We provide
film-scanning systems based on high-res cameras for many of the most respected Cultural Heritage institutions in the world.
I don't think our system is right for you. It's meant for mass-digitization projects (>100,000 pieces of film) or as an accessory to our
RGC180 copy stand. It wouldn't make sense in your use. But having worked on the R+D team and having trained many institutions I can speak with some experience on digitizing film with a photographic camera. Here are some considerations:
- vibration matters, a LOT. If you digitize a 6cm with a D800, 7360 pixels then each pixel will represent 8 microns of film. If the camera vs. film 4 microns during the exposure you'll find the sharpness is meaningfully effected. Even with strobe you'll want to do everything you can to reduce vibration. Mirror up, electronic release, heavy tripod (or preferably camera stand or copy stand), tight tripod mount (ours uses a proprietary four-point-mount which is an inch wide). Our system was built without a mirror, without a focal plane shutter, and with a electronic shutter which is meant for longevity and low vibration rather than maximum speed, but for us flash was not an option as it becomes highly problematic to have an operator exposed to many flashes per minute for an 8 hour shift.
- focus and aperture matter, a LOT. You'll be very challenged vis-a-vis film flatness and aperture selection. Remember that *effective* aperture is different than *marked* aperture when dealing with macro photography. You may select f/8 on the lens, but at macro distances your diffraction will behave as if you are using f/11 or even higher (depending on level of magnification, see my
extreme-macro article for the formula and detailed explanation). So you'll need to keep your aperture closer to wide open than usual, and DOF at a wider aperture at macro distances can be razor thin.
- lens sharpness matters, a LOT. Finding a lens which is equally sharp across the frame at the apertures required for non-diffracted capture was not easy for us. We settled on the Schneider 120mm APO Digitar. It allows us to image at f/7 or so and get equally sharp corners at our 60mp or 80mp capture. I don't have experience with that Nikon lens, but if it's possible for you to test it before committing to purchase I'd suggest it. We went through some "legendary" lenses before finding one that worked for us. Granted we are working with some challenging/strict image-performance metrics such as those provided in the
FADGI guidelines. But even if you're not being that careful, I'd imagine you want the film grain to be as clearly defined in the corner as in the center, otherwise any large prints will look like when you used to have the enlarger slightly out of alignment.
Our use-case is to replace slow, aging and difficult-to-service drum scanners in an environment where extremely valuable film is being digitized en-masse. So your requirements may not be that strict. I guess the purpose of my post is to:
1) tell you doing this at very high quality is absolutely possible
2) warn you that doing so is more challenging than you might think
3) encourage you to test the gear you're considering if possible before committing to purchase
