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Valoi 120, what lens?

RR
Ralf R Radermacher
Sun, Aug 2, 2026 12:05 PM

No, I'm not yet ready to through out my scanners, but just
theoretically, what Pentax lens(es) would I need to scan 35 mm and 6x6
with a APS-C DSLR?

Ralf

--
Ralf R. Radermacher  -  Köln/Cologne, Germany
Blog  : http://the-real-fotoralf.blogspot.com
Audio : http://aporee.org/maps/projects/fotoralf
Fotos : https://www.fotocommunity.de/user_photos/770012

No, I'm not yet ready to through out my scanners, but just theoretically, what Pentax lens(es) would I need to scan 35 mm and 6x6 with a APS-C DSLR? Ralf -- Ralf R. Radermacher - Köln/Cologne, Germany Blog : http://the-real-fotoralf.blogspot.com Audio : http://aporee.org/maps/projects/fotoralf Fotos : https://www.fotocommunity.de/user_photos/770012
B
Bill
Sun, Aug 2, 2026 3:18 PM

Pretty much any of the macro lenses other than the !100/2.8 which tends
to be prone to sensor reflections.

I'd go with the DFA 100.2.8, either version will do.

bill

On 8/2/2026 6:05 AM, Ralf R Radermacher wrote:

No, I'm not yet ready to through out my scanners, but just
theoretically, what Pentax lens(es) would I need to scan 35 mm and 6x6
with a APS-C DSLR?

Ralf

Pretty much any of the macro lenses other than the !100/2.8 which tends to be prone to sensor reflections. I'd go with the DFA 100.2.8, either version will do. bill On 8/2/2026 6:05 AM, Ralf R Radermacher wrote: > No, I'm not yet ready to through out my scanners, but just > theoretically, what Pentax lens(es) would I need to scan 35 mm and 6x6 > with a APS-C DSLR? > > Ralf >
RR
Ralf R Radermacher
Sun, Aug 2, 2026 4:00 PM

Am 02.08.26 um 17:18 schrieb Bill:

Pretty much any of the macro lenses other than the !100/2.8 which
tends to be prone to sensor reflections.

I'd go with the DFA 100.2.8, either version will do.

Valoi say that 70 mm is the maximum for APS-C. Do I need different
lenses for 35 mm ans 120?

Ralf

--
Ralf R. Radermacher  -  Köln/Cologne, Germany
Blog  : http://the-real-fotoralf.blogspot.com
Audio : http://aporee.org/maps/projects/fotoralf
Fotos : https://www.fotocommunity.de/user_photos/770012

Am 02.08.26 um 17:18 schrieb Bill: > Pretty much any of the macro lenses other than the !100/2.8 which > tends to be prone to sensor reflections. > > I'd go with the DFA 100.2.8, either version will do. Valoi say that 70 mm is the maximum for APS-C. Do I need different lenses for 35 mm ans 120? Ralf -- Ralf R. Radermacher - Köln/Cologne, Germany Blog : http://the-real-fotoralf.blogspot.com Audio : http://aporee.org/maps/projects/fotoralf Fotos : https://www.fotocommunity.de/user_photos/770012
B
Bill
Sun, Aug 2, 2026 4:47 PM

Pretty much forget about everything I said. I thought Valoi was some
weird European greeting, not the name brand of a piece of equipment.

Consider me clueless.....

Honestly though, I think you can do just as well with careful setup on a
copy stand, enlarger negative carriers and some sort of light source for
illumination.

I built a negative copy station that takes 35mm slides & negatives as
well as medium format up to 6x7 and 4x5 sheet film out of some scrap
plywood an LED puck and negative carriers that I had lying around.

bill

On 8/2/2026 10:00 AM, Ralf R Radermacher wrote:

Am 02.08.26 um 17:18 schrieb Bill:

Pretty much any of the macro lenses other than the !100/2.8 which
tends to be prone to sensor reflections.

I'd go with the DFA 100.2.8, either version will do.

Valoi say that 70 mm is the maximum for APS-C. Do I need different
lenses for 35 mm ans 120?

