Looking for a way to convert Photo Slides to Digital Format

Glengoyne · 04-30-2005, 04:11 PM

My father-in-law has a whole bunch of slide photos that he is wanting to convert to some other format. Currently he is considering a digital destination. I've seen an HP scanner that will scan in photographic slides, but I'm wondering about the quality.

Does anyone have any experience doing this?

kcchief19 · 04-30-2005, 05:22 PM

If it's a flatbed scanner -- which it sounds like it is, my experience has been that the quality is pretty poor. Not the worst in the world, but you'll definitely see a loss in color and clarity.

How many slides does he want to convert? I have converted old slides at my office to digital files by taking them to a high-end film developing shop; I think the rate was around $1-$2 per slide. Expensive, but less so when you consider the time it takes to scan and properly adjust the photos yourself.

If he wants to do it himself, I would recommend getting a specific film/slide scanner. You can get a decent low to middle of the line model for $500 to $800, probably less used or on eBay. I think a low-end film/slide scanner would be better than a flatbed scanner, and you can find those as cheap as $300. If he wants to convert 500 slides or more, a film/slide scanner might make a lot of sense; then you can sell it when you're done and get some of the money back.

Draft Dodger · 04-30-2005, 05:40 PM

I'll echo chief's recommendation. flatbed scanners with slide attachements really don't work very well - my sister got one to transfer all my dads slides and they came out looking like crap (this was an HP, btw). I've never heard of one that works well.

Glengoyne · 04-30-2005, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcchief19

If it's a flatbed scanner -- which it sounds like it is, my experience has been that the quality is pretty poor. Not the worst in the world, but you'll definitely see a loss in color and clarity.

How many slides does he want to convert? I have converted old slides at my office to digital files by taking them to a high-end film developing shop; I think the rate was around $1-$2 per slide. Expensive, but less so when you consider the time it takes to scan and properly adjust the photos yourself.

If he wants to do it himself, I would recommend getting a specific film/slide scanner. You can get a decent low to middle of the line model for $500 to $800, probably less used or on eBay. I think a low-end film/slide scanner would be better than a flatbed scanner, and you can find those as cheap as $300. If he wants to convert 500 slides or more, a film/slide scanner might make a lot of sense; then you can sell it when you're done and get some of the money back.

We are talking about hundreds of slides.

Do you know the manufacturers of these film/slide scanners? I'm doing an Ebay Search now, but was looking for a brand reccomendation.

gstelmack · 04-30-2005, 09:17 PM

Minolta makes a pretty good set of slide scanners. I just recently purchased this one:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...&s=pc&n=507846

It works well, but it is not built to do thousands of slides. It has a habit after a while of making you give the slide feeder a little nudge occasionally (gears getting a bit weak or something), and it takes a bit to do each slide (about 2 minutes apiece) but aside from that is absolutely fantastic. Good quality, will do four slides at a time, and has been working great for me going through 13 trays of slides (a few hundred total) for my parents. And you can't beat the price of under $300.

Craptacular · 05-02-2005, 09:46 PM

I don't know the brand(s) he got, but my Dad scanned his entire slide collection (and we're talking cabinets full of slide reels) himself with slide scanners. I think he wore out a couple of them. They're still definitely better than the flatbeds. I'll try to remember to ask him about the brand next time we talk.

JediKooter · 05-03-2005, 11:08 PM

Glengoyne,

Hey, not trying to spam you or anything, just trying help out a fellow FOFCer.

If you dont have any luck finding a scanner, let me know. I run a photo restoration business down in San Diego and can do 35mm slides and put them on a dvd or cd. I can also do restoration, touch ups or color correction (most scanners will do color correction as well). I'll cut you a good deal on the price for it.

If you're interested, let me know and I can send you my website address and you can see samples of my work.

04-30-2005, 05:40 PM	#3
Draft Dodger Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Keene, NH	I'll echo chief's recommendation. flatbed scanners with slide attachements really don't work very well - my sister got one to transfer all my dads slides and they came out looking like crap (this was an HP, btw). I've never heard of one that works well. __________________ Mile High Hockey

04-30-2005, 09:17 PM	#5
gstelmack Pro Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Cary, NC	Minolta makes a pretty good set of slide scanners. I just recently purchased this one: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...&s=pc&n=507846 It works well, but it is not built to do thousands of slides. It has a habit after a while of making you give the slide feeder a little nudge occasionally (gears getting a bit weak or something), and it takes a bit to do each slide (about 2 minutes apiece) but aside from that is absolutely fantastic. Good quality, will do four slides at a time, and has been working great for me going through 13 trays of slides (a few hundred total) for my parents. And you can't beat the price of under $300. __________________ -- Greg -- Author of various FOF utilities

04-30-2005, 05:22 PM	#2
kcchief19 Pro Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Kansas City, MO	If it's a flatbed scanner -- which it sounds like it is, my experience has been that the quality is pretty poor. Not the worst in the world, but you'll definitely see a loss in color and clarity. How many slides does he want to convert? I have converted old slides at my office to digital files by taking them to a high-end film developing shop; I think the rate was around $1-$2 per slide. Expensive, but less so when you consider the time it takes to scan and properly adjust the photos yourself. If he wants to do it himself, I would recommend getting a specific film/slide scanner. You can get a decent low to middle of the line model for $500 to $800, probably less used or on eBay. I think a low-end film/slide scanner would be better than a flatbed scanner, and you can find those as cheap as $300. If he wants to convert 500 slides or more, a film/slide scanner might make a lot of sense; then you can sell it when you're done and get some of the money back.

05-02-2005, 09:46 PM	#6
Craptacular College Starter Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: The Mad City, WI	I don't know the brand(s) he got, but my Dad scanned his entire slide collection (and we're talking cabinets full of slide reels) himself with slide scanners. I think he wore out a couple of them. They're still definitely better than the flatbeds. I'll try to remember to ask him about the brand next time we talk.

05-03-2005, 11:08 PM	#7
JediKooter Coordinator Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: San Diego via Sausalito via San Jose via San Diego	Glengoyne, Hey, not trying to spam you or anything, just trying help out a fellow FOFCer. If you dont have any luck finding a scanner, let me know. I run a photo restoration business down in San Diego and can do 35mm slides and put them on a dvd or cd. I can also do restoration, touch ups or color correction (most scanners will do color correction as well). I'll cut you a good deal on the price for it. If you're interested, let me know and I can send you my website address and you can see samples of my work.

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