pixl-latr – Multi-Format Film Holder

pixl-latr is a low-cost, simple but effective multi-format film holder for digitising (“scanning”) 35mm, 120 (up to 6×12), and 5×4 film formats.

pixl-latr is the most versatile and lowest cost film holder on the market. It can be used to produce results equal in quality to results using film holders that cost many times as much and that are much less versatile!

pixl-latr was designed to perfectly mask your film for digitisation with a DSLR, mirrorless, compact digital camera or smartphone. It does this by holding your film against a diffuser which has the added benefit of diffusing a backlight. With the film held perfectly flat against the diffuser, the result is corner-to-corner sharp images in as high a resolution as your equipment is capable of capturing.

For best results, we recommend fixing your chosen digital camera to a stand such as a copy stand or tripod. pixl-latr can be backlit with any light source including dedicated light boxes, video light panels, tablet screens, or even daylight if pixl-latr is used on its legs. If using a camera with an interchangeable lens, we recommend the use of a proper macro lens. A close-up adapter lens or extension tube can also be used for very good results. Though it should be noted that depending on the brand and/or lens you use, these might slightly reduce the quality of the final image. You can read a little more about the use of different lenses here.

For 35mm film a macro lens of at least 1:1 is required to fill the frame of a full-frame camera, an even higher-powered lens is needed for smaller formats. There are now many 2:1 and even more powerful still macro lenses on the market.

For 120 and 5×4 film, a high-powered macro lens is not necessarily required. To fill the frame of a full-frame camera, many normal lenses with close-up capability will work. With that said, dedicated macro lenses are better suited to the purpose as they tend to have a flat field of focus, which in simple terms means better, sharper results corner to corner. It is also possible to use a macro lens to take multiple shots of a single area of larger format film and stitch these together in software for a very high-resolution final image.

If using a smartphone, a clip-on macro or closeup lens might be required. Though many high-end smartphones now have very good close-up capability.

pixl-latr’s capability can also be expanded to work with many other formats of film. You can find and buy gates and inserts all the formats we support here.

pixl-latr also has an open-source element to its design which enables our users to design and print their own parts. You can find out more about this here.

We also sell a range of accessory and cleaning products, many of which help in the process of achieving high-quality end results.

If you have any questions about pixl-latr, any of our other products, or indeed how to achieve great scans of your film with a digital camera, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

If you would like to find out more about how pixl-latr works, take a look at our ‘Getting Started Guide‘

pixl-latr is Protected by EU Registered Design Nos. 0006629739-0001, 0002 and 0003