Scanning 35mm slides -need scanner ideas (1 Viewer)

[SteveMc]

Im looking to start archiving some of my relatives old 35mm slides. I want to burn them to a cd so it can be played on a DVD player. So my question is what resolution do i need to worry about so I get clear pics when they get blown up on a 27" TV. Anyone have experience scanning slides or 35mm film? I would rather stick to a really good flatbed if it handle the task rather than a film scanner. Any suggestions will do.

 

[James E]

Steve,
Start at http://www.photo.net/ Good luck on finding a flatbed scanner with the resolution for 35mm slides:frowning:,let me know if you do. I have seen some dual purpose scanners that might fit the bill(bed for prints and drawer for film). Some one who knows more about scanners than me should reply in a wile.
james
P.S.
stay away from non powered film adopters(mirrors)
edit: period after link

 

[Rob Gillespie]

TV resolution is pretty low so you don't need to worry too much about scanning dpi.

The thing is, is this the only purpose you'll be using them for or would you like to do more work with them in the future? Actually having the option to scan slides isn't very common either, especially on lower-priced consumer scanners.

I recently bought a new scanner after having fairly run-of-the-mill Canon for several years. I wanted to get the best quality I could afford and have the ability to scan both A4 and 35mm negs. The primary reason was because my best friend had just died and I wanted to get archive copies made of every picture we had of her.

I chose the Epson Perfection 2450. The scanning quality is stunning and you're not going to get better unless you go up to dedicated film scanners or pro-flatbeds that cost many times more. It's a terrific piece of kit.

35mm negs, slides and medium-format negs are placed in a plastic holding tray which sits on the scanning glass. The inside of the hood is removed and the scanner then knows it's dealing with film.

The 2450 can scan at true 2400dpi - none of this interpolated nonsense. What that means is that you can scan a 35mm neg and end up with an image approx 3400x2400 pixels in size - roughly 20-22mb in .bmp format. This is certainly big enough to give you superb looking A4 prints and probably good A3 too. Obviously you can scan at lower resolutions too.

It really just comes down to how much you're prepared to pay. The 2450 isn't that cheap (it cost me £280 but I'm not sure how much it is on your side of the pond) but it's also massively less expensive than anything that could be considered better. I've been really pleased with mine.

I think Epson are about to release a newer version which can scan at even higher resolutions but I don't have any details.

If you want to see some examples click on the link in my signature and go to 'Images Of Tish' from the main page. Those pics are all scanned from negs but have been hugely reduced in size to make them web-friendly.

 

[TedD]

A good all-around scanner is the HP 7400c. It's also fairly $, but the other alternative, which is a dedicated film/slide scanner like the Nikon LS-2000 is even more $.

If you use a flatbed, look for one that has an aux lamp assembly that sits on the top of the slides and a mask assembly to hold the slides in position.

Ted

 

[SteveMc]

thanks for the tips thus far. Ive been thinking about the HP 5500c. has decent resolution and also has an auto feeder for photos. I would most likely use the scanner for photos as well, so I want one that is very versitile. THe down side is most flatbeds can only do one slide at a time, so dozens of reels may take a long time but there's probably not much I can do about that. As far as doing anything else with the slides, I probably wouldn't touch them again once I can pop them in to my DVD but, I suppose there's always a possibility of printing some. One concern I have is that most flatbeds don't have an adjustable focus. Since the slides don't sit flat on the glass is there a problem with them not being in perfect focus?

Since I need a general scanner anyway, I want one that can double duty. That's why i am thinking about the HP 5500c

 

[Rob Gillespie]

Steve, I've not found there to be any focus problems myself with the Epson.

The slide holder will take four slides at a time. The one for 35mm takes two neg strips at a time.