Depth of Field Adapter on Steroids

E Dinkla wrote:

fferreres wrote:

Tons o Glass 0 Class wrote:

I was just checking back on betterlight, as they did these nice scanning backs for 4x5 (but really 72*Xmm), and was sad to see the founder passed in 2017. No new backs are being made.I wish it would have been possible to bid to open source the diagrams. The sensors seems similar to those used for industrial vision mentioned elsewhere in this thread.

Looking at the details of the betterlight backs,

http://www.betterlight.com/how_they_work.html

made me confident that while not trivial, it's only a matter of someone who is already familiar with all these things to make one, and an Open Back really have HUGE chances, at some point, to force an open model with cameras, something that I think is long overdue. Most of the things that are in my A7RIII I don't need at all, don't want, and I can do a lot of things that I'd like to do.

But back to better light, what a nice company and innovative person. Really nice to learn more about Mike, and sad ... we are only passing here and have to make the most of our time.

I already wondered why that solution was not discussed.

Kodak used to make and sell the Trilinear RGB CCD as used in the Betterlight backs. ON Semiconductor continued with that product but ceased to sell them in 2020. I am not aware of other manufacturers that produce the higher MP ones comparable to the Kodak product. Toshiba, Nec, at least still produce linear CCDs. Epson assemblages of two or three RGB trilinear ones shifted 1/2 or 1/3 of a pixel to increase the sampling per inch are based on NEC CCDs. With the decline of scanner sales the linear CCDs lost much of their market.

The Nikon Coolscan 8000 and 9000 ED medium format scanners used a similar Kodak Trilinear CCD, monochrome though. An RGB LEDs lighting is used for the 3 color separation. Nikon ceased production of these scanners maybe 5 years ago. BTW, there is a fine Printing Nikkor Lens inside that scanner. I am quite sure the Cruse scanners for art work reproduction used the Kodak Trilinear RGB CCD as well but I wonder what they use today.

I found scanners to be tuned to a fixed light source they provide, so I've been unsuccessful at doing anything useful as a back. I wish someone would pick up the ball where betterlight left it. I am crossing my fingers. I like the experience of using a 4x5 field camera. It's a much slower thing, more intentional. It's like enjoying a hot coffe on a chilli morning.

Hacked scanner interiors used as sensors for cameras are shown on youtube etc. I used a boring Christmas period, 20 years ago, to hack a secondhand A4 Umax sheet scanner (the one that pulls the sheet through) into a 360 degrees panorama camera, last version equipped with an FD 24mm 2.8 lens. Must have the old webpage photo's in my archive somewhere.

Is yours a public site? Can you share the url? I'd love to take a look.

Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst
No photographer's gear list is complete without the printer mentioned !