Scanning Medium Format Film with a 35mm Flatbed Scanner

For a long time I put off digitising my medium format negatives as I didn't have a scanner capable of handling anything more than 35mm. I tried DSLR scanning, but had mixed results. My setup wasn't ideal and it was a pain to setup each time I wanted to scan. If I had a semi-permanent setup I think things would be been better, but that was a bridge too far.

I had been happy with the 35mm results from my Epson Perfection 2400 Photo scanner, a flatbed scanner with a 35mm film strip adaptor built inside the lid. They say necessity is the mother of invention, so out of necessity (an Epson v700/v750 was out of my price range) I started making some film holders to hold medium format film strips at about the same height as the Epson holder. Around the same time I read that some users had good results scanning film directly off the glass, with an Epson similar to mine.

Epson Perfection 2400 Photo

My first tests were with Velvia slide film, and whilst the scan was sharp, there were issues with newton rings. Of course the 35mm film strip adapter in the 2400 is not wide enough to scan the entire height of medium format film in one go, but it can scan across three 6x6 frames in one pass. So with two passes and stitching the results (using Microsoft ICE), I could get a full scan of three 6x6 frames. Black and White film, specifically Ilford HP5+ and FP4+, worked much better, with no newton rings when scanning with the emulsion side down (I'm guessing the dullness of the emulsion side helps here).

Film Strip Adapter in the Scanner Lid

So with a little effort, I have been able to successfully scan many rolls of B&W medium format film this way. The Epson 2400 has an optical resolution of 2400dpi, so I scan at this resolution, even though the scanner can scan 12,800dpi with interpolation. I haven't had any large prints made from the scans, but they looks ok on screen. For slide and colour negative film, I use a makeshift holder to get the film off the glass and avoid newton rings.

Makeshift Medium Format Film Holders

I am however keeping an eye out for a second hand Epson v500/600 or even 4990, which should give similar or better results without having to make two passes. Until such time I have a workable process for getting acceptable scans without having to fork out $500+ on a new scanner.

1:1 Crop of Ilford FP4+ scanned @2400dpi on Epson 2400

Original Full Size Image (downsized after scanning)

I wanted to share this for two reasons; to provide some more detail on my workflow, but also to show that with a little lateral thinking, ingenuity and effort, workarounds can be adapted. For many years I dismissed trying to scan medium format film with the 2400 because it wasn't a medium format scanner.