Testing

While having a cold going on, I am not really in the mood for scanning color negatives. But - I just had to test the new VALOI 120 scanning device on any mediumformat negative.

It turned out very well. Until it didn't.

As it was also the first time ever i used a Fujifilm GFX camera as a "scanning camera" (instead of the 30 MP Canon EOS R), together with the Sigma ART 70mm ƒ2.8 Macro lens. That lens works well when mounted on a camera with a bigger sensor.

Important Note

The VALOI holders DO NOT KEEP THE FILM STRIPES FLAT. It is designed for mediumformat films that are UNCUT. (Who the heck does that ?!) As soon you have cut frames, you encounter a certain level of roundness instead of totally flat negatives. It is up to luck, if you get wholly sharp images.

Sometimes yes. Sometimes not.

THAT IS A SERIOUS FLAW (kind of missing the point, because with their by far most expensive device, you litterally cut off those who have many commonly cut 120-FILM negatives stripes. Why ? Because who in the world archives UNCUT mediumformat films ?!You never store them in "rolls". Where would you put them ? It would also be totally onconvenient to deal with such long film when you wish to make prints in the darkroom, having a 1 meter roll dangling around.

Come on - what the heck ?!

Design a SPECIAL FLATNESS HOLDER, VALOI !

They should design addional holders, especially made for allowing cut film stripes to be helf flat. I mean, not having such, defeats the purpose of even wanting to scan negatives...

As of now - the current holders pose a SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW, alt. a too narrow thinking then they designed and tested it, by just thinking of people who NOW develop film and before they cut them down, scan them in the VALOI Easy 120.

Anyway.

Often you get away with still or neary sharp images - albeit sometimes you do not. (I often use aperture ƒ10 with my Sigma ARt 70mm ƒ2.8 Macro lens). But i have also encountered scanning, where one end was unsharp. Very ,very irritating.

Also; you need most likely use manual profile corrections,especially if you wish to preserve the natural black frame around the neegatives. This is how you can do it in Photoshops Raw plug-in:

No 1

then No 2

Second setting: 2

under "Manual" - you correct manually the distortion - which alters the whole lengths of th negatives. You will see that how it "bulges". I usually set a value of -4 - in order to get nearly straight lines on all sides.

Alternative

You select a different profile from a different lens, look which appears to fit best to the rendering/shading of the Sigma lens on the GFX camera, so that it all looks nicely straight and the corners without shading/vignetting. There are thousands of lens profiles that can be selected manually.

General notice

As i said, you will likely get different values. It also depends on how you put the negative into the negative holder. But there is almost always a mild form of distortion going on.

• Adobe RAW plugin --> Optics --> Manual --> distorion = -4

Corner shading

Is existent with the Sigma 70mm Macro in the extreme corners when using on the Fujifilm GFX camera, especially when stopping down to ƒ10.

Here you may find some lighter corners (since you are dealing with negatives, it will appear as if the extreme corners are slightly lighter). Those you can either correct automatically somehow (once you know which value you need for that) - or you do in the end, manually, by darkening them additionally.

It is really only the extreme corners.

Use ONLY MANUAL focus !!

Import is however to ONLY use manual focus - because the VALOI 120 is HUGE (and heavy). Don't wanna screw up the AF motor in the lens. In terms of setting accurate focus with the Sigma 70mm ART Macro - it is slightly weird - because the lens in manual focus mode, still only can focus electronically (as long the camera is set to "ON").

And you will see that it isn't so smooth - because the weight of camera + VALOI hangs onto the front of the lens that moves when focusing). I wished the Sigma would allow you to add the VALOI on its outer rim of the lens - and focus freely ! But that is not the case with the Sigma ART 70 mm.

But it is damn good, and highly affordable lens - so the results turn out very sharp - as long the negative is flat. I often dare to go to ƒ 10 - even with the risk that it might ever so slightly produce slightly softer sharpness due to diffraction. At least i get enough DOF to make the whole negative be sharp. (unless the negative at the end is slightly bent or flopped out of the VALOI carrier in the one side)

The extension rings from the VALOI are many.

I only needed one big, and second slimmest one - in order to almost cover a 6x6 negative = resulting into 35 MP image file after cropping. If i use the slimmest ring instead, the negative frames disappear it is then slightly cropped, you would say. Works too, and you don't have to fiddle with the borders.

Wonderful !

VALOI Easy120: The Best

✅ The idea is absolutely great !

✅ The holders are OK for UNCUT 120-film - then the negatives stay flat - and the whole concept works very well.

✅ The elimination of stray light from surrounding light, gives you excellent images from negative images. Best i have seen this far ! No strange darker sometimes lighter illuminated stripes right at the border of negative. All very clean.

This has always a problem with flatbed scanners, I remember. Likely because the frames that held the negatives in place - itself - created an internal reflection - also affecting the final scanned image with a "frame within a frame" -like phenomena.

