Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 Wondering if anyone here has any experience with scanning film or slides... An early passion of mine was photography, and my preferred processing output was slides. I have many, many boxes of 35mm (135mm) slides. "Tons" of slides! And I still have a functional slide projector, but for practical purposes I'd like to digitize a bunch of those old pictures. Having this done professionally is prohibitively expensive. So, the question... any suggestions on scanners? Preferably something affordable, but better than the cardboard phone camera adaptors. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 Back in the really very early days of video cameras I was acquainted with two brothers who were "converting" film cartoons into the more convenient medium of video. Camera on stand, screen and projector set up, and BE QUIET ! ..... .... hope this helps .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 If you go to Amazon and type in slide scanner dozens will come up. This is a classic case of you get what you pay for and what to get depends on how much quality you want. Remember one thing. Most slides are mounted in cardboard mounts. If you look at the film it is curved. It is only flat if mounted in glass slides. The curve creates distortion. Most quality slide projectors had lens that compensated for the curved slides. The el cheapo slide copiers do not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawg Hair, SASS #29557 Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 21 minutes ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said: Wondering if anyone here has any experience with scanning film or slides... An early passion of mine was photography, and my preferred processing output was slides. I have many, many boxes of 35mm (135mm) slides. "Tons" of slides! And I still have a functional slide projector, but for practical purposes I'd like to digitize a bunch of those old pictures. Having this done professionally is prohibitively expensive. So, the question... any suggestions on scanners? Preferably something affordable, but better than the cardboard phone camera adaptors. Thanks! I have done it with a machine I bought from Amazon and it does both slides and negatives, but it's been a while and I don't know where my machine is. But it was not expensive. Do a search on the internet for slides to digital converters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted March 15, 2021 Author Share Posted March 15, 2021 42 minutes ago, Dawg Hair, SASS #29557 said: I have done it with a machine I bought from Amazon and it does both slides and negatives, but it's been a while and I don't know where my machine is. But it was not expensive. Do a search on the internet for slides to digital converters. Dawg, how was the quality of the scanned pictures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 I had this gizmo years ago that copied slides onto polaroid film. Well made device but finally threw it out since you can't get the film anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawg Hair, SASS #29557 Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 30 minutes ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said: Dawg, how was the quality of the scanned pictures? Very good. I can't remember what I paid for it but it was from Amazon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joke 'um Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 I did all of mine a few years ago. Just followed the directions. The scanning was easy, though time consuming. Lesson learned: take extra time and effort to ensure slides are dust free. Nothing will be as discouraging as the dust you missed. Otherwise, great results. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Hanger #3720LR Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 If you have a good scanner that you can control the dpi and file format jpg and tiff, you can get a film holder and scan on your scanner. http://specular.dmc.dc.umich.edu/GroundWorks/knowledgebase/scanning-2/how-to-scan-negatives-and-slides-using-epson-scan/ -------------- If you can live with jpgs and their compression then this might do. https://www.amazon.com/DIGITNOW-Negative-Resolution-Computer-Required/dp/B01GHKL7HQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 Try to use a good low loss file format if at all possible. JPEGs are popular but loose a lot of resolution. in exchange for small file sizes. There are newer and better formats out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoken D Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 This is what I used several years ago. I converted my old films including some 110's. It did some wonderful jobs on mine and was satisfied. If you would be interested in it let me know. I have transferred everything I have and don't need it any longer. https://www.hammacher.com/product/large-screen-slide-and-negative-converter?promo=search&query=ty86729# Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish ike, SASS #43615 Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 I scanned around 1,000 35mm slides. Scanners are like a lot of things. The more it does and the higher scan resolution the higher the cost. Find one that comes with a software package that will allow resolution selection, color correction, and filters for scratches etc. If all you want is to just digitize them then lower cost. Any intent to print or create slide shows then higher cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 Get a son-in-law who does this for a hobby and is compulsively precise. I did. He happens to be just the right person for my daughter, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulp, SASS#28319 Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 I use an Epson 550. I bought a used one on Amazon with a five year warranty that was cheaper than a new one. I’m happy with it, but it is slow. You can only do 4 slides at a time, or up to 12 negatives at a time. I’ve read that it is not very compatible with Apple products, if you are using a Mac, you might want to check that out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgavin Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 I use an AiS Micro-Nikkor 55mm and Nikon slide copier. I have found the bed scanners don't quite get critical focus, and the quality isn't that hot. If this isn't workable, get a dedicated slide copier in lieu of a general purpose bed scanner. I have the Epson V600 bed scanner for photos... very good quality, but the slide copier beats it. I also use the same technique to digitize my old B&W negs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack, SASS #20451 Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 I copied a bunch of mounted slides years ago with a Nikon 4000 Coolscan. Slow but did a great job. It is still around here somewhere but finding a compatible driver today would be hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 1 hour ago, Happy Jack, SASS #20451 said: I copied a bunch of mounted slides years ago with a Nikon 4000 Coolscan. Slow but did a great job. It is still around here somewhere but finding a compatible driver today would be hard. Back in my pre-digital camera days I used Nikon coolscan products to create files from 645 Mamiya in 120 format slide film as part of my wedding photography business. Excellent quality, high resolution, huge file size, very slow. Tried several flatbed scanners that were ok for quick and dirty but no match for a dedicated film scanner. If available new generation equipment would probably be better but with todays digital cameras and their high resolution, anything film has been pushed to the back burner. Good luck Gateway Kid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgavin Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 G.K. Wonderful! I am very partial to Mamiyas... RZ, C330... but never owned the 645. I did a whole lot of wedding work for many years on those C330s with pentaprisms. I bought a Hasselblad 500C for wedding work and absolutely hated that thing and replaced it with multiple C330s. A new C330 body was less expensive than a film back for the 500C. I really liked the eye-level operation of the Pentax 67 the best of them all, but the lack of leaf shutter was a hindrance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 22 minutes ago, bgavin said: G.K. Wonderful! I am very partial to Mamiyas... RZ, C330... but never owned the 645. I did a whole lot of wedding work for many years on those C330s with pentaprisms. I bought a Hasselblad 500C for wedding work and absolutely hated that thing and replaced it with multiple C330s. A new C330 body was less expensive than a film back for the 500C. I really liked the eye-level operation of the Pentax 67 the best of them all, but the lack of leaf shutter was a hindrance. Still have most of it. couple bodies, eye level finders, extra backs/polaroid backs lenses etc. once in a while will hit up one of the big houses for film and try my hand again. So much easier with digital, but still love working with film. Regards Gateway Kid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgavin Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 I also have a huge stock... enough 120, 220, 4x5 in the freezer for the next 200 years. My darkroom has been in storage for the last 29 years.. hopefully I will be able to dabble a bit once again. Space is always at a premium here. I'm sitting here at age 70... looking at all these toys.. and wondering what I'm gonna do with em... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack, SASS #20451 Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 I still get out my Zone 6 4X5 and do transparencies with it. You can still get Tetanol E6 and I develop in my JOBO. Don't do much but to me almost nothing compares to a 4X5 transparency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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