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Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 5:29 pm
by elmopuddy
Hi all,

My better half has been pestering me to scan a ton of old 35mm slides and negatives for a while now, anyone of you can recommend a decent scanner? I don't need professional grade, just something that will produce a decent reproduction. I've seen a bunch of sub-100$ models on Amazon, but not sure what to look for.

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 5:52 pm
by PenGun
There is this if you have a decent digital camera:

http://www.throughthefmount.com/article ... itise.html

Otherwise I'm not sure what to recommend. I have an Epson V700 but it's overkill for any normal use. It seems to be between 25c and 50c a piece for the scan services looking at the web. I'd be a bit wary of the real cheap scan devices.

I have built slide/negative photography jigs, mainly to make masks for slide film, from stuff that was lying around. An extension tube will allow much more magnification with a lens you might have, for my camera these ones:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FOTGA-Macro-AF- ... 3a8001e936

But there are ones made for all cameras. Just rip the glass out of a teleconverter, I hate em'. ;)

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 6:49 pm
by bthylafh
Something with a CCD sensor rather than CMOS, and make sure it's got the little overlay thingy for holding film.

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 10:21 pm
by TheEmrys
Why buy one? Why not just pay to get them done? Probably be cheaper in the long run, as well as being of higher quality.

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 10:45 pm
by PenGun
If you are going to buy one look at this first:

http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Epson-Perfectio ... -/83072022

It will be better than the cheapo slide scanners and will give you a very good all round scanner as well. There are some on Amazon too. Toss the software and get vuscan. Runs in Linux as well.:

http://www.hamrick.com/

Well you can use the software but almost all serious users will eventually pony up the $40 to Ed. I have the pro edition and it's money well spent.

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 7:31 am
by elmopuddy
TheEmrys wrote:
Why buy one? Why not just pay to get them done? Probably be cheaper in the long run, as well as being of higher quality.


Most local places charge .45c each, and I have lots (like almost 20 slide trays, at least 50 36 exp rolls worth of negatives, and a ton of loose photos)
I have trust issues too :D

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 7:49 am
by rookiebeotch
Scanners are all crappy. It would be dumb to buy one. With all the bad mojo that scanners bring with them, you would probably get shocked by a short when you try to turn it on. Why even bother?

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 1:25 pm
by PenGun
rookiebeotch wrote:
Scanners are all crappy. It would be dumb to buy one. With all the bad mojo that scanners bring with them, you would probably get shocked by a short when you try to turn it on. Why even bother?


Scanned from one of my 35mm slides:


Image

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 2:33 pm
by just brew it!
I'm really hoping that his post was an attempt at humor (i.e. negative advice about scanners, as opposed to advice about scanners for negatives).

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 3:04 pm
by PenGun
just brew it! wrote:
I'm really hoping that his post was an attempt at humor (i.e. negative advice about scanners, as opposed to advice about scanners for negatives).


Me too. I just thought it was a good opportunity to show the OP what can be done. That was done on a V700. The V600 is not far from the V700 for far less money:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/SCAN/V600/V600.HTM

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:52 pm
by elmopuddy
It wasn't a joke JBI, I am looking for a decent scanner to scan all my slides and negatives.

No local stores stock the V600, so I may order that or the Plustek OptiFilm 8200i Ai.. I am still mulling over my options

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 7:00 pm
by just brew it!
elmopuddy wrote:
It wasn't a joke JBI, I am looking for a decent scanner to scan all my slides and negatives.

No local stores stock the V600, so I may order that or the Plustek OptiFilm 8200i Ai.. I am still mulling over my options

Wasn't referring to you, I was referring to rookiebeotch's post.

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 7:13 pm
by PenGun
The Epson will do for any normal slide scanning. Up to about 11x14 you will be fine. The Plustek will almost for sure give you a better scan but will you ever use the difference?

It's a tough decision. If you have a flatbed and can afford a it I'd try for the Plustek. The V600 will scan far more things as well as slide/negs, for less money.

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 7:16 pm
by rookiebeotch
just brew it! wrote:
I'm really hoping that his post was an attempt at humor (i.e. negative advice about scanners, as opposed to advice about scanners for negatives).

'Attempt'? Damn, figured it would be a sure success.

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 7:48 pm
by Airmantharp
Posting to track; but I'm also planning to see if I can find a proper white backlight, and suspend my 6D + (various extension tubes) + Canon 100mm Macro over it to digitize slides, plates, and everything else my Grandfather has laying around. One of those projects...

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 8:21 pm
by just brew it!
rookiebeotch wrote:
just brew it! wrote:
I'm really hoping that his post was an attempt at humor (i.e. negative advice about scanners, as opposed to advice about scanners for negatives).

'Attempt'? Damn, figured it would be a sure success.

More like a near miss...

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 8:34 pm
by PenGun
Airmantharp wrote:
Posting to track; but I'm also planning to see if I can find a proper white backlight, and suspend my 6D + (various extension tubes) + Canon 100mm Macro over it to digitize slides, plates, and everything else my Grandfather has laying around. One of those projects...


If you can pick up a cheap enlarger most of what you need is already assembled. I've seen them given away on CL, but not for quite a while. There are a bunch for really cheap there, pretty well all the time.

One fro $30

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/bnc/p ... 09041.html

Re: Need negative scanner advice

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 8:45 pm
by Airmantharp
Thanks for the link!

Information on a lot of this stuff is sketchy; people were throwing it away before 'perpetual information sources' like Wikipedia formed to really collate and log it all.

For instance: my Grandpa has two lenses- the MD Rokkor-X 45mm F/2, and an MD (don't remember) 50-135mm F/3.5 (I believe constant aperture). I can find lots of information on similar lenses, but very little on those exact lenses; and they were second-hand to him decades ago. And I can only find blurbs about the Minolta XG-1(n), most of which comes off of Ebay :). How's that for research?