The light in the VALOI 120 is very even, giving very good results - as well it is strong, giving relatively short exposure times. I often use ƒ1/30 sec at ƒ10.0 at ISO 100, with eletronic shutter.

VALOI Easy120: The Worst (serious flaws !)

❌ For cut 120-film stripes, the VALOI holders, regardless if you use 645, 6x6, 6x7 or 6x9 - ARE NO GOOD, by not keeping the negatives flat.

You end up with parts of the borders unsharp (especially in the first or last frame of a negative stripe) The middle frame is often sharp - despite all negative stripes are never 100% flat. (which is revealed in what looks like as if the lens is distorting. But it is the lack of flatness of the holder design, not due to the macro lens. (Macro lenses in particularly, are designed to show minimal or no distortion !)

❌ The device appears to gets easily, and highly electrically charged; which means it will suck far in more particles into and onto your negatives than i have ever encountered in any kind of scanning device since 1998. Really, really annoying and also cumbersome. I find VALOI's brushes to be mediocre. Do they really believe they are "anti-static" ? With the Easy135 i found it to do no difference. I now wonder, if i should add one for the Easy 120 ? Or is it again just spend money for nothing ?

And no, my room isn't too dry. We have installed a humidifier - so the problem is not our air. I also protect the table from dust, when the VALOI 120 is not in use.

⭕ EXPENSIVE when you count in these two serious flaws

⭕ I suggested to them (and will write a clearer letter to them, as well) - to design an additional special holder for holding CUT negatives FLAT: for all those who have cut negatives from the past (likely the majority with more negatives than those who aim to develop in the future). Compared to those who will be scanning in the future UNCUT films rolls, I mean. Given how very expensive film is, and that the VALOI 120 itself is their by far most expensive deivce... the group for the VALOI 120 is minimal. To breaden this product - you need holders that can deal with cut film stripes. Or you sit with them on your ass - without selling many.

Sure people got excited from the IDEA with a VALOI Easy for larger negatives. But they didn't fully understand that the flatness of already cut negatives, makes this device almost impossible.

SO, FOR WHOM IS THIS, THEN ? For the few who now develop new films, scan them, and then cut them down ? Well... that's an awful expensive device for such a small group.

But nobody gets excited from negatives that are not kept FLAT. How many people have uncut mediumformat films ?!

FLATNESS IS A MUST REQUIREMENT for any type of scanning !

End of the story.

Kind of a pity, to be honest.

The smaller VALOI Easy 135 was excellent

keeping the 35mm negatives flat. Every. Single. Time.

In terms of attracting particles, the VALOI Easy135 was a bit better (not as bad). Still more particles than i'd liked. The "antistatic brush" extension i had ordered to the Easy135, was pretty much.... worthless (made no difference).

Almost catastrophic

The VALOI 120 on the other hand, is almost a catastrophe. Perhaps my increased negative feelings about it, kind of colors my mood about it, when i think of how much I paid for it. I didn't expect such serious flaws, really. Nor do I know how i can prevent so many particles from getting sucked in, or to keep the negative flat. Because the design itself makes the film "float free". But that only works if the film is uncut. Then it stays flat. Not with cut film stripes. And I do wished, I couls solve this myself... but so far, i have failed.

So, this creates some anger in me. At the same time, i totally love the product - I really do. I think the whole idea of the Easy135 for 35mm film negatives, being put into a much larger Easy120 version - is excellent. I just don't understand the philosophy oof those stupid holders. It is so detrimental.

And why does the device get so electric ? Is it because you have to put in and out the holders every time - that it get charged ? It could be. (Brushing negatives, away particles - doesn't matter - they come back. Even the same particles i have seen over and over again in other negatives. So, that left me pretty puzzled.

How do you ground such a thing (effectively ?) Wrist bands ? (some china shit wrist-bands which often doesn't even work because they lack connection *LOL*, i have read on Amazon). So, how is it done correctly ?

Many negatives i have NEVER taken out of the sleeves in 30 years

negatives I have never touched - all get super charged with dust particles ! This never happens like that, in the darkroom with a camera mounted on my enlarger, and thne use the metal negative carrier to scan the negatives. Most of them would be very clean. Brushing with an anti-stat brust also would help (for real, not just in name)

Why is the VALOI Easy120 so frikking electric ?

So. I do feel a bit cheated. 7000 SEK is a lot of money for something that doesn't even fullfil the basic requirements of scanning.

About the main photo

I have no idea which year I took those images. Which is strange... I didn't even know that i made such images in color. They were made at the fields that are close by Blåsut station, in Enskede. Near the Dalen hospital. Using simply flash light at sunset.

It must been somewhere between 1996-1998 I took those ? Or was it 2001-02 ?

No clue.

It will come to me (I hope), once i dive back into the world of film negatives.