dickwilber Loc: Indiana (currently)

That might be an option. I'll consider it as I assemble my kit.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I have a GPS app on my phone that tells me the light color temperature, how correct it is, I have no idea.
(Room I'm in right now is 2400° K. 4100 if I aim it towards the patio door.)

eardoc

The best light source that I have found is the Lume Cube or Lume Cube Air. Mount either on a table top tripod.

Here is the link: https://lumecube.com/collections/dslr-photo-video.

BigDaddy Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

I've thought about setting up a slide projector, displaying slides on a quality movie/slide projector screen, setting up a tripod with my camera and a remote switch, and snapping away. My slide projector broke so I can't try it out. Has anyone tried that? I've done scanners, and cheap slide duplicators and they are slow and not so hot.

Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

I have not tried it but read a post a year or so back that showed the setup. The fellow used his PC and logged into MS Word and opened a new blank screen and said that was perfect light for copy purposes. The blank document gives a perfect white screen.

Tomcat5133 Loc: Gladwyne PA

I had a good Nikon single slide scanner for years. It is gone now.
No matter how dedicated you are shooting single slides in mounts will drive you crazy.
I owned an AV slide show company years ago. And we would have the slides
mounted in glass mounts for exhibition. Cleaning slides was always tedious.
Now older slides will get dust and particles even stored. And cleaning your slides
for the slide shot will really drive you crazy. Canned air. slider cleaner. Loupe to
check what you are getting. Send them out their are some good companies that
will do the digitize of the slides.

dickwilber Loc: Indiana (currently)

Quality would not be as good.

dickwilber Loc: Indiana (currently)

Yeah, computer screen maybe, but ...


I don't. I'll probably just work with my camera.


Another LED light source. I think the Bescor looked better, but I'll review what's available before committing.


Back in the lab, a quarter century ago, we used PEC with PEC Pads. I hope that's still available and I do have a small compressor. And I'm resistant to sending them out - I'm in a DIY mode, retired with lots of time, and a cheapskate.

OK, I'm shutting down now. Thanx everyone for information and encouragement.

ddgm Loc: Hamilton, Ontario & Fort Myers, FL

Get yourself a Nikon CoolScan 5000 with slide feeder or without. Check eBay, I converted lots of slides and film negatives. I reluctantly sold it awhile back and got what I paid for it, years ago. Prices for these are going up as they have been discontinued. So scan your slides using VueScan and when you are done, resell it.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I use a Nikon SB-600 or SB-800. Mostly, the 600.
--Bob

bodiebill

Daylight

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

A north light window with diffusion CC if needed in PP.
.

Bipod

It's clear and simple to be told "Use product X!" or "I use product Y"
But how does one decide whether X or Y is the best? Or if maybe three is
some product Z that is better than both.

The OP is going to put a lot of time and effort into this project, so he wants
to be certain that the results will not disappoint. Unfortunately, there is no
"silver bullet' or "magic pill" that will insure perfect results. (Sound bites
are like candy, except they rot your brain, not your teeth.)

About a decade ago, I copied 8 boxes of slides taken from the 1950s to the
2000s. Equipment has changed, but the task hasn't. The main thing is to
understand which copying mistakes can be corrected later and which can't.

There are five separate issues with any light source:
1) Color temperature -- color cast -- Fixable in PP
2) Color rendering -- missing color -- Not fixable
3) Diffuse vs. contrasty -- complex differences -- Not fixable
4) Intensity -- incorrect exposure -- Fixable is small, not fixable if exceeds exposure latitude
5) Evenness -- vignetting or hot spot -- May or may not be feasible to fix

Considering each in turn:

1) Color temperature is the most obvious and the almost everyone understands,
but it's the least important because it can be fixed 100% in processing. Global
color temperature correction simply adjusts the percentage of one or more of
R, G and B in the image file. It has no downside except the time it takes to do it--
and the correction will be the same for all the slides you shot with a given light source.
(if you are trying to duplicate the slides, not adjust them). It's the perfect
application for a script.

