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Author Topic: 35mm slide conversion  (Read 5858 times)

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Offline Jhurlbs81

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35mm slide conversion
« on: March 04, 2010, 05:49:44 PM »
Hey guys-

I'd like to convert all my parents old 35mm slides into the digital domain.  I'm not sure how many slides there are, but I'd say more than a few hundred if not closer to a thousand.   I wouldn't want to send them to a professional since they're not my slides and wouldn't want to risk loss anyhow...  What are my options? What specs would suffice? Is there more to a scanner than just dpi, or is that the main consideration?

Thanks
Jesse
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Offline flipp

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Re: 35mm slide conversion
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2010, 06:17:49 PM »
There are a few ways to do it. A dedicated film/negative/slide scanner but some have trouble with dark slides (think concert low-light shots) or leave undesirable artifacts. If you don't want to go that route, a digicam taking shots of the slides in one of those small handheld slide viewers or get out the Kodak Carousel projector and use the digicam to take pics of the projected images. To get the best quality a dedicated film/slide scanner is probably best. It's been almost a decade since I used one (an HP S20/C-5100 which left artifacts on dark slides) so have no idea what is on the market - either quality or price wise.

Offline page

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Re: 35mm slide conversion
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2010, 07:38:26 PM »
There are a few ways to do it. A dedicated film/negative/slide scanner but some have trouble with dark slides (think concert low-light shots) or leave undesirable artifacts. If you don't want to go that route, a digicam taking shots of the slides in one of those small handheld slide viewers or get out the Kodak Carousel projector and use the digicam to take pics of the projected images. To get the best quality a dedicated film/slide scanner is probably best. It's been almost a decade since I used one (an HP S20/C-5100 which left artifacts on dark slides) so have no idea what is on the market - either quality or price wise.

My recommendation as well. My parents have close to maybe 4000 and they are going through them, takes about 1-2 minutes per slide once you get good at it. Our hitch was we were looking for one that ran on OSX, and I think they paid around $250 for it, does the job and yes, it has a small bit of trouble with solid black stuff (fixable with Photoshop, but thats work).
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Offline Jhurlbs81

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Re: 35mm slide conversion
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2010, 07:43:45 PM »
yeah, i'd be looking for an osx capable device too.
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Offline page

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Re: 35mm slide conversion
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2010, 08:29:09 PM »
yeah, i'd be looking for an osx capable device too.

I'll dig up the model number this weekend, they are coming back to visit. If you want a cheapo deal, I'll ask what they'd sell it for after they are done.
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Offline Jhurlbs81

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Re: 35mm slide conversion
« Reply #5 on: March 04, 2010, 09:02:56 PM »
That'd be great.  Thanks, Page.  :)
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Offline Chilly Brioschi

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Re: 35mm slide conversion
« Reply #6 on: March 05, 2010, 12:33:58 AM »
Rent a good, dedicated scanner with Silverfast AI software.
The time you save and the results will make you glad that you did.
Slides have high dynamic range and it is a shame to loose this with a mediocre scanner.  Film would be different.

You have a project ahead of yourself, especially with an older Mac...

Get antistatic supplies and some form of air duster
Buy some plastic mounts to keep on-hand as you work, and be prepared to remount the moldy-oldies

Good luck!
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Offline coloartist

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Re: 35mm slide conversion
« Reply #7 on: March 08, 2010, 03:28:19 AM »
My dad called me today, before I saw this thread. He wanted me to digitize his old slides, for some speeches he had to give, and family slides.

I ordered this just now from Newegg. I will give a review when it arrives:

$153.98


The OpticFilm 7200 from plustek is an efficient way to digitize your 35mm negatives and slides. The compact scanner has a 7200x7200dpi resolution and 48bit color depth for incredibly accurate scans. Custom trays hold either 4 slides or one 6 frame negative strip.

A fast USB 2.0 interface transfers the data quickly to your PC. Since it only weighs in at 3 pounds it is extremely portable if you want to use it in multiple locations. A custom carry bag is included to make transport easier.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16838108112
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Offline page

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Re: 35mm slide conversion
« Reply #8 on: March 08, 2010, 07:19:21 PM »
http://www.brookstone.com/sl/product/49585-iconvert-slide-negative-scanner.html

I largely agree with the reviews. It's easy to use, but the black can get sort of wonky if you aren't careful with the settings while scanning. We've only had a couple of problems and they were all night-time shots.

My parents are happy with it (coupled with a macbook), but prior to this they were using a flashlight and a set of tweezers to hold the slides and see them. They've done ~800 slides so far.
"This is a common practice we have on the bus; debating facts that we could easily find through printed material. It's like, how far is it today? I think it's four hours, and someone else comes in at 11 hours, and well, then we'll... just... talk about it..." - Jeb Puryear

"Nostalgia ain't what it used to be." - Jim Williams

Offline phanophish

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Re: 35mm slide conversion
« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2010, 08:00:25 AM »
I have a Plustek 7300 slide scanner, not sure the differences, looks pretty much identical.  I really like it.  It does take some time, 30-60 seconds/slide, to do high quality scans but the quality was very good.  My only other slight complaint is the software is kind of confusing to setup initially, particularly if you want to use some of the dust removal functions or take advantage of the "dual exposure" functionality to increase the dynamic range of the scanned slide.

