Innovation by Design! The ingenious film-capture platform uses your camera to convert film to digital.  The all-new innovative FilmToaster Dakota mates with DSLR cameras enabling high performance digitization of 35mm through 4x5 film, black & white, color or slide–many times faster than flatbed or dedicated film scanners—and resolution limited only by camera. FilmToaster is now in use throughout the world by leading museums and archivists.  FilmToaster's passive design concept is like that of a cradle, a supporting framework holding your camera in a special environment where media, lighting and consistency is ideal for film digitizing. See reviews on FilmToaster in Shutterbug, PDN, USA Today. Film holder & Lens connector of many sizes must be ordered and paid separately. 

Visit filmtoaster.photography to order film holders for format you wish to digitize. Please include with your purchase information regarding film format size (35mm, medium format, 4x5) camera and lens type (macro specific).

Frankly speaking, scanning film is labor intensive with any system, including FilmToaster, but this next generation technology does it faster! Imagine; capture strips of four 35mm film, in *30 seconds–approximately 200 hourly; or thirty-six, 35mm film in *one minute–approximately 400 hourly; easily outperforming this industry's existing slow and time-consuming equipment. Exclusive to FilmToaster and all other technologies, a Glass Film Carrier (optional cost) that accepts long rolls of 35mm film for increased productivity. Imagine how fast things happen if you splice rolls of 35mm together in bulk?

FilmToaster is a metal constructed hybrid enclosure, which facilitates digital camera scans of analog media. It was created with sixty-five laser machining steps, specifically for large-scale image digitization projects. Before digital cameras appeared in the mid-1990s, generations of photographers invested talent, time, and resources in countless billions of images made on various size rolls or sheet film. Because film equipment today is declining, and all film fade and deteriorate, transforming film images into a digital format is inevitable. Although standard in most archival equipment inventories, flatbed scanners are easy to use, but slow and tedious. Often, because of film thickness issues, flatbeds compromise sharpness, produce unpredictable results, and 30% of original content is lost. Dedicated film scanners produce better results but also slow and touchy.  Now, with the advent of FilmToaster—everything changes!

 Toasting, that is, from perspective of FilmToaster—digitally capturing 35mm, 120mm, or 4x5 into DSLRs—begins by placing film, filmstrips, or slides into a position in the 7 inch focusing slot. Isn't that similar to toasting a slice of bread?

Setting new standards of scanning with a repeatable workflow, digital images of film can be captured by Film Toaster on a memory card or tethered from camera to computer, then inverted with one keystroke in programs like Photoshop, or or a special preset in Lightroom. At that point, digital capture might also be cropped, tweaked, made ready for adding metadata. Remaining FilmToaster slots are designed to accommodate other film carriers commonly available as accessories for flatbed and dedicated film scanners. The slots, filter rings, and technology are designed on an open platform and offer customization opportunities for future usage. Imagine, in addition to speed, image quality, all within an ergonomically stable enclosure, near drum scanner resolution is achievable with Film Toaster at 80% less cost!

In hands of advanced photographers, digital libraries, archival installations, curators, imaging specialists, and others acquiring cultural collections photographed on film, FilmToaster becomes a product capable of extreme image capturing capabilities. Because learning curve in understanding macro is complex, FilmToaster's ideal placement in a busy digitization environment is to supplement, not replace existing technologies. In addition to experience in macro and closeup photography, a DSLR, mirrorless, or four-thirds camera body, equipment such as a macro lenses, extension tubes, add-on filter rings, or closeup lens might be required. With the correct optics, settings on newer DSLR are relatively easy with auto settings. Other factors in the process may take in consideration, a camera's sensor size, precise focusing, shutter speed, white balance, and alignment. With older, yet very reasonably priced macro lens, settings  are almost always done manually. With recommended equipment, image sharpness and initial cropping with Film Toaster is achieved between 3-9 inches.  With the vast array of digital equipment available today, some experimentation may be required to obtain perfect and predictable results. Yes, it also accepts video cameras and some cell phone accessory lenses!

FilmToaster may be mounted on a tripod or tabletop in a vertical or horizontal position, however, its native and most ergonomically versatile position is vertical. It is also available with a mounting rig and base plate with quick release, rail rods, and second base plate for camera support with vertical adjustments. The base plate rig attaches to any sturdy tripod and allow installation into an entire world of already available cheese plates, mounting handles, external LCD monitors, electronic flash and other items.

 The concept and workflow of FilmToaster is simple yet highly effective. The lens and plate end attach to a rotating connector that connects to the adapter thread of a macro or other lens capable of capturing closeups. Image cropping and minor alignments are easily made with lens board which can also be adjusted vertically. Included with FilmToaster is a AC operated 5000K LED light panel which provides flicker-free illumination. Or, an optional external LED, electronic flash or other source of illumination, may be used at outer front-end where an acrylic plate serves as a diffuser and stand. Amazingly, with its open architecture and customization potentials, FilmToaster supports a wide range of film carrier sizes: 35mm, medium format, 4x5.

As a bridge accessory mating film and digital, FilmToaster has no comparison. It will never become obsolete because it has no internal electronics...when updating DSLRs and lens, FilmToaster accepts the update.  Decades ago, Honeywell Repronar, Bowens Illumitran, Beseler Dual Slide Duplicator, Kenro Spectra and others, manufactured analog slide duplicators, but today this equipment is rare and did not survive digital transformation. Then and now, medium format and larger film sizes, especially negative media, was mostly ignored.

Camera scanning medium format film is an area where the FilmToaster excels like nothing else in the world. Yesterday's 120 medium format cameras exploited numerous image sizes: 645, 6x6, 6x7, 6x9, and even 6x10; all easily scanned in the versatile open-faced 120mm holders available for the FilmToaster.  An instruction guide is included but it is important to remember, for optimal results, some closeup photography experience is necessary using the above recommended closeup equipment and accessories.