Features
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Scan cut strips or full rolls of 120 film
Scans up to 6x9cm film in a single capture
Scan 6x12cm or larger film in 2 captures to easily scan panoramic formats
Scan full rolls in 60 seconds or less
Keeps film perfectly flat for sharp scans
Affordable starting point for the Negative Supply film scanning system
Works well with the Basic Riser MK1 and 4x5 Light Source Basic
Product Details
Introducing the Negative Supply Basic Film Carrier 120: The perfect tool for scanning cut strips or full rolls of 120 film quickly, easily, and affordably whether you’re at home, on the go, or in the studio!
Negative Supply has taken the wildly popular Film Carrier 120 and simplified to focus on its most important features. It is an approachable, affordable alternative for users who aren't ready to dive head-first into the complete Negative Supply system of pro offerings, while also guaranteeing great workflow and sharpness. This is the perfect addition to the Basic Film Carrier 35, rounding out the "basic" lineup of products to include medium format support.
The Basic Film Carrier 120 features a carbon fiber composite housing with a tolex-wrapped exterior, similar to that of the Basic Film Carrier 35 and 4x5 Light Source Basic, while employing a magnetic hinge mechanism a kin to the much-loved Film Carrier 120.
Utilizing a digital camera to capture your scans, most Basic Film Carrier 120 owners can utilize a digital camera they already own. Many modern digital cameras, from entry level to professional, will empower you to create beautiful film scans with this device.
Keeping your film perfectly flat with the unique magnetic hinged clamping design, the Basic Fi lm Carrier 120 allows you to scan a full length roll of film in as fast as 60 seconds. Building off the wide ecosystem of Negative Supply film scanning tools, this device is the perfect starting point for photographers of all skill levels to scan medium format film.
Background
Negative Supply designed the Basic Film Carrier 120 upon realizing a distinct need for an affordable, accessible option for easily obtaining professional medium format film scans.
Keeping enthusiasts and weekend film shooters in mind, this tool is designed to round out our "basic" lineup of film scanning tools within the Negative Supply product ecosystem. Widely requested and desired since the launch of our Basic Film Carrier 35 (BFC35), this was our obvious next step within the system.
"We aimed to introduce a tool that photographers would love using as much as their medium format film cameras. By making this device easy to use, robustly built, and affordable while guaranteeing sharp results, we're confident we've done just that."
—AJ Holmes, Co-founder & COO
Digital camera scanning is becoming popular because it’s an easy and resourceful way to scan your own work with equipment you may already have.
DSLR/Mirrorless scanning is relatively new to film, but it gives added speed, convenience, and precision for capturing frames in full detail. Modern cameras with high resolution also capture slide film with better reproduction quality and color due to CMOS sensor technology.
“After having scanned all our film for over a decade using a professional Fuji Frontier minilab scanner (essentially a Camera Scanner), Epson v750 flatbed and various others, camera scanning is finally emerging as a premium workflow solution for scanning your own work in all formats. The Negative Supply products solve many of the initial struggles of camera scanning. It is now fast and reliable with potentially higher resolution in a much smaller package and simply more efficient in nearly every way.” - Brandon Wright Creator & Co-Founder of CineStill Film
Scanning film with a digital camera is the future digitization. Speed up scanning time by capturing entire rolls and advance between frames with a high quality stainless steel drive mechanism. Each frame can be precisely centered while capturing every detail quickly and efficiently.
Camera & Lens
Camera Body
Just about any semi-modern interchangeable camera will work great for camera scanning. There are many mirrorless or DSLR options to choose from, with the most convenient offering tethered live view capture to your computer. The Canon T2i is probably the cheapest option out there with tethering and large lens selection, and new cameras like the Sony A7 series are now very affordable with great IQ. High end setups may even use the new full frame Panasonic mirrorless cameras with pixel stitching.
Macro Lens
For camera scanning, the one real requirement is that your lens focuses close enough to capture the entire frame, without having to digitally crop. For full frame cameras and capturing 35mm film, the term 1:1 designates a lens that will reproduce the 35mm frame exactly onto the full frame digital sensor. With crop bodies, 1:1 focus even closer. There are also options to use extension tubes for older macro lenses. We have had excellent results with an inexpensive Nikon 55mm macro from the film days, using a simple extension tube to get 1:1 on our full frame bodies. Higher end, yet affordable options include the excellent Sigma 70mm ART Macro. The Outside of reproduction factor (1:1), also look out for lenses that are sharp, have good color reproduction, limit internal reflections (modern coatings), and have very little vignetting. Finally, it’s generally best to use your lens stopped down 2-3 from wide open, as this gives a good combination between depth of field and brightness.
Software for Negative Conversion
There are a few plugins and standalone programs for converting negatives into positives. Some older and some newer, all of them try to harness the color science based in darkroom paper to various degrees. Many professional scanners have used LaserSoft applications or some proprietary/built-in software to emulate darkroom printing. After all, even a professional lab scanner is simply a digital camera and a light source. The applications below do the same thing for converting negatives captured with you digital camera rather than a digital camera built into a scanner. We recommend choosing the one that best suits your workflow.
