This long overdue. Planning to obtain equipment to scan some of my slide colection. Anyone have any suggestions on what to look for and tips in buying scanners and other related componets? Have no idea on what Im getting into.
I used to do this quite awhile back. I would do both slides and negatives. It gets to be long, boring work. I found a better solution. Next town over, they scan any size slde and negative for 50 cents and they include a print. You use their $1.00 or $2.00 service, they scan at a very large dpi and 2 buck one is way large dpi. Both of these services include as many cd`s as it takes to get everything on there. I use there $1 service and save myself the aggrevation. You just have to think if you are going to be doing the quanity of slides and negatives for what you are going to spend on the equipment. All of mine was HP and wasn`t cheap. I threw it out in the garage a few years back. That way, I can be out with my digital taking photos, why they do all the work. Just my opinion. If you have a Spectrum Video around or similar place that still has all their 35mm lab equipment, ask them! I would put a photo up here but I have not a clue how to do it, every forum is different......
I currently have an Epson Flatbed which can (or could, it recently died) scan four 35mm slides at a time. This isn't a big problem, I was given it free by a friend who upgraded to a different flatbed without slide capability, which he didn't need.
Im happy with the performance and I'm thinking of getting the Epson V600 which can scan 12 35mm slides at a time. Louis A Marre has a V600 which he uses to scan his very extensive collection of B&W negatives as well as his thousands of slides, and he assures me that it is the best thing he's ever bought.
Meanwhile, my old scanner still scans prints of which I have many to scan. I had an older, simpler slide and negative scanner but found that variations in colour negatives were too much for its basic software.
I'd check out an Epson. They still sell units similar to mine that will scan four slides or six 35mm negatives at a time and they sell for around $200.
A magazine I supply photos for had one of the big Nikon 35mm scanners but replaced it with an Epson V600 for better quality.
That's just my opinion, of course.
Sadly, a lot of my slides aren't as sharp as I thought, and a few non-Kodachromes have deteriorated.
Don't expect the result to look as good as current shots from A Canon or Nikon DSLR, but if the subject is interesting, an awful lot can be done to make it look good.
M636C
I have a few thousand slides that I took in the 60's and 70's that were stored in a box for ages. About 3-4 years ago I bought an Ion Film 2 SD slide and negative scanner from Amazon for around $95 delivered. It's about 2.5" square and around 4" high with appropriate holders for both slides and negatives. Altho a bit tricky to use because the slides tended to jam when being ejected, it does a really good job of scanning my slides. With as many as I have, it's really time consuming, with hardest part related to getting the slides dust free. I have not tried the negatives, but there are instructions for that. There is an internal memory card to hold a lot of stuff, but it's easy to transfer everything to your computer.
Being stored for decades, dust is a problem, and the slightest spec will screw up a good photo. So be sure to dust the slide before scanning, especially in areas that are uniform in color, such as the sky. Dust in the sky really shows up. And for what it's worth, my avitar is a scanned slide I took back in the 60's in Libby, Montana.
I shot a fair number of slides for a while. My HP flatbed will scan about 16 at a time, unless the computer decides it doesn't want to do that many (finicky at times). They come out reasonably good, with all the other caveats heretofore mentioned.
It can be time consuming, especially if one ups the resolution. Kind of a set and forget operation - load the carrier, run the preview, make adjustments, then sit back and let it work for a while.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
I use 2 options for scanning slides:
Canon flatbed scanner with a slide attachment and VueScan software. Produces good results.
Plustek OpticFilm scanner specifically built for slides. SilverFast software. Top notch scans that bring out everything in the slide.
Plan on spending some time getting everything right and setting up a workflow. Once the routine is there, things get easier.
I use Photoshop or Lightroom for retouching where needed. And always do multiple backups of the work.
I did try a slide scanning service that came well recommended by professionals and was not impressed with the results: some scans were out of focus, some looked like they were scanned on a dying scanner, some of the images I sent them were left off and not scanned. Some Super-8 film came back looking really unimpressive (and I can get better results just projecting the film on the wall and pointing a video camera at the screen).
In the end I purchased my slide scanner instead to keep things in house.
Lots of good info here: http://www.filmscanner.info/en/FilmscannerTestberichte.html
Generally, the better the scanner, the better the results. Slides with dark areas are toughest. Scanners that work with Silverfast software work better because the software allows multiple scans and then combines them to eliminate a lot of noise from the dark areas.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
I have a cheap Reflecta scanner I bought on Ebay from a guy in Austrailia (they don't sell them here). About $125. Does a nice job.
Some examples here
https://flic.kr/s/aHsjCh6sUj
I also think this is long overdue (reading this Kalmbach?).
Several years ago I bought a new Nikon Coolscan V ED in order to start digitizing a few thousand 35 mm slides (1970s-80s-90s) and some film strips into reasonably high definition TIFF files, using non-lossy LZW compression. This worked well until Nikon discontinued scanner production and support for the Nikon scanning software. So I purchased a copy of VueScan software and it all still works fine with my 2008 model iMac desktop. Post-production, I've used Photoshop for all this time, but am exploring Pixelmator as a possible, and less costly, successor to Photoshop - currently I'm using the CS-6 Photoshop version.
