50 18 April 2020 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
Testbench FILM COPIER TEST
The device can be bought in two
different forms. The Kaiser K2457
FilmCopy Vario (£200) contains the fi lm
holder unit along with masks to take 35mm
negatives and mounted slides, and an overlay
mat to block stray light from those areas of
your lightbox not covered by the holder.
Meanwhile the £280 K2458 FilmCopy Vario
Kit under review here adds in Kaiser’s slimlite
plano LED light box, which has an illuminated
area of 22x16cm, a colour temperature of
5000K, a colour rendition index (CRI) of 95,
and a built-in rechargeable battery. It’s an
excellent device that delivers impressively even
illumination across the entire fi lm area, along
with high colour accuracy.
If you want to copy medium-format fi lm,
masks are available separately for 6x4.5cm,
6x6cm and 6x7cm formats, with prices ranging
from £19 to £26. For copying 6x9cm frames
a mask is unnecessary; instead Kaiser
recommends using optical glass inserts to hold
the fi lm fl at, which will set you back £60. It’s
also possible to get a mask for the 24x66mm
panoramic format, as used by the Hasselblad
XPan rangefi nder.
Build and design
Take the FilmCopy Vario out of its box, and you’ll
immediately appreciate that it’s a high-quality
piece of kit. The main unit is a reassuringly
weighty metal construction, with non-slip rubber
feet that mean it’ll stay put on the surface of the
lightbox. This is important, because it lets you
copy multiple images without having to realign
the camera each time. A pair of sliding guide
pins helps ensure the fi lm is correctly placed,
with click-stopped positions for 35mm, 120
and 127 (4x4cm) formats.
The fi lm masks are made from thick black
plastic, so they don’t feel at all fl imsy. They
come in pairs, one part for the base, and
the other for the hinged lid. Once you
get the hang of how they work, they clip
easily in and out of the holder, while
being held fi rmly once in place.
Crucially, they also grip the
fi lmstrip tightly in position
once the lid is closed.
The kit comes with
comprehensive instructions that
illustrate clearly how
everything fi ts together and
works. But when it comes to
actually copying fi lm, and
processing negative
images to positives,
you’re rather left on
your own. You’ll
need to be
prepared to spend
a bit of time
painstakingly
setting up and
aligning the
camera, but once
that’s done, photographing
the fi lm is relatively simple.A 6x6cm format black & white negative shot on a Holga 120N, inverted and toned in Photoshop
For copying film
you’ll need a macro
lens, tripod, and
remote release