Need help with DSLR Scanning

[u/skobul]

Hello there,

Ive been scanning with a mirrorless m43 camera from the 2010 for a while, its been fine so far but the quality was never...great. I switched to a nikon d800 with the nikkor 60mm macro but finding focus is quite a hassle. No focus peaking, working with tether has been a nightmare.

How do you guys do it ? Should i invest in a better tether cable ? Is it best to just try nailing focus at f/9 and just blasting through a roll shooting with a remote shtter release cable ?

[u/Generic-Resource]

Focussing on the grain is the most important. I use vintage macro lenses and find ‘focus zoom’ to be the better method, focus peaking never seems to do what I want.

If a shutter cable is an option then do it. If your setup can be focused once and on to the next that’s great. The optimal method for speed will very much be dependent on your individual setup.

I personally use a “pre-scan” by using a cheap dedicated photoscanner and then scan only the ones I really like which makes it a bit less daunting a job.

[u/jec6613]

The few times I use a DSLR for this (I have a Coolscan), I just let the lens autofocus in live view. At least on a D850, it picks up on the grain no problem.