Need info on scanning slides/negatives please

[quiltymom]

Hi!

I have many 35mm slides and negatives that I would like to scan, yet my scanner doesn't have the capability.

Is there an attachment that can be purchased for this purpose, or will I need to/be better off purchasing a new scanner? And if so, which is the best?

I've tried doing some online research, but haven't come up with anything concrete.

Thanks in advance!

 

[handicap18]

There has been a few of us here that have used our digital camera's to photograph the projected image. Mine came out pretty good it was also very easy to do. I did have to do some croping and a few adjustments with PhotoShop, but I also had to do that with my slide scanner.

 

[boBQuincy]

There is a dedicated lens called a duplicator that attaches to a SLR for the sole purpose of duplicating slides and negatives. Image quality "should be" a little better than projecting and photographing the slide since it is a more direct process.

If you have a SLR this is a good way to go, and it is fast. One thing to be aware of: with a 1.6X camera you will only get the center 60% of the slide due to the crop factor.

There are similar setups for P&S cameras but I don't have any experience with them and can't say how well they work.

 

[seashoreCM]

There is no attachment that can be added to make a scanner not intended for slide scanning scan slides.

A common problem with projecting and then photographing a slide is when the photographing camera has "curvature of field", a lens deficiency. Straight lines in the subject matter are curved in the photograph and so are the subject picture edges making them not line up with the new frame boundaries.

Even a genuine slide scanner can have a similar problem when the scan doesn't quite cover the entire slide; the edges are cropped.

Digital camera hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/digicam.htm

 

[quiltymom]

Thanks for the info! I guess that I'll be looking for a new scanner. I have so many slide photos that this would be a good investment anyway.

 

[Groucho]

From what I've seen, buying a dedicated negative/slide scanner for less than $500 (ie, something other than one of the Nikon Coolscans) is a waste of money as you won't be happy with the results.

Epson has a fairly affordable flatbed that people seem to like - 4740 maybe? 4790? Not sure off the top of my head - it's around $175 IIRC and has Digital ICE, which helps get rid of scratches and such. Canon has a comparable model that's slightly more expensive and slightly poorer reviewed, also.

If you can tie up a little money for a while, the Nikon Coolscans retain nearly all their value, so you can buy one, do all your scanning, and resell it on eBay for basically what you paid for it.

My boss recently bought a $1,300 Coolscan + slide feeder setup off eBay, I'm anxiously awaiting him finishing his scanning as he's promised to let me borrow it when he's done.

 

[ghost1000]

A couple of years ago a bought a dedicated slide scanner from Costco.com when it was on sale. I scanned all the slides and then sold it for more than I bought it for on ebay. I believe it was a Primefilm 3650U and I was pleased with the results. Before that I had tried a scanner with a lightbox attachment and I was not impressed with the results.