Part 1. Using Vlads Test Targets to Fine-Tune Film Scanning Rig So you decided to scan your film yourself. These days this  is quite a common and wise decision. You either decided to convert the priceless shots in your film archive or you just started your journey as a film photographer and want to share your best (and worst :-) ) shots with friends and mentors. You have to convert your film shots into digital form and be able to share them with a  click. The task is not new and since at least 20 years ago was widely available everywhere - from chain pharmacies to professional photo labs.   The option to save money has always existed  - you would buy your own scanner and off would you go. Many folks went that route and got lost. The time it would take to scan a few frames or a roll of film was anywhere from 10 minutes to hours. Paying extra 7-10 bucks for scanning was no longer such a costly proposition.  Fast forward to present times.  The landscape has completely changed. Photo Labs

 New batch of targets has finally came into the being. Few improvements are worth noting - first one is the set of four Siemens stars to help with the focusing and the second new feature - "in-picture" resolution chart , so you may assess the film scanning resolution right away ( though I don't recommend to delve into resolution too much as there are many other factors which affect film scans quality). The chart below is now incorporated into the image so one can assess resolution without looking up for USAF 1951 numbers Here is the actual scan of a frame during the development. Valoi 135 holder, Schneider-Kreuznach  5.6/100 mm lens at F11, Canon EOS R.

I have a customer who is going to use @VladsTestTarget to calibrate the height of  Epson V850 flatbed scanner's film holders.  Hope that will be helpful to other folks too. Here is the question and below is my answer.   Q. "I am ordering this target to calibrate the height of my Epson V850 flatbed scanner film holders. Currently I am not satisfied with my film holder height adjustment attempts. I seems to unable to reach the peak of sharpness. My type 120 slides are all tack sharp on the light table with 6x loupe, but not so in the scanned output. Once I load test target in my scanner, I will evaluate a series of scans at different settings with my naked eye on my computer screen. One thing I am afraid of now is that I may not notice differences among 10~20(?) scans. I can narrow down the short list, but I am afraid I can hardly pinpoint which one or two scans are the absolute best in terms of sharpness. How can test targets help?" A.  Dear fellow digitizer! Please review

When scanning film with a digital camera there are only two absolute musts in regards of captured image: it  should be uniformly sharp and focused from the edge to the edge.  Those two qualities can only be achieved when:  the film holder is absolutely parallel to the camera's sensor plane (and keeps film absolutely flat) and you need a lens which is capable of faithfully reproducing your image at 1:1   scale ( or around that value depending on the camera sensor size and film format)    The first requirements can be achieved by carefully positioning and fine-tuning the camera so that when the image to be captured is in focus, it neatly fills the camera frame, and the center and all the corners are equally sharp. The "Vlads Test Target" (Google it!)   has been designed specifically to allow visual control and the best alignment detection. The Vlads Test Target film strips are so sharp that even the slightest loss of focus causes image edges in the digital camera to b

In this innovative offering, the ten USAF 1951 test patterns are strategically placed throughout the 24x36mm film frame - one in the center, and the others scattered across sides and corners. This unique arrangement facilitates a comprehensive evaluation of the sharpness and focus across an entire negative or transparency/slide in one shot.  P hotographers can now accurately evaluate the performance of their lenses and camera systems across the whole frame. This is particularly advantageous for detecting any discrepancies or weaknesses in image quality, which might typically go unnoticed with conventional  single-pattern USAF 1951 target needing to be moved in camera field of view. Clean, nice, sharp corners make or break the great scanned image    Welcome to www.film4ever.digital - the home of  USAF 1951 Resolution Chart on real 35 mm and 120 film aka Vlads Test Target ! New 35 mm targets with extra Siemens stars (2021) Read here how I myself  use my test targets for film camera scan

The countdown to New Year’s has started, and speaking of countdowns… there’s only one easy way to cook... mm to scan all your film before you pop your champagne open! Here is the recipe and some pictures. INGREDIENTS 1 DSLR camera (can be be substituted with mirrorless) 1 Macro Lens - Sigma 70 mm Art DG is recommended 1 Benro Geared Head 1 Lens coral 1 "Pixl-latr film holder" 1 6x6 cm glass mirror 1 Flashlight with an extension cable 1 tripod with geared central column 1 remote control or tethering cable 1 (optioanal) camera battery powered from USB source 10 SD cards 3 frames "Vlads Test Target" 0.5 yard of masking tape 1 bottle of Champagne Madame Clicquot - can be substituted with 2L bottle of Coke or Pepsi Preparation time: 15 minutes Scanning time: from 12 am Jan 1 till no film to digitize left. INSTRUCTIONS For the holder: Assemble Pixl-latr film holder as shown, install legs and diffuser. Affix Pixl-latr film holder with the masking tape to the large piece of

So here is my scan rig tuning workflow if anyone cares: Aligning camera and film holder with the  Vlads test target as generator of the test image. The picture is to grab you attention. I used to see it often on my TV when I was 7 years old and was waiting to watch my favorite animated movies which would open the broadcast at 4 o'clock Moscow time . Prepare your scanning rig - whether it's a copy stand or camera bellows with vintage film holder from Nikon, Canon, Minolta, etc. I will assume that camera and lens are able to slide forth and back in relation to a film holder. Ideally you should use micro-focusing rail. Having Arca-swiss clamp sliding on the rail is possible but you will discover that when you start tightening the clamp once focus is achieved, the image will jump by 1-2 mm - pretty significant and irritating shift given overall frame size.    Keep the film gate empty. Adjust lights, mask out stray light, optionally tether your camera to the computer and connect you

Read this post first and then go to  https://www.etsy.com/shop/SilverKnits and see if any targets suit your needs.

 The central part of the chart has been changed: instead of the "black hole" another USAF 1951 pattern has been placed right in the center of the capture area. Along with it there are number of square QR codes of different sizes. The smallest one still resolvable by a QR reader should be the measure of resolution. Each QR code encodes web address (URL) pointing to the individual web page on site https://www.film4ever.info . That page will eventually contain information about the specific resolution once the value is crowd-sourced from fellow digitizers like you. More details will be added soon.   The QR code online reader ( not affiliated with Vlads test target  ) is located    https://demo.dynamsoft.com/DBR/BarcodeReaderDemo.aspx  but other sites can and should be used as they may use different technologies to recognize QR codes. You may simply drug-and-drop the central part of the scanned negative to this site and observe which QR codes get resolved and click the link on th