Using a linear stage from Thorlabs and some basic metalwork I can now accurately position a digital camera or just the lens to line up with the camera.
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A bit of tweaking to get the relay lens bellows to fit. All that needs doing now is take up motor electrics, then I’m ready to try some film to film tests.
During tests very annoyingly the Nikon remote release socket stopped working and the camera needs to go off for repair. Having digital preview is useful for predicting problems for later film>film work and for digitising friends work BUT my whole artistic project is about using a |film > film > projector| workflow so the more I gear up for that the better. Digitising becomes another distraction. You end up fucking around in editors, compiling and rendering things. The quick spectacle of seeing video clips (ok I’ve posted a few) starts to take over.
The creative potential of unexplored techniques like ‘shadow’ printing (my invented process that dodges and burns during contact printing) can never be moved along if Im always scanning and playing with video.
I did some light level tests also. The LED array Ive been using for some scans is WAY dimmer than the halogen 11ov lamp. Although its whiter and cleaner it may well not work for film.
Is there such a thing as a digital contact print? ie a scanning process that does not ‘image’ via a lens but instead lays the film upon the sensor?
Also been looking at telecentric lenses for the Oxberry. These lenses offer a very accurate profile and were the types of lenses used in ILMs quad printer and the printers that Richard Edlund built at Boss the Zoom Aerial Printer and the Super Printer, both 70mm.