scanning slides?

[Jestpg]

i feel like i should feel like an idiot for asking but how do i scan slides? ive never scanned them before so do i need a special scanner? i tried with my normal scanner/printer and it came out real crappy looking and didnt look like a slide at all. any help would be great

 

[Torus34]

There are several slide scanners available in various price ranges. However, if you are not going to scan many slides [It's a slow process, by the way] you might do well to send them to a scanning service. Alternately, you can locate a development service which will provide digitalization, usually on a CD along with development and mounting.

 

[fmw]

You can buy one of the "photo scanners" and they do a pretty good job, if they are still available. I have an Epson 2450 that does an outstanding job. I think it cost less than $200. I assume there are newer models of it. It is painfully slow but very effective. Fast film scanners are very expensive. Here's an example from my scanner of a Velvia transparency.

 

[markc]

I wouldn't say that all film scanners are very expensive. Some are, but I had bought my Acer Scanwit 2720s for about $300, and that was many years ago.
http://www.photoscientia.co.uk/Review.htm
But a flatbed is definitely a viable option:
http://www.virtualtraveller.org/epson2450p4.htm
These are old reviews, BTW, but they cover the models mentioned. You'd probably want to look at something current, unless you really wanted to save money.

If you use a flatbed, it need to have a transparency adapter, which is basically a light that shines down through the slide. I personally wouldn't go the CD route unless you find a place that has high-res scans, which you will probably pay more for. Most places don't seem to scan very high.

You are basically going to run into the usual trade-off of time/money/quality.

 

[cosmonaut]

I bought a scanner on E-Bay for $30.00. It scans up to 200pixels per inch. It does good but there are better scanners out there....
Cosmo

 

[Lyman Smith]

I am embarking upon the project of scanning in my father's collection of 50 years worth of slides and negatives. My scanner is a Visioneer OneTouch 9420 USB. I paid about $119.00 at Office Max. Its really easy to use and wow, do they look sharp. dad is really impressed.

Which brings me to the question I need to ask other gurus...How do I clean these old 50+ year slides to get the spots and dust off of them without ruining them?
I am also trying to scan in my Grandmother's collection of Brownie camera slides from the 20's...same thing, I need to clean them without damaging them...any suggestions?
Lyman Smith