Slide scanners

[Kimby]

As my posting on Image Bank threads increases, I become very aware of the fact that many of my good images are from the pre-digital days. I would like to get a slide scanner, but would love to ask Any Porters who have used them for their opinions.

In an ideal world, there would be one with a stack-loader that could process multiple images without continual close supervision. I have heard of flatbed scanners with slide copying capability that can take up to 8 slides. (Is that the most possible at this time?) I've also heard of many that do one at a time and require constant manipulation.

Which models have you used and what did you like or dislike about them?

Thanks for any advice you have.

[Deleted]

I bought a slide scanner online, after hunting around. The brand that I got was VistaQuest, made in China, but received a manual only in German (even though I ordered from a French site).

It works quite well and can also scan and reverse negatives and also scan regular 8 or super 8 film frames. However, it only loads 4 slides at a time in a horizontal plastic frame that you slide into place yourself for each photo.

On the down side --

1. The results are darker than one would want, but photo correction software fixes most of the problems.

2. I just can't get all of the dust and lint off the slides, no matter how hard I try. Anything with a lot of bright sky is an absolute horror. All I can do is blur out the blemishes with photo correction software.


Those machines in photo labs must have fantastic blowers or vacuums!

[Kimby]

Thanks, K2. How much should I expect to pay for such a slide scanner?

Does anyone else have a slide scanner - or lust after a particular one - that they'd like to tell us about?

[Deleted]

I recall paying something like $80 but all of that sort of equipment is always much cheaper in the United States.

[tod2]

Maybe a hairdryer would work blowing the lint and dust away ( on COOL of course) or one of those 'magnetic' house-dusters they sell in the supermarket - recognisable by the bright circular colours! Maybe...just maybe
I take it that you have already tried that special 'paintbrush' I see my husband using to clean his camera lense?

[Deleted]

Yes. Not good enough!

[Kimby]

Any new input on which slide scanners are a good value and easy to work with and produce good quality images?

Santa did not bring me a scanner, so apparently I'm on my own to figure out which one to get.

The ability to queue up a bunch of slides to scan at one time would be a plus, as someday I will have my parents' 30,000 slides to deal with.

[Deleted]

Don't remind me of the 10 million slides I still need to scan.

[Kimby]

Almost a year later, still haven't found the right slide scanner. Anyone have one they like that does more than one at a time? Or that has a stack loader that can feed slides to be scanned?

[Deleted]

Oh, so you want the $800 model instead of the $80 model!

[Kimby]

No I want last year's $800 model for $80!