Slide scanner question

[redneckdan]

Almost trade in my k1000 today for a credit on a *ist DL. Then I relized I enjoy he darkroom work as much if not more than photo shooting itself. I want to go digital because I like to share pics on line. So I'm thinking the route I need to go is a slide scanner. Can anyone recommend a good brand and model? I'm not looking for top of the line, but I want decent image quality.

 

[Torus34]

Alternative: get a CD when you have the film developed.

 

[usayit]

Getting a CD is not always the best way... depends on the shop. Some don't use very good quality control or produce quality scans. Over time, the cost will add up.

Multi format film scanners are the best way to go. One problem.. they are expensive. At a more reasonable price, there are a few choices in flatbed scanners that will scan slides, medium, and 35mm. I've always been a fan of Epson when it comes to ink jets and scanners. My old Epson 3170 did very well for its time ( about 5 years old now). Even back when it was new, the scanner was less than $200. I recently replaced it an Epson V700 which is near a tthe top of the line. Yes.. its a bit more expensive but I'm happy with it.

My initial post on the V700 here:

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62119


So it really boils down to your budget... as with anything else in the digital world. You can get a regular photo flatbed for 100-200, high end flat bed for about 550, or a dedicate film scanner $500-2000.

If you just want something to share pictures online, a good cheaper consumer line photo flatbed should work just fine...

 

[redneckdan]

I do my own developing. I prefer to shoot slides. I'm thinking that the flat bed scanner is the way to go. That way I can use it for more than just photography. If I was going to spend +500 i would probably get the digital camera and then rig up some kind of system that uses the camera to digitize slides, kinda like how slide copies are made.

 

[terri]

Another nod to Epson scanners, especially for a flatbed. My older 2450 does an excellent job with slides and prints. With film negatives, it can also be great, but it seems to have a hard time with B&W density, so HIE negs (infrared) don't do as well - but for your purposes, that shouldn't be a deal-breaker.

Godd luck!

 

[mysteryscribe]

I have a reasonably expensive dedicated 35mm film and slide scanner and a flat fed for larger negs. The dedicated always looks better than the flatbed but the flat bed on a 3x4 neg is just fine or even a 2x3 neg. The 35mm I did on it was a wee big less detailed.

 

[niccig]

I use a CanoScan 8600f flatbed. I only use it to post online, so the quality is more than sufficient. I highly recommend it - it works with windows or mac and it's incredibly simple to set up. And just about $180US

 

[fmw]

I too use an Epson 2450. I can't tell the scans from direct to digital images. It is slow but does an excellent job. The black and whites are easy enough to fix in photoshop. I scan 35mm transparencies at 1600 dpi and get a 7-8 mp image. That's not shabby. The scanner will go all the way to 4800 dpi but it's pretty slow at those resolutions.

I'm a believer in shooting my black and white stuff on color transparency film. I have some very spiffy plug ins for working with black and white images in Photoshop that still have the color channels encoded in them. The PHotoshop channel mixer works pretty well too for this type of thing. You can make really outstanding black and whites from color transparency scans. Try it. I think you'll like the results better than if you use b&w film in the first place.

 

[stingray]

i second the Canon scanners.. can't go past them for computer use.. and even some printing. I have an 8400F, it was pretty cheap and still produces highly acceptable results. I've scanned thousands of frames now and it's still going... that's not much reassurance i suppose but if all your doing is sharing then it's fine. Does 35mm, mounted slides and 120 stuff. b+w and colour negs and trannies.

 

[redneckdan]

I just orderd an epson 3590. can't wait for it to get here, will posted the results.

 

[redneckdan]

got the scanner and it works great with slides. I'm even more impressed with scanning negatives. I can beleive the picture quality over the prints walmart made. The prints are **** compared to the scans.