Black Hole Updates

October 7 2022

The Black Hole Pro Scans

Pro Scanning Service

Scanning film has traditionally used older but efficient devices such Noritsu or Fuji Frontier on one end, on the far end of the quality spectrum there is drum scanning. Both the Noritsu and Frontier feeds on film at unbelievable speeds but it is important to note that at the end of the day the colours and details rendered on the scans are solely interpreted by the machine with limited options for photographers to express.

A relevant question is to what extend a photographer wants to control how their images look from the highlights to the shadows, from the warmth to the coolness of the image. After much thought and personal experience, The Black Hole team decided to embark on a journey to find a method that can provide our customers with more control if they so choose they want.

After many hours and days on reading through the articles available online, we finally found an emerging method of scanning film rolls that can only be done from this decade onwards. As we break down the functions of scanning machine, there are essentially three parts; a film holder, a digital sensor, and a light source.

Using the best film holder available, the Negative Supply film holder, we find that the film is at the flattest it could be possibly be, making sure that the image on the film is not warped and that the light source is distributed equally from one end of the image to the other. This also allowed us to scan formats from half-frame all the way up to 8×10 large format frames. The light source we use is the 99 CRI light from Negative Supply. The light is very neutral and the colours rendered are accurate.

_BL_0988 Last but not least, the digital sensor that will be used to scan the film, are the Hasselblad H4D and Sony A7RIV. This is provide more resolution than any film scanners available in the market. The high dynamic range also proves to be useful as the scans can preserve the highlights and even the shadows giving it a lot more latitude to work with for photographers that would like to work on their files as how they have intended it to look.

Even with the right setup, we practise the highest standards of handling the film rolls our customers assigned us. Throughout the scans, the processed films be given utmost the care ensuring that there is no dusts, hair or contamination on the film during scans. We will then carefully examine each frame for scratches and will inform our customers accordingly to our findings. This is to make sure that every frame can be processed and scanned consistently over the sessions in the future.

Our customers will also be provided with a digital TIFF file that enables them to post process the film later on if it is what they prefer. Else, a sample of a preference look can be shared with us, where our colourist will try our very best to match the images in terms of toning, color balance, detail and the film latitude. It is only through the professional scans where it is possible to unlock the full potential of the film digitally.

It has been a long time where film photographers work on their photographers in the dark room. It has only been of recent time where film scans can be at qualities closed to those of those at the dark room. As we adapt at more and more digitalised world, a professional scan that can match the flexibility of working on images at the dark room is very important. Every frame matters, which is why every frame should reflect what the photographer truly intended. Go beyond composition, having a professional scans allow you to truly control your vision and your story. Not everyone shoots professionally, but everyone shoots for a story.

Fuji Frontier | Pro Scan
Fuji Frontier | Pro ScanPhoto by @haojie.jpeg

Photo by @haziqfrhn

Photo by @dylan.analog

Photo by @siewginn

Photo by @brendon_leong

January 30 2022

Update 4: The Updates that never ends.

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The update that never ends.

Hey fellow explorers in life, if you read this update, you must have had followed us for about a month. Each updates that was scripted and typed out has been done honestly and sincerely without any intention to show ourselves any more than who we really are and what we can offer.

It really has been a dream come true to finally open our doors to the analogue community. It is our passion to learn and to share with others the joy of having something that is timeless, not affected by firmware upgrades. Life is indeed something more than what we post on the internet, but how we experience through it. This is the message we would like The Black Hole Lab to bring to the community.

With the community as its drive and purpose, we truly hope that The Black Hole Lab can be your film lab, and that we all can work together to bring the best out of each other. Even when one day film is really dead, it will never truly die, it is way of life where the beauty can be found in things that are more real than 1s and 0s.

Feel free to engage us on social media, we would love to be part of your film photography journey!

It is now the time to go beyond!

January 14 2022

Update 3: Finding the Ultimate.

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Finding the best way to scan film

“There must be a better way to scan film in 2021”, with a couple of years of experience working in a film lab, Brendon thought to himself. This was in a way the conclusive start to start Black Hole lab, a film lab that seeks to explore new methods that is more reliable, higher quality and more consistent than the conventional way. Without a doubt the main methods of scanning produces beautiful results and it had weather through the many changes of seasons where without a shadow of a doubt, Noritsu and Frontier reigns supreme at the forefront of the film scanning market. The consistent, reliable, and beautiful rendition of film has invoked a sense of a following of each brand.

The Anatomy of a Scanner

At the core of a scanner, it made up of three parts. Namely, an image sensor that captures the information on the film, a light source that enables the capture and a holder that can keep the film sufficiently flat and tight to make sure that the scanned copy is not distorted and allows the light to pass through the film evenly but not so tight that it can scratch and cause unwanted lasting markings on the film.

The Sensor

Then the question dawn upon us, what is the best and most accessible image sensor in the market right now? We then decided on using the Sony A7RIV and Hasselblad H4D as our sensor of choice. We realised that by using an independent camera instead of committing to one unit will serve us well in the long run. As image sensor technology starts to evolve, by using a digital camera as a scanner seems like a no brainer. Even if one day the 61 megapixel camera starts to feel obsolete, we can just change the camera unit, making the scanning set up extremely modular and upgradable. Another reason why we opt for the A7RIV is for the option to do pixel shift, which may push the pixel count into the 200mp region. We are not very sure whether we will ever need that level of resolving detail, but there’s no harm to have it as a possibility.

