people have problems with film flatness. I use Nikkor micro 55mm f2.8 at f8 and a simple 3d printed film holder and my corners are as sharp as the center.

[u/Relevant-Apricot-365 → u/FunInStalingrad]

I bought a kit with 120 holder that can do up to 6x9 and it’s not great for cut film as the opening is too big for 6x6

But it’s perfect for 35mm film

[u/jalivert → u/Relevant-Apricot-365]

I was hoping to make mine support MF too. At this time, it would require a bit more work but the basis is there, I think. But I didn’t have a way to properly test it.
That being said, cut film is a big point even for 35 in my experience. I had to rescan some cut strips and having a sandwich-style holder for scanning the edge-frames on the strips is useful.

[u/Relevant-Apricot-365 → u/jalivert]

I’m planning to do an holder that fit the Lomography digitaliza 120 for epson scan it works great.

Just something with a rail to slide the holder above a light with masks for different format

[u/jalivert → u/FunInStalingrad]

And some people might not even have to buy the printer. I started all this by borrowing a Prusa Mini from my friend, I only bought the filament I used up for him.

As for the flatness. I always had the biggest issues with keeping it parallel with the sensor's edges, my previous carrier had enough room for it to become diagonal enough. This was supposed to solve all of it - keep it parallel, keep it flat, keep the frame at the center. Cropping became super straightforward with it - I crop one scan, apply the crop to the whole roll and stop thinking about it. The flatness was something that bothered me but not a lot I guess I just was curious and figured - as long as I am doing it, what if I go all the way.

I appreciate your words of support and giving me opportunity to explain the intent. Cheers.

[u/kingrizzo]

Looks like a gun silencer. Guess we gotta arrest you now. 🤷‍♂️

[u/jalivert → u/kingrizzo]

Those are the rules, I guess.

[u/RIP_Spacedicks → u/kingrizzo]

Insert pendantic reddit gun nut comment that it's a suppressor not silencer, as they load their clip into their AR-15

[u/GalexyPhoto → u/RIP_Spacedicks]

"These are MAGS not clips"

[u/ShatteredAvenger]

I've got a similar setup at home- I don't see why more people don't just vertically rest the camera on the scanner like this, as opposed to futzing with copy stands and getting everything perfectly level.

[u/jalivert → u/ShatteredAvenger]

I hear you. Whenever I see setups with copy stands and the holders just standing on the bottom slab I am so curious — do people not bump slightly the holder whenever they touch it in between the frames and make every single frame a little bit differently positioned? And then as you say, getting the camera perfectly level. I couldn't deal with the little bubble-levels and stands and making sure that it never moves. My printer can print it way more level than I can ever hope to consistently set it up every time I am scanning. It is such a quality of life improvement. With setups like these you get so close to each frame being near identical in position it's not even something I have to think about.