I checked Amazon and found both new and used Coolscan units can still be had--searched using "Nikon Coolscan V ED." Though not cheap, the V-ED model (and other similar Nikon models) has optics/adapters built just for slide-filmstrip scanning--either film positives or negatives--up to 4000 dpi. I usually scan at 1200 to 2400 dpi, but with the newer HD-4K/Retina-5K monitors and very high megapixel cameras coming out, perhaps I'll have to invest in some higher computing power, and scan at more dpi. My old CPU struggles a bit (no-pun) with the 300 MB high res picture scans.
Good luck!
I have scanned thousands of slides and negatives using a 35mm Nikon scanner. I have achieved good results overall but the quality really depends on the original film type, exposure, processing, age of the slide and storage conditions. I have found that Kodachrome produces the best results probably because much of the processing was done by Kodak. Ektachrome is more variable, I think because the independent processing companies were less particular about the chemistry.
I use VueScan to operate the scanner and do most of the image restoration. The Nikon scanner has 4 channels, red, green, and blue as you would expect, plus infrared. The infrared channel is used to detect dirt and some mechanical damage like scratches that can be concealed using software. If your slides are dirty then clean them first with a blower brush so the software only has to conceal small particles.
Nikon scanners are not in production but can be found online. You might be able to purchase an autofeed unit that goes with it. They work quite well with thicker plastic mount slides. Thinner plastic mounts require more careful adjustment of the feeder. Cardboard mounts can be a problem because they tend to warp as they get older and the windows snag against each other as the mechanism feeds into the scanner. I watch the feeder carefully as it works and don't usually put more than dozen cardboard mount slides in the feeder hopper at a time. Be prepared for some experimentation until you find the best setting.
Color slides and negatives deteriorate when exposed to light and heat. The three color layers fade at different rates and color usually shifts toward magenta. Contrast also degrades. The VueScan software can correct these problems to a degree depending on the extent of the degradation. The software has a number of adjustments and setups so you should consider buying the book about using VueScan. It's available for purchase online.
Silverfast is another scanning and color restoration software. It is substantially more expensive than VueScan but claims more capabilities.
Scanning slides requires a real commitment of time. Don't expect to consistently scan more than a slide a minute even with an autofeeder. Unless your computer is very powerful, color restoration will also take minute or so for each slide.
Before you start this type of project you need to do the research and decide what kind of results you will accept. You can let the software do everything on the automatic settings which will speed things along. If you have the photographic knowledge of color then you can optimize each image yourself but the time required will be much greater.
Have had some decent luck with a Wolverine scanner.
About 50 years ago I saw advertised devices to copy slides using an SLR with extension tubes and/or close-up lenses. Out of curiosity I did a quick search and found quite a few available for use with DSLR's. Has anyone here had any experience with them?
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"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
Paul of Covington About 50 years ago I saw advertised devices to copy slides using an SLR with extension tubes and/or close-up lenses. Out of curiosity I did a quick search and found quite a few available for use with DSLR's. Has anyone here had any experience with them?
Using that process back in the days of film always led to an increase in contrast (and some loss of shadow or highlight detail), but with a DSLR you can make adjustments in Photoshop or similar afterward. Haven't tried this approach myself, but I've seen comparisons where the results were quite good.
CJtrainguy Paul of Covington About 50 years ago I saw advertised devices to copy slides using an SLR with extension tubes and/or close-up lenses. Out of curiosity I did a quick search and found quite a few available for use with DSLR's. Has anyone here had any experience with them? Using that process back in the days of film always led to an increase in contrast (and some loss of shadow or highlight detail), but with a DSLR you can make adjustments in Photoshop or similar afterward. Haven't tried this approach myself, but I've seen comparisons where the results were quite good.
As someone who copied slides using those methods more than thirty years ago, and who has used an Epson flatbed scanner more recently: don't bother with the camera option. It will cost more, take longer and give poorer results.
The software bundled with the scanner in worth more than the hardware.
