Slide Scanner Info Requested

HotRodLadyCrusr · March 25, 2009, 03:21:30 PM

You guys have always been a wealth of knowledge when it comes to electronics, my laptop, extrenal hard drive, printer, etc. so I've got another question.

Does anyone have a slide only scanner that they really like, or have heard great things about? I don't want one of those regular, scanner/printer/copier things, I want one strictly for slides. Dad's got 25+ years of slides and no one ever looks at them. I figure if I put them on DVD's everyone in our family can have acess to them forever.

Thanks in advance for your insight.

Carnut · March 25, 2009, 05:23:53 PM

My first scanner was a Microtek 35mm Slide scanner back in 1996.

The first pics on my website are scans of my 35mm Slides.

The Microtek worked well and scanned quite well for me, even though I was a bit of a novice at scanning and photo enhancing.

That scanner is no longer available.

I would not recommend using a flatbed scanner for 35mm slides.

I will also say there's probably not much more tedious work than scanning slides. I still have thousands of slides that may never be scanned.

I stopped scanning my slides as soon as I got my hands on my first digital camera and started taking digital pics at events.

Obviously there are a wide range of prices on currently available 35mm scanners, so you decide what you want to spend and go looking.

I would recommend checking out Tigerdirects list of 35mm scanners and read the reviews of the ones they have available.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=297

From looking at the list at tigerdirect that Plustek OpticFilm 7300 Film Scanner most resembles mine.

Looks like 7200x7200 dpi is about standard that's what my Microtek is.

I also googled '35mm Slide Scanners' and found several online reviews.

Here's some pics from my slides:

http://carnut.com/show/nats73/nat73p1.html

http://carnut.com/show/nats75/nat75p1.html

Cword · March 25, 2009, 05:44:38 PM

If the slides are cardboard mounted you'll have to go flat bed.

The fiber from the cardboard jams automated scanners, and pollutes them. Think of lots of spotty scans due to "dust in the works".

Something like an Epson Perfection 700, with a frame that'll allow you to process 12 slides at a time is a comfortable way to go. It's got a back lit platten for excellent exposure, and software that automatically recognizes the orientation of each individual slide. Load 12 press go and it'll scan and save 'em all as separate files.

Mike

Carnut · March 25, 2009, 06:06:12 PM

Yep, looks like the Epson 700 has good reviews at Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Perfection-Photo-Color-Scanner/product-reviews/B000EZY19W/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_recent?ie=UTF8&coliid=&showViewpoints=1&colid=&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

Carnut · March 25, 2009, 06:28:45 PM

Looks like Amazon has a good slide scanning discussion here:

http://www.amazon.com/tag/slide%20scanner/forum/ref=cm_cd_ef_tft_tp?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx3PAFZ2ERNR0DD&cdThread=Tx1Y4FKV5T9DEAZ&displayType=tagsDetail

Carnut · March 25, 2009, 06:49:42 PM

From the Amazon slide scanner discussion.

Cathy A. Kennedy says:
I have done extensive research on film scanners and have decided on the Plustek OpticFilm 7500i Ai. It is mostly a software issue with Kodachrome slides and the SilverFast software apparently handles that. This is all based on advice- Shutterbug.com and Imagingresource.com are very helpful. Look for David Brooks' blog and info on Kodachrome specifically.

Here's where I need some help- any good book, guides to help me with figuring out SilverFast software, and something to give me a solid foundation in slide and film scanning? Just reading many of these articles has convinced me I need to be educated. Thanks.

Lawrence D. Hokanson says:
Cathy

OK, I'll bite. Why did you choose the Plustek OpticFil 7500i?

Thanks.

Dale in Spokane

Cathy A. Kennedy says:
Narrowed it down to Epson V700 or V750 (flatbed scanner) or Nikon Super CoolScan. While researching, I kept running across the Plustek. First, I kept hearing that while the Epson is great, it is a flatbed, and nothing will beat a dedicated film scanner, especially for slides. In my online hunt, I also found out that all the issues with scanning Kodachrome slides (the bulk of what I have) has been solved with software- specifically the SilverFast 6.6 Ai. I read David Brooks' article on scanning Kodachrome for further info (http://blog.shutterbug.com/davidbrooks/ Look for Kodachrome article posted Jan ,2009). Then, since I was still confused about which scanner to get I emailed him directly (he also does the Digital Help column for Shutterbug) with the above info. He said: 1. a flatbed scanner (Epson) will never perform as well as a film scanner for what I want; 2.Rumor has it that Nikon is discontinuing its scanner line after current inventory is sold out and Nikon hasn't been keeping up with software upgrades. I've also heard that their support is fading out as well. Presumably it will only get worse once Nikon is out of the scanner business entirely. 3. He's using the Plustek OpticFilm 7500i Ai now and thinks it's the best (film scanner) he's used, with the exception of a Minolta which hasn't been available for a long time. It also sells for less than the other 2, which is good for me. Once I started researching the Plustek, also all comments were favorable.

Now, I've also heard conflicting things about the software- the LaserSoft SiverFast (a real mouthful). Most people think it's the best out there, and it has the solution to the Kodachrome problem. Some complain that it's too complicated to be any good. That's why I've ordered the SilverFast User's Guide. It's only $30 on the LaserSoft website- for some reason it's $118 on Amazon.

AND, lastly, if you have a scanner you're happy with but want to scan Kodachrome slides, you can just buy the software- but it's the SilverFast 6.6 or later you'll need.

Probably more info than you wanted, but after a couple of days on photo websites and forums, I'm brimming with it. Cathy

Lawrence D. Hokanson says:
Rumor on the Nikon must be true since I found they will not be upgrading software to work with 64 bit machines, and thus XP 64 bit, and bigger, faster seems to the wave of the future. Plus, my supplier (retired military, I order through the base exchange) was told that the Coolscan was on at least a 60 day backorder. Thank you for great information, looks like you saved me several days of more exploring. Do you know how long a scan takes? Since each slide requires 4 scans does it mean I'll have to have a book to read everytime I sit down to scan a slide? I have thousands of slides from 50 years or so of family, travel and hobby, which is why the Coolscan with the automated feed system appealed to me even at the rather high price.
Dale

Cathy A. Kennedy says:
I think I read that you can scan a slide in about 4 seconds, but that's only if you're just archiving them and not using software to clean them up. There is no really fast way to scan slides. Most people said pick out the real gems and work on those; just save the rest, with the automatic settings. But hey, I'm just passing along what I've read- and I know some people like the Nikon for just that reason. Of course, if we could actually see results in person, the Epson V700 might be good enough- and you can scan 12 at a time.

http://www.amazon.com/tag/slide%20scanner/forum/

HotRodLadyCrusr · March 25, 2009, 11:15:04 PM

WOW, lots of info to process. Thanks guys, and yes, they are all cardboard incased.

phat46 · March 26, 2009, 08:11:49 AM

Have you checked into having it done at a photo store? Might be a little more than a scanner, but way less time.