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Response to Help-In transparency hell!

from Alan Gibson (gibson.al@mail.dec.com)
There are a number of techniques for transferring an image from 35mm film to 35mm film. These include contact printing, using an enlarger, using a camera, or re-photographing a print. Probably the simplest is to use a camera. You need a "slide copyer", which holds film or slides in place, in front of a piece of opal glass. A macro lens and bellows, or similar, and an SLR. You can then crop the picture as you go.

The biggest dust problem is liable to be on the original film. I use a camel-hair brush and a loupe. Brush the film, then use the loupe to examine the neg against the light. Also orient the neg to get light bouncing off the surface (so the surface looks white); this will show up other dust. Then brush off each bit of dust. This only take a couple of minutes per negative, but a quick ten-second brush isn't enough.

Each neg must be brushed just before photographing it.

A normally exposed and developed negative of a normal scene will give a density range (on B&W film) of about 2.0, which corresponds to about 7 stops. By a nice coincidence, this is about the same as a "normal" scene, so it should photograph nicely. However, if the original neg has a wider range of tones, you should reduce the contrast of the copying film (basically, over-expose and under-develop). Conversly, a thinner original will need an increased contrast for the copy film (under-expose and over-develop), but this is less likely.

If you were copying colour slide film with colour slide film, you would have to use other tricks to control contrast. But with B&W film, you can readily control it with development.

I've never needed to photograph colour negative film. I suspect this is inherently lower contrast than B&W film, in which case you would have to increase the contrast of the copy film.

(posted 9545 days ago)

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