After getting back into film photography I wasn’t happy with either the expense or the quality of the scans I was getting back from the photo labs I tried. At $10 per roll for medium resolution scans I figured there had to be a better way, which inevitably meant buying more stuff, but full steam ahead I went. I found a great system for scanning 35mm, which I’ll go into elsewhere then try to remember to come back and crosslink from here (but don’t count on it) so that left medium format.

After some trial and error with other methods, I landed on DSLR scanning: using my existing digital camera to take photos of the negatives and then converting them in Lightroom. I bought a nice but cheap $40 light panel at my local camera shop. It wasn’t until I started trying to use it I realized my error. It has the buttons on the bottom and the USB power cord attaches to the bottom. So it won’t lay flat. I used a small cardboard box and suspended it across the open top for many rolls I scanned, but it was uneven, finicky, and slid around too much.
This leads to today’s modification: Adding legs to my SmallRig P200 light panel.

I tried a few things including plastic 35mm film canister holders. You know, the things people of a certain age kept coins in when we were kids. It was adequate, but the surface area wasn’t enough to fully secure. I found a box of 10 hard rubber bushings. Along with a tube of Gorilla glue, it was on. The only issue is that two corners have the bump out of the screen and buttons and where the USB cord attaches, so the 1″ diameter bushings would be at angles. I wanted to line two edges of the bushings up to the thin detail line you can see in the photo above to keep them in a flat area.

With safety and proper tools at all times, I took kitchen scissors and cut off a small angle on one end of two of the bushings.

With those notches, they perfectly cleared the control panel bump out.

Then the glueing began. And man does Gorilla glue adhere fast. I held one in place for a few seconds then tried to slide it just a hair but nope, it was there for good.

I finished applying all four legs and let it rest for a few minutes and my light panel mod was done. It has more than enough height to accommodate the power cord and even to reach under to hit the power button without having to lift the whole thing off my desk.

Another plus, it is lower than the box I’d been using as well as the 35mm canisters, which keeps me from having to raise my camera higher up the copy stand.

For about $13 I modded the $40 light panel which saved me from spending $140 on a new light that has a flat back. The rubber grommets hold to the desk and don’t slide, further making the planned scanning easier.

Small Rig P200: $40ish
Rubber grommets: $10
Gorilla glue: $3

Light Me Up