2) Color rendering problems cannot be fixed in processing. They are possible whenever
a light source is not continuous spectrum. Some dyes reflect (or in the case of slides,
tranmit) only a narrow spectral band, If that band happens to be missing in your
light source, then instead of the color you see in sunlight or with flash, you will get
some shade of gray.

To see color rendering at its very worst, try taking some digital photos under a
low-pressure sodium vapor street light. These lamps produce only two narrow bands
of yellow light: "roses are black, violets are gray, / And sugar is yellow".

Continuous light sources are all very hot: the sun, incandescent filaments, xenon flash,
and brightest of all: carbon arc. Most slide projectors are quartz-tube tungsten-halogen,
which provides very bright, continuous full-spectrum light.

3) The issues with diffuse vs. contrasty light in slide reproduction are the same as a
with a condenser vs. diffuser type enlarger. Contrasty light will show ever speck
of dust or scratch on the slide, but provide higher contrast (the "Callier effect").
Whichever you prefer, a good source of one type is always better than a bad
source (not bright enough, not even) of the other.

4) The issues with exposure same as with making any photographs:
small exposure errors can be fixed in processing, but large expoure errors (that
exceed the dynamic range of the sensor at one end or the other) cannot.
Note that highlights that look blown are blown, but shadows that look inky
may sometimes contain detail that can be recovered in PP.

5) Eveneness: Vignettting is a common problem on enlargers with
making largre prints. It's less likely to turn up in copying a slide, becuase the
area is smaller. But you still need to avoid hotspots (or dark spots). In the
old days, incandescent bulbs, did not have writing or logos on them because
nobody wanted to see "SYLVANIA" superimposed on their prints!

Conclusions:

* Decide whether your goal is to duplicate the slides or to "improve" them
(I'd recommend just copying -- improving takes too much time and can be done later.
To make an analogy: just copy the record album, don't re-do the equalization.)

* To be on the safe side, use a continuous spectrum light source.

* Whatever equipment you use, you are making photographs, so all the usual
considerations apply:
-- stable platform (to avoid motion blur)
-- distance (slide should fill the frame for maximum resolution)
-- direction of each slide (mirror image can be fixed in PP)
-- orientation of each slide (180 degree rotation or mirror image can be fixed in PP,
but 90 degree rotation will cause cropping)
-- focus on each slide

* Set the camera to lowest ISO speed (to minimize noise)

* Adjust the distance so that the slide fills the frame

* Select a few "typical" sldies and make test images to verify that the exposure
is correct. Write down the camera settings (aperature and f/stop).

* As with an enlarger, blow off any dust. Use a bulb, not canned air (which can contain solvents)

* Be sure not to reverse any slide (flip it back to front).

* As with an enlarger, be very, very careful to make sure each slide is in focus.
Slides can warp and every mounting is a bit different. (some Kodak carosel slide
projectors had auto focus)

* Watch for any slides that are excessively dark or light, which may require adjusting the
exposure that one slide only, then setting it back. You don't want to blown highlights.
(This is the only case where "improving" is justified)

* Needless to say: don't mix the slides up or get them out of order. Remove one slide
from the tray or carousel, copy it, then put it back in the same slot with the same orientation.

I'm sure other posters will have good suggestions for the best possible procedure.

Finally, store the slides in a cool dry, dry place. Do not assume that your digital copies will last
forever: digital data tends to last about as long as any other electronic record. Remember all
those 8-track tapes, Beta max videos, 5.25" floppy drives and Zip drives you used to own?
Where are they now?

Cloud providers, hosts and backup service tend to last about as long as any other .com company,
before getting acquired-and-liquated or go bankrupt. Remember that MySpace page your band
used to have--with all the recorded music--where is it now?

Bluefish Loc: Berks County, PA

I crafted a black foam board with a cut out for the slide to fit on my light box. Adjust the WB for your light source and shoot away with your camera on a pod to keep the distance the same with less fiddling.

Derryg

I use Bill Nikons method also.