“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 provides an affordable way to digitize your rolls of 35mm and 120 medium format 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 Scanning Hood shades the film from external light, allowing users to keep the room lights on when scanning for highest quality scans in a more comfortable working environment. The hoods are made with FDM 3D printing using a carbon fiber filled plastic and feature a matte, low reflection surface.

Available in 35mm and 120 variants (select from drop-down menu), the scanning hood simply slides onto the VALOI film holder from one side. The attachment mechanism ensures that the hood stays on even if you move the holder.

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.

SOFTWARE	REQUIRES	CONTROL	COST
CS Negative+	Adobe CC/Mobile	Prosumer	FREE
SmartConvert	Mac/PC	Consumer	$$
FilmLab	Mac/PC	Consumer	$$
Negative Lab Pro	Adobe Lr Classic	Prosumer	$$
LaserSoft NegaFix	SilverFast HDR 8	Professional	$$$
ColorPerfect	Adobe Ps	Professional	$