Ralf

Pretty much forget about everything I said. I thought Valoi was some weird European greeting, not the name brand of a piece of equipment. Consider me clueless..... Honestly though, I think you can do just as well with careful setup on a copy stand, enlarger negative carriers and some sort of light source for illumination. I built a negative copy station that takes 35mm slides & negatives as well as medium format up to 6x7 and 4x5 sheet film out of some scrap plywood an LED puck and negative carriers that I had lying around. bill On 8/2/2026 10:00 AM, Ralf R Radermacher wrote: > Am 02.08.26 um 17:18 schrieb Bill: >> Pretty much any of the macro lenses other than the !100/2.8 which >> tends to be prone to sensor reflections. >> >> I'd go with the DFA 100.2.8, either version will do. > > Valoi say that 70 mm is the maximum for APS-C. Do I need different > lenses for 35 mm ans 120? > > Ralf >
BW
Bob W PDML
Sun, Aug 2, 2026 5:06 PM

The Valoi thing is essentially a set of extension tubes with an LED light attached. I have the 35mm version and it works fine.

It’s also perfectly easy to do it with Pentax tubes, a slide holder and an LED light. The Pentax macro leaflet tells you which tubes to use with which lens to get 1:1 reproduction. So with the K50/4 macro at minimum focus and tube 3 you can cover 24x36mm; with the 100/4 macro and tube 1 you can cover 39x58mm, which I think is essentially medium format (I haven’t tried that because I’ve never shot medium format). The same tubes should work just as well with digital as they did with film, but you’d have to do some calculating and experimenting with APS.

With the Valoi it’s a bit more guesswork to get the right set of tubes with the right lens, but it’s essentially the same. If I recall correctly Valoi gives you some example set-ups. When I was thinking of buying my Lumix macro lens I checked with them to see if it was covered, and it works fine. That doesn’t really help much with your Pentax question though.

On 2 Aug 2026, at 17:47, Bill anotherdrunkensot@gmail.com wrote:

Pretty much forget about everything I said. I thought Valoi was some weird European greeting, not the name brand of a piece of equipment.

Valoi say that 70 mm is the maximum for APS-C. Do I need different lenses for 35 mm ans 120?

The Valoi thing is essentially a set of extension tubes with an LED light attached. I have the 35mm version and it works fine. It’s also perfectly easy to do it with Pentax tubes, a slide holder and an LED light. The Pentax macro leaflet tells you which tubes to use with which lens to get 1:1 reproduction. So with the K50/4 macro at minimum focus and tube 3 you can cover 24x36mm; with the 100/4 macro and tube 1 you can cover 39x58mm, which I think is essentially medium format (I haven’t tried that because I’ve never shot medium format). The same tubes should work just as well with digital as they did with film, but you’d have to do some calculating and experimenting with APS. With the Valoi it’s a bit more guesswork to get the right set of tubes with the right lens, but it’s essentially the same. If I recall correctly Valoi gives you some example set-ups. When I was thinking of buying my Lumix macro lens I checked with them to see if it was covered, and it works fine. That doesn’t really help much with your Pentax question though. > On 2 Aug 2026, at 17:47, Bill <anotherdrunkensot@gmail.com> wrote: > > Pretty much forget about everything I said. I thought Valoi was some weird European greeting, not the name brand of a piece of equipment. > >> Valoi say that 70 mm is the maximum for APS-C. Do I need different lenses for 35 mm ans 120?
BW
Bob W PDML
Sun, Aug 2, 2026 5:22 PM

Correction, sorry, those numbers aren’t medium format.

On 2 Aug 2026, at 18:07, Bob W PDML pdmlbw@icloud.com wrote:

The Valoi thing is essentially a set of extension tubes with an LED light attached. I have the 35mm version and it works fine.

[…] with the 100/4 macro and tube 1 you can cover 39x58mm, which I think is essentially medium format (I haven’t tried that because I’ve never shot medium format).

Correction, sorry, those numbers aren’t medium format. > On 2 Aug 2026, at 18:07, Bob W PDML <pdmlbw@icloud.com> wrote: > > The Valoi thing is essentially a set of extension tubes with an LED light attached. I have the 35mm version and it works fine. > > […] with the 100/4 macro and tube 1 you can cover 39x58mm, which I think is essentially medium format (I haven’t tried that because I’ve never shot medium format).
RR
Ralf R Radermacher
Sun, Aug 2, 2026 7:23 PM

Am 02.08.26 um 19:06 schrieb Bob W PDML:

The Valoi thing is essentially a set of extension tubes with an LED light attached. I have the 35mm version and it works fine.

