Recommendations for a slide / negative scanner.

[learmoia]

I've got a stash of slides and negatives I'd like to get digitized, and looking for recommendations on a Slide/Negative scanner..

I don't need anything super fancy, but would like to get decent scans.
... And I dont want to break the bank..

Are the $60-70 models worth it? Or am I better off in the $125 price range..

~Ian

[ednadolski]

Aren't there scanning services that could do that?  I would think that they must have better+faster equipment and processes?

Ed

[MK]

I would check out the Epson flat bed scanners.  They seem to have good ratings and have a few models to choose from.  Ever since Canon and Nikon got out of the dedicated scanner business, the various off brands out there are just so-so (I'm talking non-flat bed).  I would check people's ratings and the speed of the scan since that's always the bottle neck.  Check the B&H reviews as those are more "photo dedicated" thank the ones on Amazon.

As for scanning service, ALWAYS asks how long it takes.  If it takes a while, don't do it!  They collect them, box them up and send them over seas to scan, e.g., India, and send them back.  Too many points of exchange where your original slides/negatives can become lost lost.  And they don't necessarily have better equipment.  They just have more bodies.

[pedro]

I have it on good authority that Kalmbach uses Epson flat beds exclusively to scan slides and negatives for publication. (Get the better ones available at B&H, etc) That’s my plan, if I ever get around to it.  I’ve experimented with shooting slides with a macro lens on a DSLR with mixed results. Also, some people are doing the same by shooting directly into the lens of a slide projector with good results. Not many people still have hose laying around anymore though. (I have two!) Haven’t tried that yet.

[Point353]

I've got a stash of slides and negatives I'd like to get digitized, and looking for recommendations on a Slide/Negative scanner..
I don't need anything super fancy, but would like to get decent scans.
... And I dont want to break the bank..
Are the $60-70 models worth it? Or am I better off in the $125 price range..

About how many slides and negatives are in this "stash"?
What is your definition -  as in resolution - of a "decent scan"?
What are the specs of your computer in regard to processor, OS, RAM and available storage space?
How high of a price would "break the bank"?

[C855B]

... As for scanning service, ALWAYS asks how long it takes.  If it takes a while, don't do it!  They collect them, box them up and send them over seas to scan, e.g., India, and send them back.  Too many points of exchange where your original slides/negatives can become lost lost.  And they don't necessarily have better equipment.  They just have more bodies.

Plus there's the big downside that they're making image quality decisions for you. Processes like dust "removal" and adjustments to brightness or contrast may not be what you had in mind. If you use your own scanner, you can make adjustments and re-scan if necessary. I used to run an imaging service bureau, and "not what I wanted" re-dos were the bane of the business.

[Lenny53]

I use a Plustek

[glakedylan]

Ian....not sure how much help this will be
but some years ago i had a printer/scanner/fax
that came with a cardstock (one side gloss one side matte, color white) the size of the scanning glass
which had a rectangular hole at center that was designed to insert a negative or slide
other than that, what seemed to make the process work
was on the underside of the hood which had a mirror just a bit larger than the
rectangular hole aligned with that hole
not sure how it all work, i have never done anything with negatives or slides
so i don't know if that worked well or not
the point being that such a set up may be useful
as in making your own cardstock and mirror set up


hope something here is helpful in some way


sincerely
Gary