Slides to pictures: Hello all. A friend has just asked me if I can help to transfer 35mm slides into pictures. Is there an easy way to do this? I remember I had a device on an old...

PW4GDF

Hello all. A friend has just asked me if I can help to transfer 35mm slides into pictures. Is there an easy way to do this? I remember I had a device on an old scanner that could do something. I just have an 'el -cheapo' flat bed scanner.
Any ideas appreciated.
Thanks.

Bill Munny Loc: Aurora, Colorado

For more instant help, use the search button at the top of this page. Should be lots of suggestions for you to read about.

Leicaflex Loc: Cymru

You will need a flat-bed scanner that can reach a fairly high resolution, at least 4800 DPI.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

I have a Canon all in 1 printer that does that. Mine is an older one but I know they make a newer version of the same printer. I don't recall the model number, something like mx-592.

BebuLamar

Or use a camera to take a picture of the slides. I thought the slides are pictures, what I am missing here?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

PW4GDF wrote:

Hello all. A friend has just asked me if I can help to transfer 35mm slides into pictures. Is there an easy way to do this? I remember I had a device on an old scanner that could do something. I just have an 'el -cheapo' flat bed scanner.
Any ideas appreciated.
Thanks.

This is the third post about this today. Depending on the number and the importance, I would either use my Epson V600 or send them to ScanCafe, for about $0.35 each.

https://www.diyphotography.net/old-slides-want-scan-cheap-easy-way-home/
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/slide-copy-adapters/es-1-slide-copying-adapter-for-52mm-thread.html
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-448681-1.html#7548235
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-457230-1.html#7687881
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.photos.scanner&hl=en
http://opteka.com/slidecopier.aspx
https://smile.amazon.com/Wolverine-Super-20MP-Digital-Converter/dp/B00GIDADP0/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_g2609328962?_encoding=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0&ie=UTF8
http://www.scancafe.com/services/slide-scanning

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

PW4GDF wrote:

Hello all. A friend has just asked me if I can help to transfer 35mm slides into pictures. Is there an easy way to do this? I remember I had a device on an old scanner that could do something. I just have an 'el -cheapo' flat bed scanner.
Any ideas appreciated.
Thanks.

A new and reasonable priced unit is the Kodak Scanza Film Scanner.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

BebuLamar wrote:

Or use a camera to take a picture of the slides. I thought the slides are pictures, what I am missing here?

With the right equipment, a camera will get a perfect copy of a slide, surface defects and all. The best way of making a digital image is to use a scanner made for slides, such as the one manufactured by Plustek.

georgeretired Loc: Manitoba Canada

In January of this year we found 1000 plus 35mm slides taken between 1950 to 1966. They had been stored all this time and we didn't realize what was in the box.
After researching methods, I set up My Canon with a 35 prime on a tripod and taped a pencil to a large window using a level. Shooting against white paper and a light didn't work as the linen in the paper came through to mark the picture. I was able to pull back about 1-2 inches to frame the slide that sat on the pencil. We were selective on the slides and eventually using both a soft artist brush and cloth got most of the dust off both sides of the slides. Lots of fine tuning with focus and white balance and shot in RAW.
Then downloaded the pictures and processed with Elements. End results were 250 pictures from yesterday that we never knew where there. Even pictures of myself at age 12....and I'm 77 now. Wondered about pictures my dad took of me and my "girlfriends" as to what they look like now.
Cost to do this was my time only....and that was most of one week.

brent46 Loc: Grand Island, NY

Here is a link to my solution for scanning slides:

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-448681-1.html

lsimpkins Loc: SE Pennsylvania

billnikon wrote:

A new and reasonable priced unit is the Kodak Scanza Film Scanner.

The latest issue of Shutterbug has a review of the Kodak Scanza. My take away is that the time I would spend on such a project would make it worth spending more on a scanner (or using my flatbed) to get better results. I think I will also try the light table & macro route. Of course, the Scanza may meet the OP's needs, since the intended use of the output wasn't stated.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

When I did that several years ago I found that there was a fair amount of dust on the slides. Postprocessing can mitigate that but it takes work. Easier to make sure the slides are fairly clean before you copy them.

DebAnn Loc: Toronto

I transferred hundreds of slides to digital images using my Epson Perfection V550 Photo scanner (flatbed). Very successful.

PW4GDF wrote:

Hello all. A friend has just asked me if I can help to transfer 35mm slides into pictures. Is there an easy way to do this? I remember I had a device on an old scanner that could do something. I just have an 'el -cheapo' flat bed scanner.
Any ideas appreciated.
Thanks.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

For Nikon's Coolscan slide (and negative) scanners, you can get a slide stack loader which will hold about 40 slides..
They had a program called Digital ICE, where it made an infrared scan along with RGB scans to detect and fix dust and scratches.
Worked well with normal transparencies and color negs. Kodachrome is sometimes an issue.
Doesn't work with black & white negs due to the silver that the program treats as dust.
VUEScan is a program that can we use with ours, since the Nikon software is so outdated.
PC only, I believe.

Having said that, I get great results with the Epson 700, albeit slower.

anderzander

I scan my own, but in large quantity I use (Scan Cafe), 35 cents is pretty much the minimum but if you want a tiff file with pro res (DVD)
and you don't want to send them to India you will pay extra to have them scanned in Indianapolis which I think is a better deal, faster/safer and at around $1.00 per slide. I have had better results than scanning my own, except for family and not very important slides, I only use Scan Cafe for more professional work because all of my slides are close to 40 years old, and I'm working on a book so (Scan Cafe) has saved my but many a time, pay the extra and send to Indianapolis, I waited over two months to get my first order back from India.