Have you used a decent 35 mm flm scanner (Nikon, Minolta) before?

Ralf

--
Ralf R. Radermacher  -  Köln/Cologne, Germany
Blog  : http://the-real-fotoralf.blogspot.com
Audio : http://aporee.org/maps/projects/fotoralf
Fotos : https://www.fotocommunity.de/user_photos/770012

Am 02.08.26 um 19:06 schrieb Bob W PDML: > The Valoi thing is essentially a set of extension tubes with an LED light attached. I have the 35mm version and it works fine. Have you used a decent 35 mm flm scanner (Nikon, Minolta) before? Ralf -- Ralf R. Radermacher - Köln/Cologne, Germany Blog : http://the-real-fotoralf.blogspot.com Audio : http://aporee.org/maps/projects/fotoralf Fotos : https://www.fotocommunity.de/user_photos/770012
BW
Bob W PDML
Sun, Aug 2, 2026 7:35 PM

I used to own a Nikon LS-something which was top of the range when I bought it. It was a really painful experience to use it, set up and scanning were slow and it took a lot of fiddling with the software, vuscan as well as the native software, to get results, and even the best I could get were not very good in my opinion.

I think scanning with a digital camera is much, much easier and produces far better results than anything I could get with the scanner.

On 2 Aug 2026, at 20:23, Ralf R Radermacher pdml@uebra.de wrote:

Am 02.08.26 um 19:06 schrieb Bob W PDML:

The Valoi thing is essentially a set of extension tubes with an LED light attached. I have the 35mm version and it works fine.

Have you used a decent 35 mm flm scanner (Nikon, Minolta) before?

Ralf

I used to own a Nikon LS-something which was top of the range when I bought it. It was a really painful experience to use it, set up and scanning were slow and it took a lot of fiddling with the software, vuscan as well as the native software, to get results, and even the best I could get were not very good in my opinion. I think scanning with a digital camera is much, much easier and produces far better results than anything I could get with the scanner. > On 2 Aug 2026, at 20:23, Ralf R Radermacher <pdml@uebra.de> wrote: > > Am 02.08.26 um 19:06 schrieb Bob W PDML: >> The Valoi thing is essentially a set of extension tubes with an LED light attached. I have the 35mm version and it works fine. > > Have you used a decent 35 mm flm scanner (Nikon, Minolta) before? > > Ralf >
RR
Ralf R Radermacher
Sun, Aug 2, 2026 7:43 PM

Am 02.08.26 um 21:35 schrieb Bob W PDML:

I used to own a Nikon LS-something which was top of the range when I bought it. It was a really painful experience to use it, set up and scanning were slow and it took a lot of fiddling with the software, vuscan as well as the native software, to get results, and even the best I could get were not very good in my opinion.

I think scanning with a digital camera is much, much easier and produces far better results than anything I could get with the scanner.

Thanks Bob. Not exactly what I wanted to hear. ;-)

The Valoi 120 and the film holders for medium format as well as 35 mm
panoramic would be around 800 euros, plus 1 (or maybe even two) macro
lenses... 1500 €.

gulp

Ralf

--
Ralf R. Radermacher  -  Köln/Cologne, Germany
Blog  : http://the-real-fotoralf.blogspot.com
Audio : http://aporee.org/maps/projects/fotoralf
Fotos : https://www.fotocommunity.de/user_photos/770012

