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I know there exists digitizing adapters for 35mm format. However, I have not found any for medium format (6x6).

Does anyone know if they exist?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ By "digitizing" adapter do you mean a 'film scanner'? \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Commented Jul 8, 2018 at 0:29
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    \$\begingroup\$ "Adapter" for what capture device? \$\endgroup\$
    – xiota
    Commented Jul 8, 2018 at 3:37
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    \$\begingroup\$ My first instinct was that the OP meant something like this. But, clarification is needed... \$\endgroup\$
    – osullic
    Commented Jul 8, 2018 at 10:30
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    \$\begingroup\$ Or maybe the OP meant something like this, which seems to be a Nikon-centric term for such a device. \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Commented Jul 8, 2018 at 23:05

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The standard solution to digitizing medium format is scanning - adapters to A4 (or so...) scanners for 120 film are easier to implement than digitizing adapters.

There is a number of reasons for this; these include standardization issues - only the width of 120 film was properly standardized, at 56mm, and never the length.

So you have rather different formats such as 645 (56×42mm) and 6x17 (56×168mm) presented as medium format. This creates confusion and implementation issues.

This naturally drives any digitalising solution to the least common denominator, which is something close to A4 / letter format (depending on which side of the Atlantic you live on).

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  • \$\begingroup\$ The only solution to digitizing any kind of film is "scanning." The question is, "What kind of scanner?". Drum? Flatbed? or Strip fed film? \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Commented Jul 8, 2018 at 0:52
  • \$\begingroup\$ @MichaelClark for 35mm it is not as clear cut - you can use your digital camera as a kinda sorta scanner. The process is not much different from slide copying in the days of yore. There are tools to help you with the process such as this one: nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/miscellaneous/… \$\endgroup\$
    – Jindra Lacko
    Commented Jul 8, 2018 at 20:27
  • \$\begingroup\$ Using a digital camera to capture a backlit slide or negative is essentially the same as a strip fed film scanner. Some such dedicated film scanners use a line scanner, others use a stationary sensor with set dimensions just like a camera's sensor. \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Commented Jul 8, 2018 at 23:01
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If by "digitizing adapter" you mean a film scanner, then yes, there are a few such scanners that will accept at least some sizes of medium format film. By far the most common are those that will allow 120 film (such as your 56mmx56mm '6x6' negatives) to be scanned in its various lengths.

There are a few budget models, but the quality of the results are probably not up to what most MF shooters would hope for. The high quality ones that will give you better results than a good backlit flatbed scanner start at around $1,200 in the U.S. and go up from there.The sky is the limit.

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