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Nikon 18-55mm kit lens + extension tubes for scanning film

Started Jan 14, 2021 | Questions thread
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Martin Bartin New Member • Posts: 2
Nikon 18-55mm kit lens + extension tubes for scanning film

Hello,

I am currently looking into a cheap way of scanning my 35mm film negatives. I have a Nikon D5300 and the following lenses:

Nikon AF-P 18-55mm f/3,5-5,6G DX VR
Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1,8G
Nikon AF-P 70-300mm f/4,5–6,3G DX ED VR

The 70-300 is way too long for scanning and the 50mm has a very long minimal focus distance (0.45 m). The 18-55 though has a minimal focus distance of 0.25 m. This is still not enough for macro photography as I can only get about 1:3.5 reproduction ratio.

From what I understand, with an APS-C sensor I need a reproduction ratio of 1:1.5 for scanning a 35mm film without losing any pixels. I was looking into the Neewer 12/20/36mm extension tubes because those are the only cheap ones that have copper contacts so that I can set the aperture of my lens.

However, I've never used extension tubes. Can I expect some problems with light, focus, etc.? Would you recommend this setup to me for scanning film? I can get the extension tubes for $32. The alternative is to get a second hand Nikon AF-S 40mm f/2,8G DX Micro but that would mean shelling out $190 which is 6 times more.

Every advice is welcome. Thank you!

ANSWER:
This question has not been answered yet.
Nikon AF-P 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G Nikon AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 40mm F2.8 Nikon D5300
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