http://www.plustek.com/usa/product/7300.asp
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Offline heikki

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Re: 35mm slide conversion
« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2010, 09:51:54 AM »

in general, scanning slides is a bit more forgiving than scanning film.  but you'll want a scanner that you know works with slides, as the intensity of the light required is generally more than that required for film due to the density of the slides.  this is critical for the dark areas that some mentioned are problematic.  if the light intensity isn't sufficient you won't be able to pick up any detail in the shadows.

however, there is generally a lot less correction required for slides as they are more consistent than film.  this is good when you're using an old computer.  the processing for dust removal and other correction of large image files is VERY demanding of your computer.

i know you said you didn't want to send the stuff out for this specific project, but just for information, i have used these guys with good success: http://www.scancafe.com/
they will ship your film to india, and it takes a long time, but the results i got were great and the price was reasonable.  i did a lot of research on them in advance and the only negativity i saw was regarding the time (which they make clear in advance) and the idea of it being "offshore" (which they also make clear).

good luck and happy scanning.
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Offline Jhurlbs81

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Re: 35mm slide conversion
« Reply #11 on: March 09, 2010, 11:47:41 AM »
Yeah, the idea of sending off my only copies of these slides to India makes me queezy.  I ended up buying an epson v500.  It has a 3.2 Dynamic range and they claim it can resolve and image at 6800dpi, but I know that's just manufacturer fluff.  If I could get half that I'll be happy.  My computer isnt that old, its a Intel iMac with 3GB of RAM, so I think it will do OK with the dust correction and other processing.  The v500 has Digital ICE correction which seems to be very helpful.  We'll see how it goes.  My main goal is to get the images scanned in to my computer.  I'll probably wait to burn the slideshows til I can get a Bluray burner.  Burning these nice hig res images onto a DVD seems doesn't seem like the way to go. 
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Offline phanophish

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Re: 35mm slide conversion
« Reply #12 on: March 09, 2010, 06:05:55 PM »
Yeah, the idea of sending off my only copies of these slides to India makes me queezy.  I ended up buying an epson v500.  It has a 3.2 Dynamic range and they claim it can resolve and image at 6800dpi, but I know that's just manufacturer fluff.  If I could get half that I'll be happy.  My computer isnt that old, its a Intel iMac with 3GB of RAM, so I think it will do OK with the dust correction and other processing.  The v500 has Digital ICE correction which seems to be very helpful.  We'll see how it goes.  My main goal is to get the images scanned in to my computer.  I'll probably wait to burn the slideshows til I can get a Bluray burner.  Burning these nice hig res images onto a DVD seems doesn't seem like the way to go.

FWIW, I tried a couple of flatbed scanners that could do transparencies and was very disappointed with the results.  From my perspective the labor involved in the scanning was so significant that I didn't want to do it without maximizing the resulting quality.  That's why I purchased a dedicated slide/negative scanner.
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Audio: MBHO 603/KA200N or AKG C2000B>Edirol R44
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Photo:  Nikon D300, D200, 35mm f/1.8,  50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8, Nikon 17-55 f/2.8, Sigma 18-50/2.8 Macro, 18-70 f/4.5-5.6, 24-120 f/3.5-5.6 VR, Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6, Nikon 70-200 f/2.8VR, SB-800

Jake: What's this?
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Jake: The Cadillac we used to have. The Blues Mobile!
Elwood: I traded it.
Jake: You traded the Blues Mobile for this?
Elwood: No. For a microphone.
Jake: A microphone? Okay I can see that.

Offline heikki

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Re: 35mm slide conversion
« Reply #13 on: March 09, 2010, 10:18:13 PM »
FWIW, I tried a couple of flatbed scanners that could do transparencies and was very disappointed with the results.

did it have a lit lid?  (i.e. glass/light in the lid as well as the body)  from my experience you can get some decent flatbeds for scanning film/slides, but this is pretty necessary.  the ones that light from below are, as you said, not really worth the time you spend  :-\
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Offline phanophish

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Re: 35mm slide conversion
« Reply #14 on: March 10, 2010, 09:04:31 AM »
FWIW, I tried a couple of flatbed scanners that could do transparencies and was very disappointed with the results.

did it have a lit lid?  (i.e. glass/light in the lid as well as the body)  from my experience you can get some decent flatbeds for scanning film/slides, but this is pretty necessary.  the ones that light from below are, as you said, not really worth the time you spend  :-\

No it had the lit lid, just never was happy with the resulting image quality.  Otherwise I loved the scanner.
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Audio: MBHO 603/KA200N or AKG C2000B>Edirol R44
http://www.archive.org/bookmarks/phanophish

Photo:  Nikon D300, D200, 35mm f/1.8,  50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8, Nikon 17-55 f/2.8, Sigma 18-50/2.8 Macro, 18-70 f/4.5-5.6, 24-120 f/3.5-5.6 VR, Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6, Nikon 70-200 f/2.8VR, SB-800

Jake: What's this?
Elwood: What?
Jake: This car. This stupid car. Where's the Cadillac? The Caddy? Where's the Caddy?
Elwood: The what?
Jake: The Cadillac we used to have. The Blues Mobile!
Elwood: I traded it.
Jake: You traded the Blues Mobile for this?
Elwood: No. For a microphone.
Jake: A microphone? Okay I can see that.

 

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