“Valoi” is a Finnish word meaning light and creation — a nod to the creativity of analog photography. The Scandinavian roots of VALOI are visible in the minimalist and functional design. VALOI 360 is a film holder system that is an affordable way to digitize your film using a digital camera, without compromising on features. This system will help you scan film quicker and, with the right setup, with higher quality than traditional flatbed scanners.
The VALOI 360 Starter Scanning Bundles are a perfect entry point for at-home digital camera scanning, pairing one of the most affordable film holder systems with one of the best lights for digital camera scanning.
Includes:
35mm Film Holder
The VALOI 360 film holders are the foundation of the VALOI 360 system. The double S-curved track keeps the film exceptionally flat for the highest quality scans. The 35mm Film Holder is optimized for full, uncut rolls of 35mm film with a frame size of about 24x36mm (no sprockets are shown). Cut strips can be used, but flatness may vary.
120 Film Holder
Like the 35mm Film Holder, the 120 version features a double S-curve that keeps the film flat for high quality scans. It can accomodate frames up to 6x9 in size for single capture scanning. Film Format Masks for 6x4.5, 6x6, and 6x7 are available separately for cutting down on excess spill light.
CineStill CS-LITE
The CineStill CS-LITE is a compact, affordable, and high-quality camera scanning light source. It features a CRI of 95+ for high color accuracy and a brightness of EV 15+ to provide sufficient illumination for even the densest of negatives. Three selectable color modes are available to best suit different types of film such as color negative, color positive, and B&W negative.
| CS-LITE Color Temperature: |
Calibrated for: |
| Cool Light mode |
Color Negative film |
| White Light mode |
Black and White film, Slide film processed in CineStill D9 DynamicChrome |
| Warm Light mode |
Slide film processed in standard E6 chemistry or CineStill D6 DaylightChrome |
The Cool Light mode reduces the orange mask that is present in color negative film like CineStill 800T, 400D, and 50D, providing color balanced scans with better color separation and less noise.
The White Light mode is ideal for scanning black and white film, as well as slide film that has been processed with the warm-tone dilution of the CineStill D9 DynamicChrome 1st Developer.
Lastly, the Warm Light mode is perfect for scanning standard E6 (or CineStill D6 DaylightChrome) processed slide film, as the tungsten-balanced light can produce richer tones and enhanced color separation, especially within the red channel.
ARTICLE: WHY THE CS-LITE COLOR MODES ARE IMPORTANT FOR CAMERA SCANNING
External Unit Dimensions:
Length: 6.5 in
Width: 4.4 in
Height: 0.8 in
Illuminated Area Dimensions:
Length: 5 7/8 in
Width: 3 3/4 in
Download CS-LITE Complete PDF Instructions
Camera Scanning Considerations:
Camera Body
Just about any semi-modern, interchangeable-lens digital camera will work great for camera scanning. There are many mirrorless or DSLR options to choose from with large lens catalogs, tethered capture capability, and excellent image quality. Some high end cameras can even use pixel stitching to deliver extremely high levels of resolution.
Macro Lens
For camera scanning, the one real requirement is that your lens focuses close enough to capture the entire frame. For full frame cameras and capturing 35mm film, the term “1:1” designates a lens that will reproduce the 35mm frame exactly onto the full frame digital sensor. With crop-sensor bodies, 1:1 lenses focus even closer. Outside of reproduction factor (1:1), also look out for lenses that are sharp, have good color reproduction, limit internal reflections (modern coatings), and have very little vignetting. Finally, it’s generally best to use your macro lens stopped down 2-3 stops from wide open, as this gives a good combination of depth of field and sharpness.
Software for Negative Conversion
There are a few plugins and standalone programs for converting captured negatives into positive images. Some older and some newer, all of them try to harness the color science based in darkroom paper to various degrees. After all, even a professional lab scanner is essentially a digital camera and a light source. Most of the options presented here allow you to download a demo version to try before you buy and determine which one best suits your workflow.
