Slide Copier Using Your Digital Camera

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janmo108

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Michael
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Hi my name is Michael and I would like to share with you my design for a slide copier. It occurred to me that a slide scanner consists of 2 main parts, they are the scanning element and the
light source. After checking slide scanner reviews etc I came to the conclusion that the cheap ones were a
waste of money and the expensive ones were out of my budget.
I then got my digital camera (Olympus X4314 Mega Pixel) and set it to the super close up function
and on daylight setting. Then held it up to the window in daylight and took a close up of the slide. The results
I got were pretty amazing.
Which brings me to my home made slide scanner which I will share with you (at last). If you are interested (its in PDF format) then I could send it to anyone. or post it on this forum. I am new to this forum and not sure if I can post it.
 
Sorry to break it to you, but there's a reason people still pay several hundred quid for film scanners that are 8 years old and who's manufacturer no longer exists!

However I'm all for homemade gadgets and would definitely like to see it :thumbs:
 
Well, I know nothing about the slide scanning, but it's a very good write up. I like Heath Robinson approaches at times.
Welcome to the forum.
 
I have tried using one one of the tube type scanners in the past but not having an SLR just a cheapy (£99) Olympus "14MP" the results from my box are good enough for an amateur such as myself to make prints from and also to project onto a screen
 
Michael - that's a very interesting contribution.... However, Please stop posting the same thing in every other forum. :)

I'll tidy the others up for you now.
 
big soft moose said:
I don't want to puncture your baloon but slide copying with a digital camera isnt exactly new

http://www.amazon.com/Opteka-Slide-Copier-Digital-Cameras/dp/B000EQ24Z4

and at 20 quid its not really worth the hassle of making a home made one

however the reason perople buy slide scanners is because camera adaptor image quality is generally pretty crap
Click to expand...


That's very true, trouble with tube slide copiers is we are at the mercy of the quality of lens used in the tube.
If the optics were as good as a dedicated macro or fixed lens, doubtless they would be too expensive.
I think if you have to slide copy, to get the most from this method you ought not place anything of dubious quality between the camera lens and the slide.
With that in mind and the constraints of cost even using an SLR with a macro lens is expensive, a fudge with a compact, provided it has a macro function is probably worth a shot, and as good as anyone with a budget of 40p is ever likely to get...:D
 
In the past i have just put my slides on a light box and shot them with the DSLR and the tamron 90mm , but its nowhere near the same quality as a using a scanner
 
big soft moose said:
In the past i have just put my slides on a light box and shot them with the DSLR and the tamron 90mm , but its nowhere near the same quality as a using a scanner
Click to expand...

That's certainly true with a decent flatbed but the budget is 40p, so its gonna be a fudge somehow...lol

Ere, It does depend on the scanner a lot but, I went from a flatbed to a macro lens slide copier because it was actually better than what came out of the flatbed, though it did tend to blow out quicker.

In any event, crap flatbeds and slide copying is only really reasonable for web display and 6x4's, dropping a few hundred on a scanner is the last thing on the mind of anyone recently introduced to film, its a factor they don't consider, I think they have to walk the walk on their own with conversion to digital media, and let them arrive at the "I need a scanner, nothin else will do" point on their own..:)
 
joxby said:
That's certainly true with a decent flatbed but the budget is 40p, so its gonna be a fudge somehow...lol

Ere, It does depend on the scanner a lot but, I went from a flatbed to a macro lens slide copier because it was actually better than what came out of the flatbed, though it did tend to blow out quicker.

In any event, crap flatbeds and slide copying is only really reasonable for web display and 6x4's, dropping a few hundred on a scanner is the last thing on the mind of anyone recently introduced to film, its a factor they don't consider, I think they have to walk the walk on their own with conversion to digital media, and let them arrive at the "I need a scanner, nothin else will do" point on their own..:)
Click to expand...

Yes you kinda need to be dedicated to film to drop DSLR money on a piece of equipment that's sole purpose is to tell you you screwed up the focus a considerable amount of time after any chance of reshooting has passed! :lol:
 
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