Batch Slide Scanning

[Cameraken]

Hi Everyone.

I have been turning business away because my Minolta Scan Dual is just too slow to offer a competitive price on scanning slides to digital.

I was thinking of purchasing a Batch Scanner and have been looking at three models

Braun Slidescan 4000 (This is the UK model. It’s a Powerslide 3650 in the US)
Reflecta DigitDia 4000
Nikon LS 5000 plus Batch Adapter

The test reports I have read do not rate any that highly (Jamming slides, Buggy Software etc.)

I was thinking of alternatives.

I could use a Carousel Projector and project the slides onto a melamine screen and capture with a DSLR. This works fine but needs a darkened room.

I have also tried a Slide Duplicator but the process is too slow because every slide has to be ‘centred’ in the duplicator

I wondered what everyone uses for batch scanning?

Has anyone rigged up a ‘home made’ batch scanner?

Ken.

[Kraellin]

hi ken,

i have a low end, manual dedicated film/slide scanner from these folks: http://www.scanace.com/en/product/product.php . it works well and i'm pretty sure they have auto-batch types as well.

take a look at this one: http://www.scanace.com/en/product/pf1800lab.php

Fast scanning speed PrimeFilm 1800LAB film scanner is special designed for mini work shop or mini-lab. Through the IEEE1394 interface, this can rapidly scan 36 filmstrips by 300 dpi within 3 minutes.

[Cameraken]

Hi Craig.

Thanks for your reply.
The Primefilm 1800 will only batch scan uncut neg’s. It’s the Powerslide 3600 (now a 3650) that is required for slides.

I have been running a lot of tests with various lenses etc. Give me a couple of days and I will post some results.

Ken.

[Kraellin]

ken,

ah, ok. well, keep me posted. if i ever tap into my mother's archives i'm gonna need a monster to scan all that stuff

[Doug Nelson]

I'd go with the Nikon, or its little brother. Neither of them require special trays, and are pretty much the standard for 35mm scanning now.

[Cameraken]

After trying many combinations of lenses/extension tubes/bellows I was getting some great results but the light source was more of a problem

I tried daylight and TTL flash etc. but exposure was a little erratic.

I decided to splash out and purchased a Chromega 5x4 Slide Duplicator. Now I can Batch ‘Scan’ All slides up to 5x4 very quickly.

Results look great. I will post some samples soon.


Ken.

[Cameraken]

Here are Some results.

The First slide is from my Minolta Scan Dual 2 at maximum resolution.
The Second is from the Chromega with a Canon D60 attached. (I used Highest Quality JPEG resolution)

The slide is old and dusty (typical of what you would expect from a slide over ten years old)

I know the files will be difficult to compare at 100KB so here are my thoughts on comparing the originals.

The Scan Dual file IS sharper but because of that all the dust and scratches are also sharper and stand out much more.
The Chromega file is softer, Almost like Neat Image has been applied I guess this comes from some built in noise reduction in the camera. This means the dust and scratches are virtually eliminated.

The file size is bigger from the ScanDual 3772 x 2502 compared to 3072 x 2048 using the D60. But this is minimal and they should both enlarge to a similar size.

But the real difference is speed.
The ScanDual takes almost 2 minutes to scan each slide (4 slides in holder) where as with the Chromega I can in less than 30 seconds (Slides Box to Box time inc cleaning)
This is a big difference and it will allow us to compete with even the lowest internet prices.

The other advantage of the Chromega is that it will scan slides up to 5 x 4

I am really pleased with our new purchase. It should pay for itself in no time. I have already got 300 slides to do with it for our first customer.

Pictures
1. Minolta ScanDual Max resolution Full Slide + Autolevels. Then reduces to 800 x 600
2. Chromega Max JPEG resolution Full Slide + Autolevels. Then reduces to 800 x 600
3. Minolta ScanDual Max resolution Zoomed In
4. Chromega + D60 Max JPEG resolution Zoomed In

The colours need a little tweak in both of them. I should be able to batch that, along with a little sharpening.


Ken.