SLIDE SCANNERS
- Thread starter bog4053
- Start date
pwhole
Well-known member
I've never used a proprietary scanner I'm afraid, but I think one important issue, separate to the scanner, is that old slides are often warped - often not by much, but the focal plane of a scanner is tiny, and so even a millimetre of warp will make it blurry. Glass slides can help, but then you run risk of interference patterns developing if the warp refuses to squash flat against the glass. I've scanned some 35mm and 120 slides and negs on my flatbed with the provided mounts, and they weren't too bad, but negs tend to stay flat as they've never been cut and put in a mount. And I did scan them at something like 2400dpi, so it took like ten minutes to do one!
Another problem with old slides is that the grain structure was quite large and very soft, so they often need some processing and sharpening after scanning. Also they tend toward the blue/purple as they age, so colour-balancing will need to be used too.
Another problem with old slides is that the grain structure was quite large and very soft, so they often need some processing and sharpening after scanning. Also they tend toward the blue/purple as they age, so colour-balancing will need to be used too.
Sid
Member
I use a Epson V750 (the Wookey Hole Archive was done on this) for most jobs and a Nikon LS40 35mm. The biggest improvements come from the software and https://www.silverfast.com/ is highly recommended.
ZombieCake
Well-known member
I've not tried it myself as yet, but thought I'd add to the mix. I was talking to someone a while ago and they were using an old camera mounted slide copier that was used on film cameras to duplicate slides and make copy negs. With the rise of mirrorless these can be adapted to the cameras. I guess the issue of a warped slide could still be a problem though
mrodoc
Well-known member
Most of my several thousand slides (and those of friends and family) were scanned with a Minolta Dimage Elite. They are hard to obtain nowadays but they scan well. The big problem is software as it is not compatible with current Windows programs. However Hamrick Software sell Vuescan that does work well as an interface. I found it was a constant learning curve but by scanning images as .bmp I was able to improve faded colour, enhance shadow areas and improve exposure using Photoshop's RAW filter. I am not an expert and somebody more capable than me could get even better results I am sure. You will pay about £300 for a second hand one on Ebay. I have gone through 3 over a 20 year period! The current model I have is a lower spec but still does the job. You can batch scan 4 at a time.
psychocrawler
Member
Ditto. Minolta Dimage Elite. Software is becoming a faff as operating systems move on but the internet usually comes up trumps.
