Cheapest scanner worth bothering with for slides?

[mdarnton]

Originally Posted by newspaperguy

Some good tips guys - THANKS!

I'm going to try a 50/3.5 OMZuiko macro on the E-1

and see what I can do with it.

Rick

I used to do filmstrips and slide shows, and did a lot of slide duping and making titles with that lens, which is a really great lens for that job. Be aware of the floating element, which means that when you're close, you don't want the lens focused near infinity. You will want to arrange any tubes you might have to use (which may be none for what you're doing) so that the lens is fully extended at close ranges (i.e., don't put a 25mm tube behind it and then crank back to infinity for getting a bit better than 1:2--instead use a short tube.)

[mdarnton]

I am really doubting that a ready-made slide duplicator with a lens built in can do more than a less-than-OK job compared with a really good macro lens. The old versions of that type of machine were notably bad.

[135format]

Originally Posted by jsrockit

Awesome, I'm going to try to go this route!!!

EDIT: I was thinking the Fuji X-Pro1 w/ 60mm Macro and the 52mm version of this product with a step down ring to 39mm... but it's not apparent if it'll work correctly.

for balanced light all you need is a strobe pointing straight down the lens at a suitable distance and then set white balance on your camera. So a couple of tripods should be all you need in addition to the duplicator assuming you have a strobe/flash already.

[Calzone]

Originally Posted by jsrockit

Perhaps I can borrow Tung's Canon 5d with Macro lens and your equipment and be done with it.

John,

Not sure if Tung's Macro lens can make 1:1 without an extension tube. The only lens I know that can do 1:1 without is the already mentioned Nikon 60 Macro AF. The Nikon slide copy attachment is 52mm filter size so I don't know if it will adapt to the Canon lens.

If you could use Jeff's D-700 or John Chee's D-700 everything would be very straight forward, especially with a balance light source (my light table).

Basically converting slides into digital files would cost nothing.

Cal

[andredossantos]

John: I FINALLY scanned those slides you gave me way back when last night. Tonight when I get home I will quickly PP them (since I scan with all auto functions off) and I can email you the results in a couple zip files. Or, I can add them to a disc and mail it to you. Whatever you want. Anyway, I have a flatbed so it's not the best quality but I think they will be decent enough for the web or to be used to print up to 8x10.

For future scanning: If you can manage a day off and meet me at my job on day during the week, I can get you into a lab that had a Nikon Coolscan.

[andredossantos]

Originally Posted by Calzone

John,

Not sure if Tung's Macro lens can make 1:1 without an extension tube. The only lens I know that can do 1:1 without is the already mentioned Nikon 60 Macro AF. The Nikon slide copy attachment is 52mm filter size so I don't know if it will adapt to the Canon lens.

If you could use Jeff's D-700 or John Chee's D-700 everything would be very straight forward, especially with a balance light source (my light table).

Basically converting slides into digital files would cost nothing.

Cal

I have a Nikon F to Canon EOS mount adapter.

[CNNY]

Originally Posted by finguanzo

John, I think photovillage also have a Imacon , or something they rent...

I have rented their imacon before, and I would say while they are amazing scanners it was a pretty frustrating experience. First of all there is no space to work, and dust mitigation is a really difficult. Their holders are not in good shape (one of my favorite 4x5 chromes got totally mangled). I found scanning medium format pretty straight forward, but 35mm was just fiddly. While the actual scanning is fast, the handling is one by one, so it ends up being slow. Their monitors are not calibrated (and rather off), and I think they mostly do b+w, so I wasn't getting much useful help in terms of using the software for color. That being said, the slides I scanned came out well, while the color negs were pretty much impossible to color balance. Also for some reason a the b+w I scanned came out much harsher than it does on my Epson. That may have been my unfamiliarity with the software, but if you are scanning on the clock you are not going to be double checking everything in photoshop before you proceed.
I would give the print space ones a try, but don't expect to come away loving scanning.

[CNNY]

Originally Posted by jsrockit

Perhaps I can borrow Jeff's D700 and your equipment and be done with it.

Looks like you are in the market for a visoflex. I briefly had one for that purpose in the 90's.

[jsrockit]

Originally Posted by andredossantos

John: I FINALLY scanned those slides you gave me way back when last night. Tonight when I get home I will quickly PP them (since I scan with all auto functions off) and I can email you the results in a couple zip files. Or, I can add them to a disc and mail it to you. Whatever you want. Anyway, I have a flatbed so it's not the best quality but I think they will be decent enough for the web or to be used to print up to 8x10.

Thanks Andre, I appreciate it. Next time we get together you can just give me the slides and a disc if that works for you.

For future scanning: If you can manage a day off and meet me at my job on day during the week, I can get you into a lab that had a Nikon Coolscan.

Hmmm, maybe this will work if I don't like the DSLR approach.