I've been working on a project to get a bunch of C-41 negatives into proper plastic sleeves instead of being rolled up in the film cans. I think I was so busy in 2009-2010, that I never put the developed negs into sleeves, and stored them rolled in the plastic film cans. They were locally processed - develop only, no cut, and scanned to a CD. At that time, I think that was about $4/roll for that service at Walgreens. I started trying to accomplish this task a couple of years ago, and set it aside because the negatives were so curly from being stored that way, and I had to weigh the negative sheets down for a month or more to flatten them enough to be stored in a binder.
I started going through some boxes of prints, etc. the other day, and realized that I really ought to finish this job. I tried something that I should have done in the first place. I removed the film roll and placed it in a container of warm water with some photoflo, and then unrolled the film in the water bath and let it sit for several minutes. As it uncurled, I removed it and hung it up to dry. I'm quite pleased with the results so far. There will still be a slight curl, but nothing like before.
In doing this, I also searched for the CD that matched the number on the roll that was put there by the lab. I was at least smart enough to do that in 2009. Of course, the scans are not as good as I can do now with my Epson V700, but they are good enough to see the results and if I wish to do any rescanning in the future, I can do that.
One of the first rolls that I worked with was #68889 - results from a Yashica Dental Eye on Fuji Superia 100. I thought maybe I had blogged about it, but I did not. So, here is what I should have done in 2009 after using the camera.
Yashica Dental Eye
Kyocera produced a series of 35mm SLRs for use by dentists that are basically point and shoot SLRs with a 55mm f/4 (and later, a 100mm for the Dental Eye II) macro lens surrounded by a ring flash. There is no aperture or shutter control, as the camera automatically calculates the flash output with the distance and magnification. There is no infinity focus. The Dental Eye cameras are basically a Yashica FX-3 with a fixed lens and auto exposure. Back in the late 2000s, the Dental Eye cameras were rendered obsolete by digital systems that could do the same thing, but with instant results. The same has happened with dental x-rays.
I received that Dental Eye from a professor that had purchased it years before to do macrophotographs of shells that he was researching. As with many film cameras in the DSLR onslaught after 2002, they were left in a closet or a drawer, and given away as the owners felt that they no longer had any value. I obtained quite a few cameras that way. The Dental Eye cameras were very specialized, as the lenses were not removable, and for the specific purpose they were designed for, they worked well enough. However, why not used them for nature photography? That was my intent, as I had always been doing macrophotography, but with Nikons and macro lenses, etc. I gave the Dental Eye a workout in my garden in Ann Arbor, MI, and overall, the results were pretty good. The farthest focus with this camera is at 1:10 reproduction, with closest at 1:1.
These are a few frames from the roll of Superia 100 that was scanned by the lab.
Overall, I'd say the Dental Eye did a pretty good job, but it's easy to overexpose yellows and whites close-up. The camera makes all the choices for you, so there is that aspect that might appeal to some. You can find these cameras on eBay, usually in the original case with a manual, at prices from $49 - $150. I suspect most of them are hardly used. Of course, you can also try the camera with b&w film, which I don't think I ever did.
The other thing to take away from this is to store your negatives properly!
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