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General discussion

Scanners that copy slide photographs in large quantities

Jun 12, 2010 4:04PM PDT

Robert Profit: Please let another person answer this question. You always cut me off so nobody else can help me.


Is there anybody here whom can help me on this subject?

I would like to purchase a scanner that has the function of copying old slide photographs. There are hundreds, maybe over a thousand of them. The descriptions of top of the line scanners that I have seen seem to indicate that they only copy five or six slides at a time, by using a special attachment. It could take me months to copy this collection of slides at the rate of only a few slides per scan. Can anybody tell me if there are any scanners that can copy an entire scanner window of slides? (Covering the entire 8x11 scanner plate).

Thank you, in advance, for your help.


Don

Discussion is locked

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Epson Perfection 700 series
Jun 12, 2010 7:42PM PDT

can copy 12 slides at a time. I have a 600 which can do only 4 slides but 8...or maybe more 35 mm film strip type images. This is still a labor intensive process as you need to properly prepare and position each slide. As well, not all will be of ideal exposure and color properties. I get very good images with my V600 but at the price of my time. There are bulk feed slide scanners. I believe Nikon makes some of these that can automatically feed and scan batches of slides. The last time I looked at Nikon professional film and slide scanners, my wallet tried to run away and hide.

Such is what I can offer but one other thing. Please do not exclude a person by name as a potential respondent to a post. This is quite rude and I'm sure a valid reason for a post being locked or removed. If you really want an answer, leave your question open and just ignore the responses from those you don't feel comfortable with. They won't be offended. Good luck.

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Addendum
Jun 12, 2010 8:51PM PDT

After some checking, I stumbled into a higher production series but cannot get a good link other than to suggest you google "Creo Eversmart". These appear to be for professionals without a budget cap, however.

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Re Scanners that copy slide photographs...
Jun 13, 2010 1:09AM PDT

I was hoping that some current flatbed scanners would now have enough resolution to copy a window full, but maybe not. It appears the Canon flatbed, 8800, only does 5 or 6 slides per scan. Slides are like negatives, have much detail, for enlargements, probably require a scanner with a lens. I just noticed that CompUSA has a few, for example, the "Plustek 7600iSE 60-A29-BBM310-C OpticFilm Scanner." I'd like the flatbed scanner for general purpose. The slide feature extra to help somebody save their old photos.

Thanks for the link on the "Creo Eversmart." About 15 years ago, somebody mentioned to me that there were scanners for copying slides at forty thousand dollars. I am thinking the technology would be improved and cheaper. Compare to color laser printers, for example, that were thousands of dollars years ago, now at a few hundred dollars.

I'll be back, this evening, to pick up on this. Maybe somebody has got some good ideas.

Don

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The forty thousand dollar scanner was
Jun 13, 2010 1:22AM PDT
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The better scanners for film and slides
Jun 13, 2010 3:07AM PDT

will use two light sources and can do multiple scans. As well, lid on these isn't just a lid but an active component. Since flatbeds would probably be doing slides and film on a part time basis, it might not make much sense to put photo elements across the full length and width of these and drive up the cost.

I recently did over 1000 slides and negatives on V600. Since I used high rez and digital ice, the scan times are very long. I'll presume that the 700 series that can do 12 at a time will still take quite a while to complete a batch at high rez using multiple scans and infra red to gain the best image. It's a pain but one just finds something to do in between loading and unloading the scanner. You said you have a bunch to scan but you didn't say how long this would go on. If it's a single large project, you might want to not invest in one that can handle large batches. Just tough it out. The V600 can be bought at New Egg for under $200 not. I paid a bit more but it sure does a far better job than my old HP with slide/film adapter.

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Re Scanners that copy slide photographs...
Jun 15, 2010 3:12PM PDT

Thank you for your reply.

From thinking about this thread, I believe I should try to find an organization or group of photographers some where whom have experience with converting their slides (and negatives) to digital. As I remember photographers, they are very particular about technology, and know whats best. Since slides are made to be projected, I wonder if scanning by direct contact with scanner table is any good. However, I believe that photographic negatives were duplicated by placing directly onto a photographic film. But then, I remember of seeing slide duplicaters where slides are inserted in a box with a special lense to be photographed. I don't believe that paying out lots of money guarantees that a person is going to get the best results. The photographers should know. The thing that looks suspicious about the forty-seven thousand dollar (Creo?) that you mentioned, is that the slides are still in their sleeves. That may be a good way to store photographs, but the slides should be removed for quality duplication. Photographers keep the slides in the sleeves only when making proof copies of the slides or negatives.

