DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Pentax’s new film duplicator lets you digitise film from 35mm to 5×4 with your DSLR

Jun 20, 2016 by John Aldred 6 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

ricoh_Dupli4x5_c

The resurgence in film’s popularity in the last few years has been a wonderful thing.  Large format photography is only just starting to see the the kind of reawakening that 35mm experienced, but it is definitely making a comeback.

For those that are already shooting 4×5, your life might be about to get a little easier (although it may not once you realise the cost).  The newly announced Pentax Film Duplicator 4×5 lets you digitise your film from 35mm up to 4×5 negatives using a simple DSLR.

camera-1028950_1920

Obviously, one is limited to the resolution of their camera.  If you’re shooting a 50MP Canon 5Ds, you’re going to be able to get bigger prints and more detail than a nine year old 12MP Nikon D300.

I still don’t think it would produce the kind of images you might expect from a dedicated film scanner, like the Epson Perfection V850, and certainly not a drum scanner, but it’s probably going to be good enough for most purposes.

If you’re only ever going to be scanning your film to post online and not make big detailed digital prints, this could be the perfect solution. It’s why 35mm slide duplicators have also become popular again.

It’s certainly much quicker than scanning in film, dealing with ridiculously huge files, only to scale them down to a couple of thousand pixels across for the web.

I wouldn’t get too, excited, though.  No price has yet been announced, but the previous version of the Film Duplicator, which accepts 35mm and medium format film up to 6×9 format costs a whopping £799 through Ricoh’s UK online store.

If you’re only shooting 35mm, there are many other options out there better suited to most wallets, such as Polaroid’s 35mm slide duplicator.  If you’re shooting 4×5, you might be better just using a copy stand and lightbox.

Still, after film’s brief demise, seeing the two working together side by side today shows that neither medium is “better” than the other.  Just different.

I know no price has been announced, but given the cost of the medium format version of this film duplicator, I can’t imagine it’ll be inexpensive.

Do you own the medium format Pentax film duplicator?  Was it worth it?  Or did you think “screw that” and came up with your own DIY option?  Let us know and tell us your thoughts in the comments.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Google is using AI to digitise over 5 million historical photos for the New York Times FilmToaster lets you use your DSLR to digitize film photos 35mm film vs. medium format vs. full frame digital: is shooting film really worth it? How well does Fujifilm’s Acros-R film simulation compare to real 35mm Fuji Acros 100II film?

Filed Under: Gear Tagged With: Gear Announcement, pentax, ricoh

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« Cinematography Database YouTube Show cancelled over Copyright issues
Everything you ever needed to know about shooting and editing timelapse »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • AstrHori new 28mm f/13 2x Macro Periscope lens sees round corners
  • Sony World Photography Awards under fire for age limitations in Student contest
  • 5 ways to find inspiration when the weather is sad and grey
  • Photographers, keep an eye out for auroras around the world this weekend
  • How to make beautiful frozen soap bubble photos this winter

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy