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So I have quite a few boxes of old slides of my grandparents that I told them I'd scan for them. They have an HP scanner that has a nifty holder for the slides and a light on the cover so you can scan them. However, the software is bloated and doesn't do batch scanning so it takes me around 90 seconds for each of 3 slides. It also crashes every few rounds, and yeah.

So I'm debating just paying $100 for one of those dedicated slide/film scanners. My parents also have a few boxes of slides as do my in-laws, I believe, so I'd definitely get some use out of it.

I'm just curious if anyone has done this (like JBI's record ripping process) and could provide some insight/ideas.

I wouldn't expect much out of a $100 slide scanner.

mattsteg wrote:

I wouldn't expect much out of a $100 slide scanner.

Well the slides are decades old and don't have great image fidelity. I was only going to scan them at around 1600x1200 size files also, so higher megapixel doesn't do much for me.

Example: http://www.amazon.com/35mm-Slide-Negati ... 280&sr=8-5

This may be a dumb idea, but....

Couldn't you just use the slide projector and your digital camera to do the conversion? Project the slide on a screen (or wall) and snap a pic of it?

Seems like this would be much faster than scanning.

Usacomp2k3 wrote:

mattsteg wrote:

I wouldn't expect much out of a $100 slide scanner.

Well the slides are decades old and don't have great image fidelity. I was only going to scan them at around 1600x1200 size files also, so higher megapixel doesn't do much for me.

Example: http://www.amazon.com/35mm-Slide-Negati ... 280&sr=8-5

I'm not sure how much I'd trust something like that to deliver satisfactory results or a hassle-free experience. I wouldn't get photo equipment that's primarily available at some place called "cyberguys!". I'd spend more and get a product with a decent reputation from a company that I'd actually heard of.

You have a DSLR camera don't you?

What about this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4 ... cator.html

I own a dedicated slide scanner (it's an old Minolta -- uses SCSI) but when I had a huge batch of slides to scan I went to my local pro photo place and rented a Nikon slide scanner with an auto feeder. They're expensive to rent by the day (though much cheaper than buying) but the shop I use has special rental deals for over the weekend, because most of their business is pro customers during the week. So I just kept the feeder loaded and ran the scanner all day Saturday and Sunday. I forget what kind of throughput I was getting, but I did a couple of hundred slides. (It did jam a couple of times -- the feeder is a little clunky, and warped slides are not a recipe for success). The Nikon software has some nice tools for removing scratches and other problems during the scan, though it slows the scans a bit. Of course you can do that in Photoshop too, particularly if you have the right plug-ins.

Usacomp2k3 wrote:

mattsteg wrote:

I wouldn't expect much out of a $100 slide scanner.

Well the slides are decades old and don't have great image fidelity. I was only going to scan them at around 1600x1200 size files also, so higher megapixel doesn't do much for me.

Example: http://www.amazon.com/35mm-Slide-Negati ... 280&sr=8-5

I didnt even have to go to the link to know the scanner was JUNK. I did go to the link to prove it though. You get what you pay for and your not going to get a good slide scanner for 100 bucks.

JJCDAD wrote:

You have a DSLR camera don't you?

What about this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4 ... cator.html

It's an idea. I saw those but was kinda hesitant. If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears.

JJCDAD wrote:

This may be a dumb idea, but....

Couldn't you just use the slide projector and your digital camera to do the conversion? Project the slide on a screen (or wall) and snap a pic of it?

Seems like this would be much faster than scanning.

That's the best idea so far. Once I get my tripod out, we'll have lots of white walls in the new apartment too.

mattsteg wrote:

Usacomp2k3 wrote:

mattsteg wrote:

I wouldn't expect much out of a $100 slide scanner.

Well the slides are decades old and don't have great image fidelity. I was only going to scan them at around 1600x1200 size files also, so higher megapixel doesn't do much for me.

Example: http://www.amazon.com/35mm-Slide-Negati ... 280&sr=8-5

I'm not sure how much I'd trust something like that to deliver satisfactory results or a hassle-free experience. I wouldn't get photo equipment that's primarily available at some place called "cyberguys!". I'd spend more and get a product with a decent reputation from a company that I'd actually heard of.

Such as....?

Hance wrote:

Usacomp2k3 wrote:

mattsteg wrote:

I wouldn't expect much out of a $100 slide scanner.

Well the slides are decades old and don't have great image fidelity. I was only going to scan them at around 1600x1200 size files also, so higher megapixel doesn't do much for me.

Example: http://www.amazon.com/35mm-Slide-Negati ... 280&sr=8-5

I didnt even have to go to the link to know the scanner was JUNK. I did go to the link to prove it though. You get what you pay for and your not going to get a good slide scanner for 100 bucks.

Mind if I ask what it was that turned your mind negatively?

Do you have any better suggestions?

Usacomp2k3 wrote:

Mind if I ask what it was that turned your mind negatively?

Do you have any better suggestions?

Quality slide scanners cost more than a hundred bucks. Quality photography equipment doesnt come cheap no matter what you are looking for.

I have used one of the Primefilm 3600U slide scanners and it works pretty well. It has decent quality but your still manually loading the slides one at a time. If you want to really scan the slides and have them be good quality your going to be out 300+ dollars for even a cheap scanner.

Hance wrote:

If you want to really scan the slides and have them be good quality your going to be out 300+ dollars for even a cheap scanner.

"good" quality is overkill. I'm fine with 'ok' quality. It's not like the slides are getting look at as they are. Anything is better than nothing.