Myriad Film Holder Lets Photographers Digitize Almost Any Film With Any Camera

Apr 01, 2025

Jeremy Gray

A transparent, rectangular object with a brown band across the middle, bearing small text and symbols. Four suction cup-like attachments are on the corners, and the bottom is labeled "EUTASUNDA." Set against a black background.

English analog photographer Michael Swift started a new company, CUTASUNDA, pronounced “cut asunder,” and its first product is Myriad, a versatile and affordable film holder to make film digitization easier and more accessible.

Myriad aims to be versatile and easy to use while supporting a wide range of roll and cartridge film formats. As part of a complete system, which includes a digital camera with a macro lens, plus a copy stand, tripod, and light panel, Myriad promises fantastic results.

“The innovative three-layer design includes a high-performance diffuser for even illumination; adjustable film guides with presets for many popular film types (110, APS, 126, 135, 127, 120/220, and more); and a laser-etched transparent top panel, for easy image alignment and full-film-width digitizing in all formats up to 6×9 — including borders, sprocket holes, and edge markings where present,” Swift explains.

A lightbox displays three black and white film negatives showing architectural structures, secured with small round magnets. A label in the corner reads "Myriad by CUTASUNDA." The background is dark, emphasizing the illuminated area.

The diffuser and top panel work together to keep the curved film flat, ensuring good image geometry and focus consistency across the film frame. Myriad’s diffuser features a finely textured surface that prevents Newton’s Rings and delivers sharp images with less post-processing work required.

Explaining Myriad to PetaPixel, Swift says he opted for an “open design” for Myriad, rather than something with a super light-tight design, in pursuit of versatility, compatibility with a wide range of formats and equipment, and cost. Myriad is relatively simple compared to some of the competition, enabling Swift to sell it at a much lower £99.95 price, which is about $130.

Now, of course, some alternatives come with some of the necessary additional gear, like a high-quality, consistent light source. For Myriad, which doesn’t come with a light, Swift recommends the Raleno PLV-S192, available on Amazon for about $60.

For photographers concerned about Myriad’s design increasing the risk of reflections or reduced contrast during digitizing, Swift says that with basic good practices, these risks can be eliminated.

“You might reasonably expect Myriad’s clear top panel to increase the risk of reduced contrast and reflections, but in development — and a very long period of testing (I used a pre-production unit for around a year before releasing the finished version) — I found that it’s no more susceptible than the glossy surface of a typical color film. As such, the same precautions apply as for other non-light-tight holders,” Swift explains.

These good practices and precautions include partially closing blinds or curtains in the room, turning off overhead lighting, masking unnecessary areas of the light source beneath the film if necessary, not using a filter on the macro lens of choice, and using a high-output light panel to illuminate the film.

Black and white image of a tall, arched viaduct with multiple large arches. Cars are parked below, and the sky is clear. The photo has a vintage style border with the word "ULTRA" at the top.

Swift argues that film holders with a light-tight path between the film and lens “certainly minimize the risk of reduced contrast due to ambient light,” but they also limit the possible setups that photographers can use, especially when trying to digitize large-format films.

For example, if someone is trying to digitize 6×9 film, which is possible with Myriad, a long macro lens will require significant working distance. If the digital camera is an APS-C or Micro Four Thirds model in particular, there could be serious issues trying to achieve the best results. Swift believes — and early testers agree — that the tradeoffs of an open design are worth it.

Myriad supports a wide range of camera and lens combinations, basically all film formats, and since it is not an all-inclusive system of different specific parts, it is easy to upgrade or replace specific components as needed. Swift adds that Myriad’s additional benefits include flattening of curved film to a variance of around 0.4 millimeters or less, the ability to digitize the full width of any film including its border, sprocket holes, and edge markings, and that Myriad is entirely made in the United Kingdom.

A vintage tram with the number 264, labeled "SHEFFIELD CORPORATION TRAMWAYS," is on a track with passengers inside. Two people stand nearby on a paved area. Trees and other vehicles are in the background. The image has a film strip border.

That said, Swift adds that after testing not only Myriad and its unique diffuser panel but similarly designed competitors, common sense precautions solve all but the most extreme edge cases concerning a loss of contrast during digitizing.

“That said, these are ‘best practices,’ and for all the advice I give, I’m more cavalier in my own approach. I do use relatively modern macro lenses, a high-output (but inexpensive) light panel, and I generally set up my digitizing station a little way from the window so it’s away from direct sunlight,” Swift says. “But I rarely close the curtains, and I don’t mask the light panel to prevent stray light. I’ve not experienced any problems with contrast and reflections during all of my testing, and in continued day-to-day use (I use Myriad for all of my film digitizing).”

A transparent, square plastic tray with raised white stands at the corners. Text on the tray reads "Myriad by CUTASUNDA." The tray has smooth, curved edges and is set against a black background.

Other people have been using Myriad, too, and Swift shared some of their feedback with PetaPixel. Common areas of positive feedback include Myriad keeping film very flat, making it easy to adjust to any film size, and being very well-built. Build quality and design is where Swift has spent considerable time making changes during prototyping, with the final product offering improved film format adjustments.