You may want to forgo purchasing a scanner and just using a scanning service for your slides/prints. After all, when you're done scanning what are you gonna do with the scanner? A few years ago I was putting together a photo book of old backpacking trips I had taken with friends over the 4 decades. I couldn't see myself spending hours scanning photos, so I used a scanning service (scancafe.com in this case). The nice thing about using a service is that it forces you to edit the photos you want to send in, so you're not sending/scanning extra in-camera dupes you shot of the same subject. Once they are done with the scans you review the photos online, select the good ones, discard the clinkers and they send you a disc (s) with the scans. You can also select high DPI scans to, in case you're planning on publishing them, like I did for my friends. If you want to see how those scans came out, check out: http://www.blurb.com/books/4053761-the-last-forty-a-photographic-journey
Good luck
Jeff
groundeffects You may want to forgo purchasing a scanner and just using a scanning service for your slides/prints. After all, when you're done scanning what are you gonna do with the scanner? A few years ago I was putting together a photo book of old backpacking trips I had taken with friends over the 4 decades. I couldn't see myself spending hours scanning photos, so I used a scanning service (scancafe.com in this case). The nice thing about using a service is that it forces you to edit the photos you want to send in, so you're not sending/scanning extra in-camera dupes you shot of the same subject. Once they are done with the scans you review the photos online, select the good ones, discard the clinkers and they send you a disc (s) with the scans. You can also select high DPI scans to, in case you're planning on publishing them, like I did for my friends. If you want to see how those scans came out, check out: http://www.blurb.com/books/4053761-the-last-forty-a-photographic-journey Good luck Jeff
Jeff,
Have you actually taken so few slides that completing the scanning task is a realistic possibility?
I can't imagine scanning all of my slides, ever..
And there are at least three times the number of negatives (mainly B&W, but more than ten years worth of colour negatives)...
Generally, I only scan when I need a photo for publication anyway. I often get enthusiastic and scan whole trips away to get the ones I want...
groundeffectsYou may want to forgo purchasing a scanner and just using a scanning service for your slides/prints. After all, when you're done scanning what are you gonna do with the scanner?
I use my flatbed scanner a lot for scanning documents, even making copies.
M636CI can't imagine scanning all of my slides, ever..
I have no idea what you actually have in your collection ... but I don't hesitate a moment in saying it's a shame you won't digitize them. Whether or not you actually post them to the Web or not. With your history and experience, there are sure to be no few stories that go with the pictures, too.
Re scanning services:
I have a huge collection of slides and negatives and a couple years ago considered the best way to get them digital. So I selected a scanning service that was consistently recommended by pros, pulled a mixture of slides (including Kodachrome), color & BW negatives and some Super-8 film and sent it off.
First off, they didn't scan all the images I sent. Apparently they couldn't manage to find them all in the box I sent them in. A reminder or two got them to go back and fix that omission.
On the slide scans, the quality was uneven. Some looked really good. Some looked like they were scanned on a dying scanner that should be put out to pasture yesterday.
A bunch of negatives came back scanned partly out of focus and with artifacts introduced. I brought the out-of-focus scan to the vendor's attention and they promised they'd rescan the images for free if I included them with my next order.
The Super-8 film scan was unspectacular. I've gotten more vivid results just projecting film on a white screen and aiming a video camera on that screen.
My conclusion is that this vendor's quality control was absent and I wasn't about to send them another order, paying more money. In the end I went out and bought a Plustek slide scanner with SilverFast. I also have a good flatbed scanner on hand.
Of course, I may just have hit this vendor on a bad day (week, whatever). Your mileage may vary.
CJtrainguy Of course, I may just have hit this vendor on a bad day (week, whatever). Your mileage may vary.
And you might have hit someone who was running his "business" out of his spare bedroom in his spare time. It's a risk you take dealing with folks long distance.
tree68 CJtrainguy Of course, I may just have hit this vendor on a bad day (week, whatever). Your mileage may vary. And you might have hit someone who was running his "business" out of his spare bedroom in his spare time. It's a risk you take dealing with folks long distance.
Yeah, no. Not spare bedroom. The scanning vendor I used once and never more is one of the big ones, advertising that they have scanned over 128 million images "by hand".
I would certainly recommend to anyone planning to use a scanning service to do exactly what I did: pull together a sampling of images (slides, negatives) and send it to the vendor you want to try out. Does it all work out to your satisfaction? Awesome, then send more. It may be the start of a beautiful relationship.
Epson V600
I scanned about 35,000 slides of mine, the family and my wifes family. I looked at the task, bought a dedicated expensive canon scsi scanner and tried to do 100 a night. It took years but I am pleased with the result because I QC-Ed then as I went.
I suggest you take take a few good slides and scan them with all possible settings to figure out the correct ones for your setup. Then just get started.
I wore out the canon as it started having home errors during the film strips (another 10,000 odd).
All if of my scans are tiffs, no compression 24 bit color and each scan is about 30 megs. Plan where you will store them.
I agree. If you have a volume of slides or negatives it is worth it to do yourself. I have done a large quantity of slides and negatives over the past several years with a Vue Scan. I scan mostly in the winter, and then spend the warmer months slowly editing them. This is the best way to control what the end product is. If you job it out to someone they most likely will put it in the machine, press the button and away it goes. Doing it yourself, if you don't like the immediate result, you can redo it. I have found that scanning from negatives gives a better end product versus scanning a print, so if you have that option, use it. It has taken me many, many years but I am slowly able to blend my slide, print and digital collections into one all encompassing collection. On a separate note, I would also recommend using some kind of cloud based storage. I also back up to a hard drive, but I like the idea that I have them stored out side of the house, just in case something bad happens.
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