Just in time for the holidays, give yourself the gift of a great slide/35mm film copy system. I have six freshly modified PS4 units ready to go, along with four light kits. If you are looking for a good winter project, digitizing your old film could be just the thing.
Some sample B&W film scans, flipped to positive in Lightroom using Negative Lab Pro.
These won’t last long. Purchase here.
Please note that orders that contain lights won’t ship until the middle of next week.
Copystands for sale
I have two copy stands for sale. I bought these as I was evaluating many different options, and now I just have too many hanging around the studio. These are available for pickup at my studio in Kensington, MD. Will not ship. If you are interested, please send an email to contact at theDAMbook.com.
Bogen TC-2 $300
If you are using a camera to digitize prints or film, a good copystand is essential. If you want one that can handle big prints with a sturdy column, you are usually going to pay $700 and up. And you will typically pay $200 or more for light arms. The Bogen TC-2 is a great value. Much sturdier than the other low priced ones like Smith Victor. And at this price, a lot cheaper than a Kaiser or Beseler CS. Has adjustable camera mount to center the camera over the baseboard, and a guide clamp to allow repeatable camera alignment. The adjustable light arms allow you to use any standard-base bulb for illumination. (Bulbs shown not included.)
Bencher Illuma Copystand with light arms and illuminated base $750
Bencher Illuma M2 copystand with sidelights, polarizing gels, and massive 14×17 inch backlit base for copying slides and negatives. The Bencher M2 was one of the great sturdy copy stands. A 4 foot column that is very sturdy and features an adjustable arm for holding the camera.
This unit has 4 halogen sidelights on the very sturdy light arms. You can use these lights as-in, replace the halogen with LED, or put a different light fixture altogether on the arm. Arms hold the large polarizing gels, which are great for controlling reflections and removing silvering from antique photographs.
The base features a large backlight that allows you to make great copies of nearly any size of film, which can be converted to a high-quality finished image with software such as Lightroom. The unit sits on a custom platform with 4 locking casters for easy storage and retrieval.