RCJets Loc: Virginia

I have many slides I took in Vietnam in 1967 on my Topcon RE Super. This was a very good camera on a par with the Nikon F of that period. As a helicopter pilot based in Saigon, I had many photo opportunities not available to others. My question is this: Would it be worth considering to try to have prints made from a few of these slides. I haven't looked at them for many years, so I really don't know how they have held up. They are in slide carousels for my projector. I think I was mostly shooting Ektachrome . Would they be grainy as prints? Any suggestions on how to even gets prints made? My scanner will not do slides.

Thanks in advance.

Joe

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

I too am looking for a slide scanner any suggestions out there?

Patrick9 Loc: Muncie, IN

Just as a place to start, take a few slides to Wal-Mart or similar and see what you get. Obviously your local camera retailer can probably make better but more expensive prints. It depends on what you want to do with them. Have fun. Also, depending on what you want to do with them, a new scanner would not cost more than the cost of several prints. Scanners are a great way to preserve and restore fading old 35mm slides that you don't want to loose.

Rickyb

those slides are precious as part of history. Most slides print well as smaller prints, grain can be resolved.

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

As valuable as those slides are I think you need to invest in a god slide scanner and archive them into digital. There are some old print houses still out there that you would have to mail the slides to but then you take chances with the mail. I think the best bet is to look into a good slide scanner from B&H.

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

I just did a bunch of slides from that era and did them all with a Epson V600 flatbed scanner. The scanner is excellent but what is even better with this scanner is the software. I had a bunch of slides that I made with 35mm movie film that I use to purchase in bulk. The problem was the film didn't age well like my Ektachrome film did and it turned to a red hue. I could not distinguish colors on these slides until I ran them through the Epson V600 scanner using the software that came with it. It brought back all the color on all the damaged slides and it does an unbelievable job on scratched and dirty slides and photos as well. It's great scanner and not overly expensive.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/647187-REG/Epson_B11B198011_Perfection_V600_Photo_Scanner.html

RCJets Loc: Virginia

Thanks for your suggestions, folks. I had not thought of them as having any historical value. Now I have some serious thinking to do.
What to do next? I know there must be thousands of guys with as many slides and photos as I have, as I think every GI in Nam had a camera. That thought blows your mind!

Stash Loc: South Central Massachusetts

I too took many slides while overseas 1967-69. Many of them were in carousel trays like yours. Many of
mine were ruined by mildew and moisture. If I were you, I would try and save them if possible. Like
someone else said, they are a part of history, your history.

Charles 46277 Loc: Fulton County, KY

My only scanner does do slides because I bought for slides and negatives--but a scanner with this provision is also just a fine all around scanner for anything else. Here is a picture from a Kodachrome I took during that time period. It was underexposed but digitally enhanced (a bit). Remember, if your slides have a few spots and stuff, this is easier to fix today with digital editing.

RCJets Loc: Virginia

Thanks, WayneT. That is good to know. I'll keep my eye open for this one.

Smudgey Loc: Ohio, Calif, Now Arizona

The recommendation that WayneT gave you is excellent, once you have them scanned you can treat them like any other digital photo. You could bring them into Photoshop Elements and make all the corrections you need to make. I use a Canon 9000F markII flat bed that is also a great scanner. I have done thousands of slides and negatives with it. If you send your slides off to be scanned the cost will be much greater (depending on the number) than buying a scanner. Good Luck.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

http://www.dwaynesphoto.com/newsite2006/prints-from-slides.html
One of the best labs I know. They printed some slides for me several years ago, before I bought a scanner, and they are excellent. They also scan slides. It may be more cost-effective for you to buy a scanner (I use an Epson V550) and printer to digitize and print your own. Dwaynes also restores slides. Outstanding lab.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

If you want to digitally enhance it some more, you could remove some of the magenta.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

"Would it be worth considering to try to have prints made from a few of these slides..." Worth/value are not easily defined... Who is your potential audience here? That likely should be determined first... As many have already mentioned converting these into a digital format may indeed be a wise option... As for "quality" issues? There are many software solutions which literally can accomplish "magic" here... But there is a learning curve involved...

Should you have a compelling desire to achieve a high level of excellence in this endeavor look for commercial services which do this... Especially if the number is only in the dozens... this would be far more cost effective in the long run... Time is money... If you have the time and wish to convert hundreds of this slides then consider obtaining a reasonable high end slide scanner (they can be had for merely a couple hundred dollars).

There is no "best" answer here... Until you quantify the number and qualify the ultimate target audience replies to your query are virtually meaningless... a.k.a. lacking authority...

My solution? A 40mm micro lens, a Nikon D7200 and a Nikon ES-1 Slide Copying Adapter... Captures post processed through PhotoMatix Pro and enhanced in Adobe Photoshop... Find this highly effect. That said I have over a dozen years of experience in post processing at a commercial level... Three years in Photoshop working full time as a web programmer creating graphical illustrations... Without extensive post processing tenure your journey here would be arduous at best...

There are ample commercial services available to accomplish your task... Start there, k?

Hope this helps, or is at least food for thought...
I wish you well RCJets

Charles 46277 Loc: Fulton County, KY

I splurged on this with an Epson V750 Pro, because I was replacing the darkroom altogether. Later models may be better and cheaper--I think this was around $1000 or $1200. You can definitely find cheaper than that and it may suite you just fine. There are two ways a scanner might not "do slides." Either they focus flat against the glass, so slides would have to be out of their mounting, or they do not come with the proper slide holding frame. For both negatives and slides, the scanner has to see the film lit from behind, unlike some office scanners. Mine has software that reads the material and tells you what it is (color transparency, 4x5 b/w, etc.) I remove the white pad for this. Others have suggested trying a few prints at Walgreens, etc.--they have self-service Kodak print machines that should do a good job.