Question 1

The 120 Holder lifts from the Advancer when the Duster is used.

Accepted Answer

This is a known problem and will be fixed in future revisions. The easiest solution is to put a finger ontop of the back of the holder when advacning. This ensure that the Holder stays in place and resolves issues with framing or focus.

Question 2

The Film Holder lifts out of the Advancer

Accepted Answer

This can happen if the film is very stiff, curly or if using the Duster with the 120 Holder. We are aware of these problems and will work towards fixes in future versions. While advancing film, we recommend you put a finger on the back of the holder to keep it from moving.

Question 3

The Holder moves on the table

Accepted Answer

Attach the included rubber dome
feet
Put slight pressure on the film holder when moving film

Question 4

Patches of colour shift or low contrast

Accepted Answer

Reflections: Turn off the lights in the room you are scanning and shade your negative from light outside your scanning light source.

Uneven light or vignetting around the edge: Diffuse your light further (the VALOI Diffuser could help), or make sure you are using a light source with even lighting.

Question 5

The corners of the image has a weird colour/is brighter

Accepted Answer

Lens vignetting: Try stopping the lens down further (bigger F-number), use a correction software such as that built into Lightroom or a plugin like Grain2Pixel, alternatively you have to change your lens for a different one with less vignetting (see the VALOI Gear Guide).    Normal lenses (non-Macro) on extension tubes tend to have vignetting.

Question 6

Blurry results/lower resolution than expected

Accepted Answer

1. Shutter vibrations (mirrorless camera): Use electronic shutter (silent shutter) if your camera has it, use electronic front curtain shutter if your camera has it   2. Shutter vibrations (DSLR): Use mirror-lockup if your camera has it   3. Lens: Change the lens for a macro lens if using normal lens + extension tubes   4. Focus: Check focus, use focus peaking and liveview magnification, focus on the largest aperture of the lens and stop down before scanning   5. Wrong aperture: Test the lens at different apertures to see what works best with your lens

Question 7

Poor colours

Accepted Answer

Colour negative conversion: Use an plugin or program to convert negatives (see VALOI Gear Guide).    Make sure you follow the instructions of the program/plugin you are using. Look for guides on how to use it.   Test a different negative conversion program/plugin (see VALOI Gear Guide).   Change your light source if using a cheap LED panel or other unsuitable light source (see VALOI Gear Guide).

Question 8

The film is not flat

Accepted Answer

Extremely curly film: Use a professional lab to develop or change your drying practices. Press the film under some books for a few days   Ensure that the film is seated properly in the holder.   Last resort: Use a smaller (bigger number) aperture to get more depth of field (will lead to image distortion, but the image will be uniformly sharp). Going down to f/11 or f/16 will give you less sharpness but will help you scan a curly piece of film.

Question 9

The film is not square when scanned (misalignment)

Accepted Answer

Your camera and film is not parallel: Align them perfectly by adjusting your copy stand or adjusting the levelling feet on the Film Advancer (use Mirror Trick (see VALOI Technique Guide)).

Question 10

Software failing to stitch images when doing several captures of the same frame

Accepted Answer

Too little overlap: Use more overlap in your frame, 1/3 overlap is a good aim.   Strong lens vignetting: See further up   Camera and film not parallel: See further up on alignment

Question 11

Are you going to make a sprocket/rebate scanning holder?

Accepted Answer

We already make one!   You can find them here: valoi.kamerastore.com/collections/valoi-360

Question 12

What camera/lens/copystand/light do you recommend?

Accepted Answer

We have a whole Gear Guide outlining the equipment we recommend to use with our products. You can find it in the top-right hand menu under 'Guides'.

Question 13

I have curly negatives, will this hold my film flat?"

Accepted Answer

Scanning curly negatives is usually a big problem, but our holders have build in S-curved tracks that mechanically flatten the film in addition to precision-made tight tracks that assist in keeping the film flat. We have optimised our holders for flatness and our users have often commented on how flat the film is held, even on old curly negatives.

Question 14

Are you going to make a slide holder?

Accepted Answer

Yes - we are working a holder for 35mm slides. However, we are also working on other products at the same time and our development capacity is limited so we do not have an estimated time for the slide holder to be release.   We recommend you sign up to our newsletter - you can find a link to it on the bottom of this page.

Question 15

Can I scan smaller formats than 6x9 in the 120 Holder?

Accepted Answer

The maximum frame size on the standard Valoi 120 Holder is 6x9, but smaller 120 formats such as 6x6 or 6x4.5 are also fine in it. If you are worried about stray light we have additional masks that slot under the Holder to block that off. Please see our webshop at valoi.kamerastore.com.

Question 16

Will the VALOI 360 system do large format?

Accepted Answer

In short - no. This system is made for roll film formats and optimised around that. Incorporating 4x5 into it would be lead to a lot of compromises that we were not willing to make. We could bring out a simple glass-sandwich holders, but our philosophy is to only make products we believe is add something new to the market. However, we do have ideas on how to do that in the future...

Question 17

Do your holders work with strips of film?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can scan as little as three frame stips on the holders. However, it will be slower and the flatness might be worse than if you have a while roll. Particularly the first and last frame of the strip might be worse, but perfectly useable.   Therefore, we recommend you ask your lab to give film back to you uncut, then scan it, then cut yourself for storage. Most labs are happy to do this and will at no extra charge.   Dedicated strip scanning equipment (that has quite different requirements) is something we would like to release in the future.

Question 18

What are the dimensions of the Advancer?

Accepted Answer

Please find the below picture with dimensions.    Tallest height: 70mm (+10mm adjustment) Height of base: 30mm (+10mm adjustment)   Length: 185mm Width: 125mm

Question 19

What are the dimensions of the Holders?

Accepted Answer

Please find a picture attached below:   Width: 88mm Length: 145mm

Question 20

Does the VALOI 120 Holder show a border?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and no:

- Yes: The 120 holder show the whole frame, including a small amount of edge. You can see an example photo here:       - No: It does not show the 'rebate' (the area with text and numbers on it). This is because the film holder holds onto this area, required to optimise flatness on such a wide film.

Question 21

Who should I contact to get support for my Valoi products?

Accepted Answer

We want to give the best help possible but we are also very busy. Therefore, please read through the FAQ before contacting us directly.

The best way to get in touch with us is to email hello@valoi.co - this way you get directly in touch with our co-founder, Arild, who can help you with anything you would need including:
- How to use Valoi products
- Technical problems or damage
- Returns
- Shipping queries
- Problems with scanning
- What products to use in conjunction with Valoi

Question 22

The 35mm Holder wobbles a lot when it sits in the Advancer, or all four rubber-feet don't touch the ground when using it without the Advancer."

Accepted Answer

This is a known problem from batch #1 of our 35mm holders. The manufacturer has recognised the problem and we added additional steps to our quality control after shipping the first 250 units.   If you have one of these units, please send an email to hello@valoi.co with pictures attached of the holder sitting on a flat surface showing the curve clearly. Please note that we won't replace holders that are only slightly bent, as most holders from this batch has some amount of curve. The ones with minimal curve does not influence the flatness of your film while scanning.

Question 23

The knob on the VALOI Advancer is coming loose after a few rolls of film. What do I do?

Accepted Answer

You can add some lock-tite to the screw before you screw it in. If you continue to have issues, please contact hello@valoi.co

Question 24

The 120 Holder lifts from the Advancer when the Duster is used.

Accepted Answer

This is a known problem and will be fixed in future revisions. The easiest solution is to put a finger on-top of the back of the holder when advancing. This ensure that the Holder stays in place and resolves issues with framing or focus.