This is the first part of a multi-part series (maybe) on a product I have been wanting to make for a long time. With all the film I’ve been scanning from our Iceland trip, it seemed like a good time to tackle this as it has been on my radar for some time.
It might not look like much, but it is the first large-ish test print for what I hope to become a film carrier system for the Epson V-series scanners.
To make one point clear right out the gate, I do not want nor intend on competing at the high end. BetterScanning, for instance, makes some incredible flatbed scanning solutions complete with the ability to do wet-mount and with a precision focus system.
Instead I am looking at having something perhaps in between the Epson OEM trays and BetterScanning. I may have an option for top ANR glass (be it true ANR glass or museum glass) but these will otherwise behave similarly to my darkroom and camera scanning carriers. One difference between those and the Epson may be that I may have to settle for using an inlay. I had wanted the bottom piece to be entirely flat but because I also want to use the mounting holes on the Epson flatbed, I need to work around geometry while also keeping the negative in the focus zone.
A lot more testing needs to be done still. I said this might be a multi-part series because I’m not yet sure if this will end up turning into a real product or not. Too soon to say though my initial work has been fairly promising. If you are interested in something like this, please let us know! We love to hear from our customers, especially when it comes to products we think might be helpful to the growing film community!