Am 02.08.26 um 21:35 schrieb Bob W PDML: > I used to own a Nikon LS-something which was top of the range when I bought it. It was a really painful experience to use it, set up and scanning were slow and it took a lot of fiddling with the software, vuscan as well as the native software, to get results, and even the best I could get were not very good in my opinion. > > I think scanning with a digital camera is much, much easier and produces far better results than anything I could get with the scanner. Thanks Bob. Not exactly what I wanted to hear. ;-) The Valoi 120 and the film holders for medium format as well as 35 mm panoramic would be around 800 euros, plus 1 (or maybe even two) macro lenses... 1500 €. *gulp* Ralf -- Ralf R. Radermacher - Köln/Cologne, Germany Blog : http://the-real-fotoralf.blogspot.com Audio : http://aporee.org/maps/projects/fotoralf Fotos : https://www.fotocommunity.de/user_photos/770012
BW
Bob W PDML
Mon, Aug 3, 2026 7:08 PM

On 2 Aug 2026, at 20:43, Ralf R Radermacher pdml@uebra.de wrote:

[…]

I think scanning with a digital camera is much, much easier and produces far better results than anything I could get with the scanner.

Thanks Bob. Not exactly what I wanted to hear. ;-)

The Valoi 120 and the film holders for medium format as well as 35 mm panoramic would be around 800 euros, plus 1 (or maybe even two) macro lenses... 1500 €.

gulp

Welcome to photography.

If you’d like to try camera scanning 35mm without forking out a ton of money I could lend you some of my bits and pieces:

Pentax K extension tube set
Pentax-M 50mm macro lens
Pentax 49mm reversing ring
Pentax slide holder K

Attach things to the camera in the order given above. I used an adapter to attach the tube to my LUMIX S5. This shouldn’t be necessary with a Pentax digital camera.

Use the reversing ring to attach the slide holder to the lens.

I unscrew the diffuser from the slide holder and use the Valoi 58-62mm step-up ring to attach it to the Valoi light source, but you could keep the diffuser on and stick it on top of a LED panel or some other light source.

It’s all a bit Heath-Robinson, but does the trick. It’s just old-skool slide scanning, with a  digital camera.

https://adobe.ly/4xirMef

If you’re shooting on APS rather than full-frame you’d need to play around with different combinations of extension tubes. I got it working with micro 4/3 using the bits attached in a different order, and using the Pentax Slide Holder 1X K, which is longer than the slide holder K.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/accessoryreviews/pentax-slide-holder-1x-k.html

The build quality of the Pentax stuff is infinitely better than the Valoi 3D-printed stuff, but the Valoi is simpler to use once you’ve figured out which tubes you need.

I’m happy to lend you the stuff I’ve used, it’s going on eBay when I get round to it as I’m going to stick with the Valoi kit.

> On 2 Aug 2026, at 20:43, Ralf R Radermacher <pdml@uebra.de> wrote: > > […] >> >> >> I think scanning with a digital camera is much, much easier and produces far better results than anything I could get with the scanner. > > Thanks Bob. Not exactly what I wanted to hear. ;-) > > The Valoi 120 and the film holders for medium format as well as 35 mm panoramic would be around 800 euros, plus 1 (or maybe even two) macro lenses... 1500 €. > > *gulp* Welcome to photography. If you’d like to try camera scanning 35mm without forking out a ton of money I could lend you some of my bits and pieces: Pentax K extension tube set Pentax-M 50mm macro lens Pentax 49mm reversing ring Pentax slide holder K Attach things to the camera in the order given above. I used an adapter to attach the tube to my LUMIX S5. This shouldn’t be necessary with a Pentax digital camera. Use the reversing ring to attach the slide holder to the lens. I unscrew the diffuser from the slide holder and use the Valoi 58-62mm step-up ring to attach it to the Valoi light source, but you could keep the diffuser on and stick it on top of a LED panel or some other light source. It’s all a bit Heath-Robinson, but does the trick. It’s just old-skool slide scanning, with a digital camera. https://adobe.ly/4xirMef If you’re shooting on APS rather than full-frame you’d need to play around with different combinations of extension tubes. I got it working with micro 4/3 using the bits attached in a different order, and using the Pentax Slide Holder 1X K, which is longer than the slide holder K. https://www.pentaxforums.com/accessoryreviews/pentax-slide-holder-1x-k.html The build quality of the Pentax stuff is infinitely better than the Valoi 3D-printed stuff, but the Valoi is simpler to use once you’ve figured out which tubes you need. I’m happy to lend you the stuff I’ve used, it’s going on eBay when I get round to it as I’m going to stick with the Valoi kit.