FilmToaster

The FilmToaster, a unique film-capture cradle, integrates your camera, film, and lighting; all in a high performance, modern desktop environment, digitizing 35mm through 4x5 film, black & white, color or slides–many times faster than flatbed or dedicated film scanners—and resolution limited only by the camera.

Simply stated, the FilmToaster lets you use your own camera to digitize your archive, which is potentially faster than a flatbed and delivers very high-resolution results. On one end, you mount your camera using the filter thread of your macro lens. On the other, there is a removable 5000K LED that features battery and AC power. In the middle of the FilmToaster are slots where you slide in film or slide carriers much like bread slides into a toaster.

The FilmToaster, a sleek metal constructed “black box” with aesthetics matching a modern desktop workstation, was created with sixty-five laser CNC machining steps. It specifically addresses large-scale image digitization projects. Before digital cameras appeared in the mid-1990s, generations of photographers invested talent, time, and resources in countless billions of images made on various size rolls or sheet film. Today, because film equipment is declining, and all film fade and deteriorate, transforming film images into a digital format is becoming inevitable. Some photographers who continue shooting film today find it very useful for integration into a digital workstation.

Although standard in most archival equipment inventories, The most common way to digitize film is with flatbed scanners; easy to use, but slow, tedious and film thickness issues compromise sharpness and 30% of original content is lost. Dedicated film scanners produce better results but are slow, touchy and ugly algorithm appear with high resolution scanning. Now, since film content begin as a pristine image, the FilmToaster and your precision digital camera —everything changes!

Toasting, that is, from the perspective of FilmToaster—digitally capturing 35mm, 120mm, or 4x5 into DSLRs—begins by placing film, filmstrips, or slides into one of four supplied film carriers and inserting into one of six slots. Isn't that similar to toasting a slice of bread?

Setting new standards of scanning with a repeatable workflow, digital images of film can be captured by the Film Toaster on a memory card or tethered from the camera to a computer, then inverted with one keystroke in programs like Photoshop, or or a special preset in Lightroom. At that point, the digital capture might also be cropped, tweaked, made ready for adding metadata. The remaining slots are designed to accommodate other film carriers; commonly available accessories for flatbed and dedicated film scanners. The slots, adapter rings, and technology are designed on an open platform and offer customization opportunities for future usage. Imagine, in addition to speed, image quality, all within an ergonomically stable enclosure, near drum scanner resolution is achievable with the FilmToaster at 80% less cost!

The concept and workflow of the FilmToaster is passive and simple, yet highly effective. The lens and plate end attach to a rotating connector that connects to the adapter thread of a macro or other lens capable of capturing closeups. Image cropping and minor alignments are easily made with the lens board which may also be adjusted vertically. Included with the FilmToaster is a AC or battery operated 5000K LED light panel which provides flicker-free illumination. Or, an optional external LED, electronic flash or other source of illumination, may be used at the outer front-end where an acrylic plate serves as a diffuser and stand. Amazingly, with its open architecture and customization potentials, the FilmToaster supports a wide range of film carrier sizes: 35mm, medium format, 4x5; even a top loading universal slot that accepts many film carriers from the era of enlargers and chemistry based darkrooms. Seasoned professionals who formerly shot film will especially appreciate a 'black box' capable of hands-on film to digital integration, reminiscent of the darkroom as well.

In the hands of advanced photographers, digital libraries, archival installations, curators, imaging specialists, labs offering scanning services, and others acquiring cultural collections photographed on film, the FilmToaster becomes a product capable of extreme image capturing capabilities.

Frankly speaking, scanning film by manual feed is labor intensive with any system—including the FilmToaster—but this next generation passive technology exploits the classic and proven path to macro photography and does it faster with higher quality!

Exclusive to FilmToaster and unavailable among other technologies, a Film Carrier with pass through slits that accepts long rolls of 35mm film for increased productivity. Imagine; a 36-exposure roll of uncut 35mm film, captured in approximately six minutes. Although mounted slide film takes longer, up to six may be readied on each load in the same carrier that accepts uncut 35mm roll and bulk loads. Depending on cut length, 35 and 120 film strips of 4–6 require manual advancing and also take longer, but higher capturing quality, and this method, easily outperforms batch scanning and the industry standard, flatbed technology.

In some ways the FilmToaster's capture concept may be similar to the slide duplicators popular decades ago but with than a dozen more features. Because of the complex learning curve in macro, the FilmToaster's ideal placement in a busy digitization environment may be to supplement, not replace existing technologies.

In addition to experience in macro and closeup photography, a DSLR, mirrorless, or four-thirds camera body, equipment such as a macro lenses, extension tubes, add-on filter rings, other closeup lens might be required. With the correct optics, settings on newer DSLR are relatively easy with auto settings. Other factors in the process may take in consideration, a camera's sensor size, precise focusing, shutter speed, white balance, and alignment. With older, yet very reasonably priced macro lens, settings are almost always done manually. With the recommended equipment, image sharpness and initial cropping with the Film Toaster is achieved between 3-7 inches. With the vast array of digital equipment available today, some experimentation may be required to obtain perfect and predictable results. Yes, it also accepts video cameras and some cell phone accessory lenses!

The FilmToaster may be mounted on a tripod or tabletop in a vertical or horizontal position, however, its native and most ergonomically versatile position is vertical. It is also available with a mounting rig and base plate with quick release, rail rods, and second base plate for camera support with vertical adjustments. The base plate rig attaches to any sturdy tripod and allow installation into an entire world of already available cheese plates, mounting handles, external LCD monitors, electronic flash and other items. The FilmToaster is also available in limited quantities as a ready-to-use system containing a system-ready DSLR body, macro lens and mounting rig with base plates and rails.

As a bridge accessory mating film and digital, the FilmToaster has no comparison. It will never become obsolete because it has no internal electronics...when updating DSLRs and lens, the FilmToaster accepts the update. Decades ago, Honeywell Repronar, Bowens Illumitran, Beseler Dual Slide Duplicator, Kenro Spectra and others, manufactured analog slide duplicators, but today this equipment is rare and did not survive digital transformation. Then and now, 35mm film in rolls, medium format and 4x5, especially negative film, was mostly ignored.

Camera scanning medium format film is an area where the FilmToaster excels like nothing else in the world. Yesterday's 120 medium format cameras exploited numerous image sizes: 645, 6x6, 6x7, 6x9, and even 6x10; all easily scanned in the versatile open-faced 120mm carrier included with the FilmToaster. While the 4x5 inch carrier included with the FilmToaster accepts film, one-at-a-time (which slows the scanning time), the piano hinged design facilitates damaged and thicker emulsions. Two 35mm carriers are included, one for standard 35mm film and another with a magnetic catch accepts two mounted 35mm slides, plus film strips, and even long bulk rolls. Short strips of 120 and 35mm film and slides must be advanced forward after each image but expect three to six seconds each for focusing and capturing. A 14-page operation guide is included but it is important to remember, for optimal results, some closeup photography experience is necessary using the above recommended closeup equipment and accessories.

The development of the FilmToaster came about because the creator was challenged to find a solution to preserving tens of thousands of historically significant film images created in a 60-year photography career. The inventor of the FilmToaster, and two other photo-video accessories, is a Getty contributor, author of four historical books, professional photographer, and director of Historical Preservation at a small southern based research university. From a one man shop, the FilmToaster emerged from six prototypes over a six year period, ; each worked, but perfection demanded continued development.

* Although this average image capture rate is possible at four 35mm scans (six seconds each) in approximately 30 seconds including focusing, selecting and inserting new strips in to the film carrier and the image review, consumes time; therefore, yielding appro