Using FD gear for making slide copies.

If one does not have to do batch processing, I have been lately using my FD equipment as a slide copier on to my Panasonic GX 8. So far so good. The Canon Auto Bellows was a good buy last year in mint shape with slide copier. Much improved over the old FL bellows that I used to use. Since I do not have a full frame camera I decided I could adapt the 1970s era FD 50 Macro f3.5 if I was willing to cough up 400 bucks for the Metabones Ultra which widens the angle and improves the overall sharpness ( it really works). I love working horizontal. And having a bright LCD to manual focus on via the focus rails, it gives lots of capability. Still working on lighting, So far an LED light seems the best bet, with its supplied diffuser. I tried a slide table and it is too warm and too dim frankly. Now, i would not compare this to a drum scanner or industrial quality, but there is satisfaction in playing piece by piece with old but goo chromes, Blow them off and wipe gently with film tissue. And some plug in later on for dust removal. Or healing brush as you like.

For the resurrection crew of PN I submit a couple photos .

Oh and the result. From a 23X24 mm original chrome stereo chip of 1963, San Diego's Mission Bay Park..

An interesting approach. Your GX8 has a micro 4/3 processor, so the setup you've come up with obviously works well with it. It had never occurred to me to use a focal reducer with bellows such that a format smaller than 35mm could be used. I'm familiar with the Canon Auto Bellows with Slide Duplicator, and the Canon 50mm f/3.5 macro. I owned both back in the 80s and used them for duping slides, among other things. These days I have a Nikon PB-4/PS-4 setup, but I haven't tried using it for duping slides with my APS-C digital because I would get crops.

 

I do a lot of slide duplication but I use a dupe rig I've cobbled together that lets me get 1:1 reproductions with my APS-C camera. At the heart of my dupe rig is a 55mm f/2.8 Micro Nikkor and it does a good job. But it would be interesting using a focal reducer with my PB-4/PS-4 with an APS-C camera and seeing if I can get down to 1:1 with perhaps another lens. I'm thinking about buying a focal reducer anyway, although not a Metabones. Too pricey for me. Actually, I've just been waiting until I can afford a full-frame digital camera so I can use my PB-4/PS-4 for shooting dupes. But until then, the setup I have works well. Here are a few:

 

http://michaelmcbroom.com/images/lolat332massaged.jpg

 

http://michaelmcbroom.com/images/lighthouse.jpg

 

 

http://michaelmcbroom.com/images/hawaiiships.jpg

I actually considered buying a used full frame Canon just for duplicating but then I would need an FD to EOS tube anyway. And I justify the Metabones Focal Reducer because I have quite a few oldie but goodie FD lenses. I am impressed with the quality of the optics and build on this item. Arguably costly, but in the long run worth it. I have read that other companies are making focal reducers with mixed results in resolution. The Metabones is an item that actually improves the curves on the original good FD lenses. You have some nice images with your cobbled rig. I have tons and tons of old slides. Some are nice enough to play with. gs

Whatever the equipment used, careful cleaning of the target slide (or negative for that matter) before reproducing is the biggest single time-saver.

 

Some people here seem to like the automatic "noise reduction" software, but surely they must be only posting at less than 2000 ppi. In any case, clean first and then "spot" manually in Photoshop (or whatever) as you say.