Digital film and slide scanners...

[gfirob]

I was faced with this and did two things:

1) Sent all the slides to a commercial outfit who really did a fine job, and you can improve on it if you want digitally after you get them with Photoshop or any other software.

2) Bought a used copy camera stand to use with my own digital camera for all the prints. This is much faster than a scanner and if you are copying hundreds of prints (as I was) it really makes a difference. I inherited my father's family photographs which went back to the 19th century. I was able to copy them all and give digital versions to the other members of my family on a DVD disc.

[The Bard Rocks]

Originally Posted by dhalbert;6434754

The Bard Rocks, you might check out VueScan here, which may support your older scanner on current machines: [url

https://www.hamrick.com/[/url]. Many people like this software.

Will do - many thanks.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by MartinGibsonFan

...I want it fast, cheap and easy...

I want the best image quality. I didn't spend all those years doing what I did to make those images just to end up with crummy repros of them.

[Birdbrain]

Digital Photography Review just did a detailed review on this common flatbed scanner:
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/wha...the-epson-v600

[MartinGibsonFan]

Originally Posted by Jeff Scott

I want the best image quality. I didn't spend all those years doing what I did to make those images just to end up with crummy repros of them.

If you included my entire quote, it would be obvious this was meant tongue in cheek.

Of course I want image quality that matches the source.




j

[MartinGibsonFan]

Originally Posted by Birdbrain

Digital Photography Review just did a detailed review on this common flatbed scanner:
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/wha...the-epson-v600

Hey Bird, thank you for that link, so it seems this flatbed scanner can accommodate slides and film.

NICE

J

[MartinGibsonFan]

With regards to the Epson V600.

Seems they have ' Pro Mode ' and ' Home Mode '

It appears both come available at the same price???

It's just confusing, but this scanner seems like something to look into.

J

[MartinGibsonFan]

'Home' vs. 'Pro' mode
Home Mode offers just enough control to get a good scan so that you can then make the rest of the adjustments to image quality in whatever photo editing software you prefer. You've got DPI, Brightness scale, and a handful of intelligent options like Color Restoration. The V600 also includes Epson's 'Digital ICE technology' - available in all scanning modes - which automatically removes dust and small scratches (though I still advise dusting with canned air or a rocket blower before each scan).

Professional Mode, on the other hand, offers a full slew of adjustments and filters including Grain Reduction and additional dust removal alongside exposure and color adjusting tools like histograms, curves, white balance sliders, and so on. One other really nice feature is that you can change the bit-depth of your scans, with the option of 8- or 16-bit Grayscale and 24- or 48-bit Color. The DPI setting goes all the way up to 12800, so if you're planning on making big prints this will set you up right for that.

[dhodgeh]

Lots of good info here on setting up a DSLR for high quality reproduction of slides and negatives:

http://thedambook.com/dyp/

D

[seannx]

This is a very timely thread. I have lots of 35mm slides I want to digitize and use for an online course. Probably 15 years ago, I used a dedicated Minolta film scanner for negatives, and a similar Epson scanner with the plastic trays for film and slides. While I'm sure processing times are much faster now, loading the trays was tedious, along with color correction in photoshop. My schedule is full enough already with work and activities I enjoy, so I'm thinking going with a professional service would be much better.

[Dotneck]

I used to own an imaging business until I retired two years ago. I sold my Nikon scanners and moved to the Epson flat beds. Much better quality and higher resolution. Pro mode gives you much more control than Home mode but there is a learning curve. I still have a couple Epson 750s if anyone is interested...

[hubcapsc]

I just got a cheap slide scanner from Amazon and scanned them in,
I thought it worked great.



-Mike

[tinnitus]

Originally Posted by Dotneck

I used to own an imaging business until I retired two years ago. I sold my Nikon scanners and moved to the Epson flat beds. Much better quality and higher resolution. Pro mode gives you much more control than Home mode but there is a learning curve. I still have a couple Epson 750s if anyone is interested...

While there is no single "right answer," it doesn't surprise me that a pro would use the Epsons. I think it boils down to a few things:
- ease of use vs tech savvy
- time dedicated to acquiring the images
- cost

[tinnitus]

Originally Posted by hubcapsc

I just got a cheap slide scanner from Amazon and scanned them in,
I thought it worked great.

-Mike

Hey Mike, that's an extremely cool pic you posted. I'm a big fan of panheads (actually, all vintage Harleys and old scoots), and the stories behind them. That's a keeper for your family.

Just for fun, I made a copy of the picture and spent exactly 3 minutes retouching it with simple/cheap software I've had for years, Paintshop Pro (version 8, it's old). Like I did with some of the keepers from a recent 3,200-slide project for my family, I removed the most obvious traces of mold/dust/lint popping up on the slide, mostly in the sky and on wall of the garage, etc. Then slightly adjusted the color balance to soften the greenish tint that a lot of older photos (and movies) take on with age.

It's not my pic to post on Imgur and link back here, but I'll email it to you if you want to compare it with the original. Shoot me a PM here.

My whole point is that no matter how good a scanner is (commercial or home project), older slides decay, end even the very best scan will show a lot of dirt, and wear and tear. Easily fixed up if the image is a keeper, especially if you're going to enlarge it at all.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by MartinGibsonFan

If you included my entire quote, it would be obvious this was meant tongue in cheek.

Of course I want image quality that matches the source.




j

That's not a given when someone wants it fast, cheap, and easy.