Fluid Mount Accessory - extra page
As with any new piece of equipment it takes time to get used to it and find out its strengths and weaknesses. I have been using the FMA regularly for the past 10 days and am getting far better results with it now than I was at the outset of the review. I am publishing a couple of scans which shows clearly the benefit of using the FMA. The files are slightly larger than I normally use, this is to keep as much detail as possible.
On my first tests I placed a few drops of Kami fluid on the glass surface of the FMA and then added another couple of drops on top of the film before sealing the combination with Mylar film. For the images displayed on this page I have loaded a small spray gun (actually a lens cleaner bottle from Boots) with the Kami fluid and applied a light coating of fluid to the glass and film. This has resulted in no air bubbles on the film and a more even application of the fluid.
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The full 6x6 frame - Mamiya RZ with 180mm lens F16 Ektachrome 100 film |
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Detail of Master shot using the Film holder, Unsharp masking applied in Photoshop. |
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Detail of scan made using the Fluid Mount Accessory - same USM values applied in Photoshop |
The FMA wet mount sample is displaying far more detail on the the skin (notice the facial hair on the models face) and has given the scan a slight lift in tonal quality - the same settings were used for both scans. I applied Unsharp Masking in Photoshop to give you the end result rather than the straight scan. The scan was made at 1200 dpi
Using 35mm film
Although the FMA works best with medium and large format films I couldn't resist trying out a 35mm transparancy. The first problem was trying to get the same even coating of the fluid, this proved harder with 35mm due to the higher enlargement required. The fluid was also trapped in the film sprockets, this didn't cause any problems with the final scan. As with the medium film format the wet scans displayed more detail and zapped the tonal quality of the scan.
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Master scan using FMA - notice the trapped fluid in the sprockets |
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Air bubbles in the sky area can be a major problem |
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Using Film holder - Dry scan |
Using FMA - Wet scan |
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Using Film holder - Dry scan |
Using FMA - Wet scan |
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Floating debris and Newton style rings are problems you don't need |
Conclusion of the Fluid Mount Accessory
The FMA is one of the more interesting holders available for the V700 & V750 scanners, I was looking forward to testing it out and using it for medium format scanning. After using it for the last 14 days I am getting excellent results and would not hesitate to use it for medium and large format film scans where I need to squeeze out the last drop of image quality, but I would think twice about using it with 35mm film. Setting up the scans, getting rid of air bubbles, cleaning the film and holder afterwards can be a tiresome chore.
I was surprised that the FMA doesn't have any height adjusters, but thinking about this logically the optimum height for scanning film is set by the glass surface, the height adjusters are there to allow for film buckle, mount thickness etc. The FMA holds the film perfectly flat at a fixed height, so in theory you don't need to adjust the film height. The 35mm mounted slide was scanned with the holder set to the optimum height of 3.5mm (as previously tested with the V700) and still the FMA produced the sharper scan. The construction of the holder is rugged and should withstand heavy use.
I haven't been given a firm price on the holder as yet - still waiting for EPSON to supply this information, but I understand from European and North American users that the FMA is included with their V750 scanner. V700 owners can expect to pay about 50 Euro.
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