Scanning slides

AudimadGeoff

AudimadGeoff

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Geoff
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Right, I have decided to do something with the 5000 odd wildlife slides that I have shot over the years!

Can anyone recommend either a good slide scanner or a company to send them to?
I have found a place (DSColour Labs) who have offered to scan them for me, but at 28p for a low res image it is going to cost me a fortune! :eek:
 
All depends on your budget, and quality required. For best (read most expensive) a Nikon coolscan 4000 or 5000, closely followed by IV and V is the way to go. Great thing with these is how they're holding value too, you could buy one from ebay, do your scanning and sell it again for the same money!
 
i got scanned at 2000 dpi cleaned and spotted at around 30p a slide...colour and b/w

but i only got around 300 done

i suggest whoever you get just give them a small batch to start with
 
If you're only going to scan the slides you have and not take any more then I would suggest you go for a Nikon Coolscan 4000 or 5000, they're a bit pricey but do come up on ebay quite often and you can get a auto slide feeder for it that holds 50 slides at the time (just be aware that the Coolscan IV and V don't take the auto feeder). Or you could go for the 9000, that takes 12 slides at a time and also does MF film with the right adapter.

The Nikon scanners hold their value really well so buy one on ebay, scan your slides and then stick it back on ebay, you might even make a profit :thumbs:
 
The best and cheapest scanning service is probably the one provided by ScanCafe. It costs US$0.29 (£0.19) for 3000 DPI scans, and you can reject up to 50% of the batch without having to pay for them; so if you get 5000 scanned and keep the best 2500, the average cost will be equivalent to scanning all 5000 for under £0.10 each.

Just one snag: ScanCafe don't [yet] take orders from outside USA/Canada. You'd have to get a friend over there to handle the shipping for you, or it might be possible to use a forwarding service such as Bongo. If I were you I'd ask ScanCafe about that. Since you're looking at saving around £1000 compared to using DSCL, it's probably worth investigating.
 
markw08 said:
What about buying something like this... http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=224226

:thumbs:
Click to expand...

Anyone used this item? I have a couple of hundred slides I want to scan. It will be a one off exercise as I no longer have a film camera, just want to digitise the ones I have. Looking therefore for something that does not cost too much but will give a reasonable result (& I can then sell on)
 
I have used a Microtek Artixscan 4000 which is discontinued now. The detail was really good apart from dust which can be a pain with film scanners. I know the software can remove these but I tend to double check and clean with Photoshop. That had a SCSI interface which I find awkward and fiddly these days.
The other day, I gave a friend a hand with setting up their USB Medion (Aldi) flatbed scanner thing came with a separate film/slide holder that sits onto of the flatbed. I can't say I rate dual purpose flatbed/film scanner but then again, it was a Medion. It was only outputting at 600dpi so while it was OK for their needs, I personally wouldn't have been happy with anything less than 3600dpi.
 
Depends on what you are going to use them for - and the final size...

Why not buy a "Bowens Illumitran" off ebay - these were designed for making negs from slides back in the good old days...

Now put your digital camera on it (you might have to buy a t2 ring for your camera) and it might come with an enlarger lens (or buy one for £10 - the Nikkor 63mm had the best reputation for this).

Photograph your slides - you should be able to do this at last half a dozen a minute. If you shoot tethered and RAW you'll be able to get most slides without change - or use the exposure system in the Illumitran to get the exposure correct. It should take you about 15 hours to photograph them all flat out - a fraction of the time taken to scan.

A good scan will be better - but for most uses these will be fine - depending on the camera you're using to photograph them!

You'll fine these on ebay - normally under £50 - and often camera clubs will have one hiding unused in a cupboard.... and once you've photographed them all you can sell it again! If you number your slides and files the same you could always go and scan the few images you really need at the highest quality.... and if they are old slides, you might find little difference!
 
Scanning a lot of slides will send you to an early grave. Even with the best amateur equipment it is painfully slow, and that's before you start on all the post processing work you will inevitably need. Seriously, I wouldn't do it.

I think StewartR's suggestion is a good one. That name rings a bell. I know a guy who sent a load to India via the US and he couldn't praise their service enough - or prices. It takes a leap of faith though ;) If it was me, I would edit those 5000 hard, cross my fingers and send them off.
 
I've just picked up one of these.. Plustek OpticFilm 7600i SE

I'm still experimenting, but I've got some good results out of it. One thing to be aware of though is not to expect to press a button and get a pristine scan. Each pic needs colour and levels tweaking for the best results.

A.
 
HoppyUK said:
Scanning a lot of slides will send you to an early grave. Even with the best amateur equipment it is painfully slow, and that's before you start on all the post processing work you will inevitably need. Seriously, I wouldn't do it.
Click to expand...

Man, I could not agree more! By coincidence I decided only yesterday to scan some trannies from a trip that I made 10 years ago. Scan then send to online printers for a photobook sounded like a good idea. Yeah, right! There are 68 slides that I want to copy and they are all Kodachrome 25. Nothing wrong with that in principle, but my God, the contrast!! I'm using a Nikon Coolscan III which although old, like myself, is still a quality machine (I wish!) - why are so many of my slides so contrasty? I don't know, I guess I just liked the term contra jour! Why are my scans not as sharp as my trannies? Why have I lost so much detail? Even after faffing about with histograms and the rest. Perhaps I just need good training?

Before I had scanned the first twenty or so, I had started an online search for commercial copiers. I intend to send my first batch to them next week!

No joke. Sometimes, life is too short!
 
I had a Veho neg/slide scanner, total waste of space. Scanners take
forever to do their thing, 5000 slides?, see you in the next millenium.

I got a Video Slide Copier off e-bay for £11, it screws onto the filter
ring and you put a slide in and click, its done. Did about 100 slides
in just over an hour, try that with a scanner...

And they turn out well enough for what i want...

3984008288_b5bcc1f23b_o.jpg
 
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