Nikon ES-2 Copy Attachment Arrive!

The Nikon ES-2 Slide/Film copy attachment I ordered last August finally arrived. I haven't had time to put it to use, but that will come shortly.

Unlike the ES-1, which is all metal, the ES-2 is plastic, but very precisely molded. The basic holder fits a 52 mm filter thread and has a sliding section for focus and alignment. There are also two 62 mm adapters, short for an AF-S 60 macro and long for an AF-D 60 mm Macro. The film holders are also plastic, but with a very precise look and feel.

At first glance, it is at least 1/4" too short to work on an older 55/2.8 Micro-Nikkor. It is designed to work on a 40mm macro. A 52-62 filter adapter would be required, or one or more Nikon "K" 52 mm extension tubes.

While I am comfortable that I have the necessary adaptors, "K" extensions have been long discontinued. If you have a 40mm or one of the 60 mm lenses mentioned above, you are golden.

Now to survive May and all of the short deadlines my recording business entails.

"At first glance, it is at least 1/4" too short to work on an older 55/2.8 Micro-Nikkor."

- Sounds like the telescoping arrangement isn't too generous then.

If it really is only a matter of 1/4", then a couple of old 52mm filters with the glass taken out and screwed together should offer enough extension. Or maybe the 52/62 step-up ring coupled to a 62/52 step-down.

All plastic construction eh? And how much are they asking?

Incidentally, the old ES-E28 I bought and adapted was mainly of metal construction. However, the film holder that came with it was identical to one marketed under the cheap Aico brand. Even the moulding and stamping marks matched, as did the hinge-wire material. I can't see Aico sub-contracting to Nikon, so it's most likely the other way round.

And why has it taken Nikon 9 months to get this over-hyped gizmo onto the market?

It took close examination before I determined it was plastic and not metal. It thin yet very stiff, probably the same material Nikon uses in their lenses. The base unit is designed for a 40 mm micro Nikkor, DX format, which means the ultimate magnification is 1:1.5 not 1:1, which also allows AF to be used. This, together with the deep inset of the objective in this lens, means less extension is necessary. The adjustment range is only slightly less than that of the ES-1, but the overall length is shorter

I have other film strip holders. Although much cheaper, they are thicker, wider and much less precise than the holder which came with the ES-2. I have several hundred rolls of film, printed once, never scanned, which I hope to archive digitally. I think the ES-2 will be reliable and easy to use once set up, and no gaffer tape will be needed. It is pricey, but so are holders for Nikon scanners. 3+3 strip holders for a Nikon LS-4000/5000 are selling for $250 on eBay. In a pinch, the film holders will work on my Novoflex copy setup, with any macro lens (mine are 55, 90, 105 and 120).

I'm just reporting my observations as objectively as possible. I will have more time next month to experiment.People will have to decide for themselves whether it meets their needs and budget.

"The base unit is designed for a 40 mm micro Nikkor, DX format, which means the ultimate magnification is 1:1.5 not 1:1,.."

- Hang on! Wasn't the ES-2 designed to be used with the full-frame D850?

So what use is it if it only goes to 1:1.5?

Hang on! Wasn't the ES-2 designed to be used with the full-frame D850?

So what use is it if it only goes to 1:1.5?

That is true, but the D850 (or other FF Nikon) and an AFS or AFD 60 mm micro-Nikko, which have a 62 mm filter thread. The ES-2 base has a 52 mm thread, intended for use with a 40 mm DX micro. I mentioned that at the beginning of this thread.

With a DX camera (and the 40 mm lens), you only need 1:1.5 magnification to cover the entire frame of the film or slide. Nor do you need as much extension as with a longer lens, even though the lower the magnification, the more extension is needed in front of the lens.

You can't assume all 60 mm macro lenses will behave the same either. The AFD adapter is a simple 65-62 mm step-up ring, whereas the AFS adapter, also 52-62 mm, is about 2" long. The AFD lens focuses to 1:1 by extending the front of the lens, whereas the AFS lens shortens the focal length internally, with a shorter focusing helix.

In order to focus at 1:1 with a 55/2.8 Micro-Nikkor on an FX camera, it is necessary to insert a K4 extension ring (~ 0.5") between the lens and ES-2 base unit. At 1:1, the lens is fixed at full extension and focusing is accomplished with the sliding tube on the copier. The K4 extension gives you a focusing range of 0.91x to 1.0x. At 91% coverage, you can capture is the visible frame as masked by a cardboard mount, and tune focusing using the helix on the lens, or AF, if applicable.

The film holders slide smoothly, with a slight detent at each station. This should eliminate crooked frames and the need for fine tuning of the position. The locking screw holds tightly enough to prevent accidental changes in length or angle.

https://www.amazon.com/Photo-Plus-Diameter-Extension-Spacer/dp/B009VPPZ4Q/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1525464371&sr=1-2&keywords=52+mm+extension+rings

Nikon "K" threaded extension tubes are extinct. I managed to find a set at KEH several years ago. The item in the link above comes in 7, 14, and 28 mm lengths, and appears to be well made. The Nikon K tubes come with a reversing ring and an adaptor for coupling two Nikon lenses end-to-end. There are alternate sources for these items as well.

As per Ed, above.

These are eBay items.

On a somewhat related issue, strangely enough, I had to settle for a Nikon PB-4 instead of the Spiratone Bellowsmat™ I really wanted. o_O

"I had to settle for a Nikon PB-4 instead of the Spiratone Bellowsmat™ I really wanted."

- I bet you were gutted J.D.

Having to settle for the limited swing of the PB-4, and unable to point the lens sideways into the folds of the bellows; so frustrating!

Anyhow, I'm pretty happy with my old all-metal (well, apart from the plastic diffuser) Sunagor film/slide copier attachment. And no, it's not the crappy all-in-one device with a built-in lens. It attaches to the front of a macro lens like the ES-1/2. All it lacks is a film-strip holder. The negative-stage is at a different distance from the slide-holder. A bit of a nuisance, but nothing that can't be overcome.

Thanks for the ebay links. Nice to know that those K ring clones are still available.

I'm sure there are other slide copying attachments comparable to the Nikon. However it's the only one I've seen which does all I need without jerry-rigging. There is at least one slide copier at Amazon, which appears to be made well (all metal). It has an achromatic +10 diopter, which unscrews, leaving a 67 mm threaded tube. It does not have a film strip adapter, so it handles only slides.

Before digital, there were many options, good and bad, for copying slides. Even with dedicated color copy film the results were pretty grim. For that matter, commercial slide copies were not all that great either. At some point in time most disappeared, and only reappeared in a high quality version with the Nikon ES-1 after digital cameras with 24 MP and became common. About the same time, dedicated film scanners, like the Nikon LS series), were discontinued, along with a vanishing market for film.

Bellows attachments are still available too, ranging from a $50 Fotodiox to a $3300 Novoflex with a Schneider 90 mm APO technical lens ($1500 separately), and tilt-shift action. Unless your goal is extreme closeups (for which you also need a reversing adapter), you must find a 90 mm lens which can be detached from the focusing mount (e.g., Summicron 90/2), or a technical lens like the Schneider. The Novoflex version is expensive, but built like a studio view camera, like a Sinar X.

Novoflex BALPRO Tilt/Shift Bellows Set for Leica BPTS-90-LEM B&H

".... you must find a 90 mm lens which can be detached from the focusing mount.."

- Or just a good quality enlarging lens, such as a Schneider Componon-S or Rodenstock Rodagon, which can be picked up for comparative peanuts.

Most 6 element enlarging lenses have near zero distortion and as flat a field as you can find.