About Tone Photographic

Hi there!

I’m Jakub - though some call me Jake. I’m a mechanical engineer by trade, with experience in industries ranging from F1 cars to medical devices. But since long before my engineering career, I’ve had a passion for photography. I’ve been capturing the world through a lens since I was 10 years old, and a few years ago, I discovered the magic of film photography.

When a friend returned from Japan with incredible film photos, something clicked for me. I bought my first film camera, the Canon AE-1 Program, and it didn’t take long before I was completely hooked. I went all in—I wasn’t just shooting film, I was also developing it myself, both C-41 and black and white. My digital camera? It gathered dust for a long time as I fully immersed myself in the analogue world.

Of course, being an engineer, I wanted to be involved in every part of the process, including scanning my negatives. Rather than relying on a lab, I set up a DIY scanning station with my old Canon 70D, a 70-200 lens with macro rings, and a cheap frame-style film strip holder. But the process was slow and I needed something more efficient, especially as I set out to digitise my family’s massive archive of negatives. When I found that the commercial options were too expensive and lacked key features, I took matters into my own hands.

That’s when I designed the ToneCarrier—a system that makes film scanning easier, faster, and more accessible. Built specifically for scanning 35mm, 120, and 110 film, ToneCarrier is the result of my engineering background and passion for film photography. It’s robust, easy to use, and solves many of the issues I encountered with other systems. And I’m constantly improving it, with more formats coming soon.

At Tone Photographic, we’re proud to offer not only the ToneCarrier system, but also 3D printing files for those who want to start scanning at a lower cost. We believe in making high-quality film scanning tools accessible to everyone.

You might be wondering about the name "Tone." It’s a nod to the unique tonality that makes film photography so special. And for those in the know, some photographers like to jokingly refer to it as “tonez” with a "z"—a playful inside joke that’s become part of the community. If you get it, you get it. If not, that’s okay too!

But Tone Photographic is more than just a shop—we’re also building a community around camera scanning. I’ll be sharing tips, software and lens recommendations, setup guides, and more to help photographers get the best results from their scanning process. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced shooter, you’ll find plenty of useful content to guide you along the way.

Over the past three years, we’ve invested significant time and resources into perfecting ToneCarrier, and we’re planning to expand even further. We’re developing tools like motorised add-ons for automated scanning, dedicated scanning light sources, and more solutions for the modern film photographer.

At Tone Photographic, our mission is simple: we’re focused on film scanning specifically. We want to give photographers the tools to control the entire digitisation process—from scanning to sharing—with ease and precision. Whether you’re an experienced film shooter or just getting started, we’re excited to help you along the way.

Thanks for being here!

—Jake