Scanner Recommendation

[avil]

I am currently working on a restoration project with slides that were shot in the 1980's. We have over 800 slides to go over and we are trying to whittle it down to about 40 to 50 keepers that we want to print to 8 x 12's. Many of the images were shot on a tripod so I actually have bracketed images, some as many as six shots. Perfect for Exposure Fusion.

My initial plan was to send everything to lab to get scanned but with the volume of slides we have it is not cost prohibitive. We have a budget to print and mount everything and I would like to scan the slides on my own.

I want to buy a good scanner and than just sell it when we are finished, I am not worried about speed or how many slides it can do at once. More focused on the quality of the prints. The good news it that most of the slides are Kodachrome 25/64. Any recommendations. Thanks.

 

[benhasajeep]

If you can find one, a Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 would be the ideal scanner. But you would have to find them on the used market. Nikon decided to stop making them and supporting them over a year ago. I have one and will not sell or trade it. Unfortunately Nikon no longer supports it software wise (no support afer XP). But I still use it occasionally. Silverfast offers software for it, to use on newer operating systems. But its a bit pricy. I have kept an XP machine rinning just so I can use it with Nikons software.

They still sell the Super Coolscan 9000. And I am guessing they have updated software for it. It's twice the price than the 5000 sold for. But they hold their resale value well. The 9000 is a medium format and 35mm format scanner. Where the 5000 is 35mm and smaller.



http://www.vistek.ca/rentals/details/32/R301896/nikon-coolscan-ls5000-scanner.aspx I did find this place in Canada that will rent you a SC-5000. $85 for a day min, $85 a weekend, plus shipping I am sure. You should be able to scan 60 in a half day at full resolution and ICE on. In a weekend if you work at it, I would bet you could do nearly all of them. If they send you a feeder, can definately do it. Just fill it and let it go. Check back every now and then. But if you have to hand feed 1 at a time, it gets tiring. But it could be done.

They may or may not ship to the US. Not sure.

 

[avil]

Rent Nikon Coolscan LS-5000 Scanner Film Scanners 35mm Rental Detail - Pro Rentals at Vistek - Toronto Calgary Canada I did find this place in Canada that will rent you a SC-5000. $85 for a day min, $85 a weekend, plus shipping I am sure. You should be able to scan 60 in a half day at full resolution and ICE on. In a weekend if you work at it, I would bet you could do nearly all of them. If they send you a feeder, can definately do it. Just fill it and let it go. Check back every now and then. But if you have to hand feed 1 at a time, it gets tiring. But it could be done.

They may or may not ship to the US. Not sure.

Renting a scanner would be a perfect solution. I really don't want to buy / sell something and I want to scan with as much quality as possible. If I had one for a weekend I could do everything and I also have about 50 6 x 7 negatives I would like to scan as well. Thanks.