VALOI easy120: Easy, fast, compact

Easy to use

The VALOI easy120 provides a comprehensive but easy-to-use scanning solution for most available roll film formats. The design means you avoid the alignment issues and light contamination often causing problems for camera scanning users.

Minimal setup

The easy120 does not need a copy stand or a separate light. Once the initial setup is done, you can go from storage to scanning in under a minute.

Stable

With the tubes, lens, light and film attached together, none of the parts can move independently and change your framing or focus. Equally, by effectively fixing sensor and film together with sturdy aluminium tubes, vibrations are greatly reduced, leading to sharper and more consistent results.

Quick

The easy120 allows you to capture a roll of film in 1-2 minutes. It achieves this using a clamp-less pull-through holder design where each frame is captured instantly by the camera and the next frame is presented in seconds by pulling the film through. You can add the optional easy120 Advancer for additional speed and accuracy.

Professional results

With camera scanning and the easy120 you don’t have to choose between speed, cost and quality. With a normal 24MP resolution camera you can achieve professional lab-like results at home. The S-curve holders ensure flatness of the film, providing you with great quality images*.

Comprehensive solution

The easy120 is modular and multi-format oriented, with holders covering most formats and accessories like the Duster and Advancer improving your scanning process.

Compact

Scanning does not have to take up a dedicated desk, even for medium format. In use, the easy120 has a footprint similar to a standard keyboard. Remove the tubes and it will fit in a drawer. No copy stand. No separate light source.

*flatness may vary depending on your films curve and on the amount of leader in-front and behind the film. We recommend scanning full rolls where possible

Features

• Minimal setup, with alignment taken care of by the design
• Holders available for 120 medium format, 35mm and more
• Quality CRI 95+ LED light source inside
• Adjustable temperature settings (warm, white, super-cold)
• No levelling adjustment needed
• Dramatically reduced vibrations with a rigid CNC machined distance tubes in aluminium
• No copy stand is needed, as the easy120 mounts directly to you macro lens
• Sturdy and long lasting with an all-metal body
• Supports most common macro lenses
• Easily replaceable holders with spring-click attachment

Includes

• VALOI easy120 Body
  - Built-in Cinestill CS-LITE inside
• VALOI easy120 Universal Holder
  - Fits 120 film, up to 6x9 maximum size
• VALOI easy120 Distance Tubes
  - 1x 12mm, 1x 25mm, 1x 50mm, 2x 100mm
• VALOI Filter Thread Adapters
  - Sizes: 39mm, 46mm, 49mm, 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm, 67mm, 72mm, 77mm
  (Compatible out of the box with these thread sizes, with a native thread size of 62mm)
• VALOI easy120 Camera Support Bracket
• easy120 English Manual
  - Other languages available online via QR codes

Cinestill CS-LITE Inside

Built into the easy120, is a CS-LITE unit - a tried and true scanning light source, used by thousands of our discerning VALOI 360 scanning system users.

The CS-LITE is USB-powered and requires a 5V/1.6A power brick (typically a phone charger) with USB-A. Even a small/older one will power this unit.

We chose to use the CS-LITE because it fulfils all the criteria of a great scanning light source: It has a CRI 95+ rating, variable colour temperature and high brightness with low heat-output.

The colour from this light source will provide vibrant, accurate results thanks to its colour rendering capabilities (expressed in the standardised CRI scale). The temperature of the light also has three pre-set modes, optimised for scanning slides, black and white negatives and colour negatives. With the colour negative tuned mode, you will get improved colour separation and noise levels from orange masked negative film.

Between the rigid connection through the aluminium tubes of the easy120 and the bright EV15+ output from the CS-LITE, the concern about vibrations is greatly reduced.

In use

To use the easy120, you first choose the right length of tube - you stack different lengths of tube to get the right distance from the front of the lens to the film. Once the length is right, you add the end-cap with a 62mm filter thread, and whatever (included) filter-thread adapter you need for your lens. You plug in the light source of the easy120 to a USB-A connection, turn it on and insert a holder by simply pushing it in.

To scan, you push film in on either side of the holder, adjust the focus and start scanning. For most lenses, we recommend scanning in a horizontal position (camera pointing forward), but for internally focusing lenses you can also scan in a vertical position (standing).

Once you have scanned your film, you import them to a computer or phone and process them using one of the recommend processing methods found on the VALOI website.

Information about lens compatibility

The easy120 is compatible with all system cameras (cameras with interchangeable lenses), including digital medium format cameras. We don’t recommend the use of any fixed-lens cameras.*

*Acceptable results can be achieved with high-end fixed-lens models like the Leica Q3 (28mm and 43mm) when scanning medium format.

easy120 main lens requirements

1. The filter thread on the lens must be one of the following filter threads: 39mm, 46mm, 49mm, 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm, 67mm, 72mm, 77mm
2. When focusing on the film you want to scan, the distance from the front of the lens to the film (working distance) must be smaller than 310mm. You can test this on your own, by placing the format you want to scan on the table and trying to focus on it, then measure the distance from the front of the lens to the film.

Approximate compatible focal lengths

Note that because there are many factors at play, we cannot guarantee that your setup will be compatible - we will do our best to advise you but the safest way is to measure the approximate distance using your lens and desired film format.

Maximum focal length for APS-C sensor: 70mm

Maximum focal length for FF sensor: 105mm

Maximum focal length on MFT sensor: 50mm (60mm lenses can be used for scanning 35mm only)

Maximum focal length for GFX/Hasselblad X sensor: 120mm

Using shorter focal length lenses has the benefit of making for a more compact scanning setup. This can be practical if you have a smaller desk or want to travel with your scanning setup.

Lens features and compatibility

*A 40.5mm to 62mm filter thread adapter can be purchased from a third party and the lens possibly used. Keep in mind that mounting an enlarger lens for use with the easy120 requires a sturdy helicoid. Using bellows is not recommended, as they might bend under the weight of the easy120.