If I find a group of photographers somewhere, in the next few weeks, whom can tell me of scanner or copier, I'll get back to here with the info to pass on to others here whom may scan their slides.


Until I find out what product for this, I am going to have to figure how to repair the UMax scanner I have.

Don

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I do remember photographic slide duplicators
Jun 16, 2010 10:30AM PDT

where one simply took a picture of the slide though a lens. Film curl is always an issue and I suspect that duplication is best done before the frames are cut. Keep in mind, however, that scanning is a totally different process than duplicating through a lens in that, with scanning, you are effectively using an individual light source and sensor for each pixel of resolution and don't deal with some of the aberrations that lenses create such as pin cushion and barrel distortions. I'd have my doubts about direct contact as you'd need to go emulsion side to emulsion side for closest contact which would yield an inverse image. We did do contact printing to paper for some purposes...back in the day...when we used cut film in 4x5 and 8x10 sizes.

When you check with your photographer friends, mention whether your slides a Kodachrome or Ektachrome as these may need different treatments. My own used to be Ektachrome as I could process the film myself and do my own slide mounting. As I recall, it was a much slower and fine grained film and noticeably different from Kodachrome in many respects. It might need different filtering in scanner software. I really liked the detail in slower films and am, myself, a bit of a perfectionist when scanning these as I know that there's no way to capture everything with digital technology. We need to remember that silver halide emulsions captured data at the level of individual molecules and that digital capture is still many times as coarse even with the best cameras and lenses. So much is in the software and not the hardware. Ok...rambling on...it was once a hobby of mine. Good luck.

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This one.
Jun 12, 2010 9:47PM PDT

Has many answers.

1. Budget.
You get some slide scanner and when you have time you work on the project.

2. Big budget, must be done fast.
Best idea here is to have it done by a company.

3. Big budget, in house.
Read replies to date.

4. No budget.
Use what you have.
Bob

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Copy slide photographs in quantity
Jun 18, 2010 1:12PM PDT

I use an old Kodak carousel slide projector. Remove lens and one of the light concentrators ( forget what they are called) - buy a half power bulb and add in a few squares of opaque glass (not ground glass) all to reduce light intensity. I stick my D200 in the front with a 50mm lens and close up ring and take a picture of the slide. Auto focus works just fine and you get a digital RAW file. Crop a little bit and you are done. You can copy almost as fast as you can change slides.
You need to experiemnt a lttle to get set up but then it is great!
Can also put the projector back together to usre in need

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Even simpler method:
Jun 19, 2010 3:00AM PDT

what I did, was to project the slides onto a thin white paper, taped on a poster frame with glass (from IKEA), then taking photos of the projected slides on the back side of the glass. This is equally fast. Had to experiment a little, which way to project the slides. I did 4,000 slides in a few hours.

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Re Scanners that copy slide photographs...
Jun 19, 2010 10:05AM PDT

Thank you for your replies. You have some very good solutions for duplicating these slides. Copying directly from the projecter would be very cool, because the slides would not be removed from their order and organization, and the reduced light bulb would cause less harm to these very old slides.

Thank you for your suggestions!

Don

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Slides and a projector
Jun 19, 2010 1:30AM PDT

I was left wanting more from my scanner too. I had one of the HP flat bed stand alone units that had an eight and a half by fourteen inch scanner area and would scanner the entire area but to get the best images I had to scan at the 1200 DPI rate and that took for ever. Instead I jacked in my camcorder to the video input of a video capture card and then using a regular slide projector, projected the slides into a telecine, a device that uses a mirror and opaque lens. This allowed a good high color intensity and sharp focus that I then captured single frames into the PC. This was then ideal to assemble them and burn unto a CD or DVD for archive or to give away to family.

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Simplest way...
Jun 21, 2010 12:17AM PDT

The easiest way to scaning a large number of slides is to take it in to Kinko's or similar. Despite the expense, the time-savings and reduced stress might make it the best way.