It must be said that at the beginning of the consideration, one mighty contender is the Fuji GFX100, as we thought that it would be superior in many areas to the A7RIV but we still decided to value the 35mm sensor that fits a 35mm film camera just nice compared to the hassle to sensor dimensions on the medium format beast. However, the GFX100 is still very much within our radar for a future addition to our “system”.

The Holder

After having a clear device as our ‘scanner’, we need to decide what to use as our film holder and the light source for the perfect scanning setup. Throughout the months we bought a few different budget friendly film holders. One of which is the famous and highly recommended Essential Film Holder by Andrew Clifford. It does the job really well and we fully support our community to get one at home for ease of scanning.

However, as a film lab that intends to find the ultimate solution to film scanning, we decided we need something more. Gritting our teeth, we took the plunge to order the highly coveted Negative Supply Film Holder Pro Kit which the price is equivalent to a Noritsu HS-1800. We firmly believe is the superior method of scanning. Thus, we embraced DSLR scanning method. The brushed aluminium finish crafted from a single block with knobs and springs and magnets that fit the components snugly at its place coupled with the minimalist, functionalist and simplistic function of keeping the film flat, of which it does really well. It feels good, it feels right. And since we have decided to make it a professional service, we thought, why not commit to the best holder out there.

With the Negative Supply, we are able to scan large format films professionally also (Yes, this includes the likes of 4×5, 5×7 and 8×10 film sheets). This is also one of the factor that made us decide on getting the holder.

The Light Source

For the light source, we have a lot of other options to consider but we finally just went with the Negative Supply 95 CRI light source. All we can say it has served its purpose well as to providing a neutral white light for the scanning to be as accurate as possible.

As we mentioned in the first update post, The Black Hole Lab will always be a work in progress, as we grow, we yearn to seek better and more effective methods that only gives the best results. The time has dawn upon us. Stay tuned for the next update as we announce our opening times. We can’t wait to serve you guys soon!

January 8 2022

Update 2: The Heart of Black Hole

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Hey fellow explorers, it’s nice being able to update you again on the progress of The Black Hole Lab. First of all, we would like to thank all of you for the kind support and encouragement, allowing us to share the story of our film lab. Here, we will be update you on what we consider as the beating heart of our small scale operation;

The Film Processor.

With our previous experience working with film processors, its, to put it simply, frustrating, time consuming, and last but not the least, disappointing. There’s no one to be blamed, except that the machine that are available nowadays are usually out of commissioned for the past 20 or so years.

After scouring through the internet for months, we found a potential candidate to be the beating heart of The Black Hole Labs, the Noritsu V30. A legendary machine that can process up to 30 rolls an hour! The order is then placed and the payment is transferred, all we have to do now is to wait for its glorious arrival.

A quick couple of weeks later, the film processor has finally arrived. Knowing its approximate weight, we quickly called some of our close friends to help unload the machine from the lorry. The machine is well protected by seemingly reliable wooden planks and seemed undamaged.

The machine is then carefully rolled into a temporary space while we test whether the machine is functioning as it should. Every step of testing is done meticulously. We know that every film roll are valuable so the machine MUST perform flawlessly no ifs and buts. We first tested whether there are any leakage in the machine. From start to finish, it took us nearly about 2 days or close to 18 hours, which includes ensuring that every tank, every valve is void of any possible artifact.

The machine is then tested through film leads to check whether it feeds properly. We then check for scratches and smudge marks to make sure that the film rolls that enter into the machine is safe and processed seamlessly.

Finally, we feed the machine our own film rolls into the machine to check whether are there any unwanted marks left of the film after development. We first check whether are there any scratches that are visible on the film, the we scan the film using our scanner; the Noritsu LS-600 & HS-1800.

The Scanner.

Looking at the results, we are happy and relieved to say that our processor and scanners are both functioning at tip top condition.

Once again, we would like to thank firstly our friends that helped us out during setting up of the film lab. We also sincerely thank our readers and followers. In the next update, we have something even more exciting to share with all of you. Do help us to share our content and our existence to your friends and family, we sincerely believe that spreading through word of mouth organically is the healthiest engagement. Stay tuned!

Can’t wait to scan yours! Check out our services here!

November 27 2021

Update 1: Preparing the film lab

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Hey guys, we are very happy to update you on the progress of The Black Hole Lab. A quick recap, we are a film lab located at the heart of Johor Bahru town. In this update, we will touch on the setup of the lab.

Finding the right location.

We knew right from the start that we want a location has ample space for our customers to hang out and chill over a cup of coffee or tea. It was definitely a challenge to in finding such location, especially in Johor Bahru. After countless phone calls, physical visitations and arrangements, we finally found a place where we find perfectly suiting our needs.

Removing the awning for aesthetic purposes.

Need to cover the holes to prevent dust from entering.

Who are we kidding, there’s still much work to be done. However, we were intrigued and definitely fascinated by the architectural choices and the interior design of the building which alleged to be at least 60 years old. The angular arrangement of the wood floor tiles, the frosted glass window panes and the vintage light switches made us fell in love with the place.

The real work begins.

This is where the real work begin. Painting the walls, fixing up the wiring, installing air-conditioning, polishing and coating the flooring, trimming the grass, and many other tedious grunt work. We are not kidding if we were to say that we can take on real renovation work. It is a lot tougher and harder that we initially thought it would. However, the idea of having a professional film lab and building a community that last pushed us all to give our very best.

Exterior painting with white and black accents.