P
Peter D
I have a collection of about 3000 slides. Most (Kodak Ektachrome) are still
looking great even though they are 20-30 years old. Some (cheap, no-name
slide film) are gone forever. I want to make digital copies to 'freeze' the
ones that are fine now rather than risk their loss. The slides are in a
variety of mounts -- thin glass, cardboard, and plastic.
I also have thousands of negative I want to scan. I want to create archival
quality copies of everything and then deal with editing and creating lower
res versions to share with family or for printing later. I want to automate
the process as much as possible. Storage space is not an issue. I'm very
familiar with data backup and storage. So no help is required in that area.
Do slides in glass mounts have to be scanned differently than the ones in
plastic/cardboard mounts (nothing in front of the film)?
Currently I have an HP Scanjet 4070 - 48 bit, 2400x2400 dpi Optical res, and
a slide/negative TMA that can do 4 at a time. I want to replace it with a
better flatbed+TMA or Slide Scanner. here's my options:
1) HP G4010. 96 bit, 6-colour. Optiical res 4800 x 4800. "Hardware Scanning
Resolution" 4800 x 9600 -- it's different than "interpolated", but I don't
know if the 9600 is a true resolution. I also don't know if beyond 4800
matters anyway. Scan five slides or 6 negatives at once. On sale for $120
(non-sale price $190). Can anyone comment on this scanner, it's specs, and
suitability to task. I realize it's not automated, but other than that, any
thoughts?
2) HP G4050. Same specs as above, but HP also mentions "faded colour
restoration, dust and scratch removal". It can scan 16 slides or 30
negatives at once. $180 at most places. This is my first choice if I can't
find a 4010 on sale before 11th (when sale ends).
As for Slide Scanners, tigerdirect.ca has a few.
- OpticFilm 7200 $232 - 48-bit, 7200 x 7200, and does 4 slides or 6
negatives at a time. Comes with Silverfast software. Reviews are great - 5/5
for all categories.
- Plustek 7200i is $366 and seems to be the same as the 7200, but they
mention "SilverFast 6 SE iSRD" for the software (they just say "SilverFast"
for above model)
- Alestron Prime Film 3650u. $330. It says 3600 dpi and "incorporates
DIGITAL ICE technology" and doesn't seem to have any kind of tray so it's
one slide or a film strip (possible manual feed) at a time.
At the moment I'm really leaning towards the G4050 for value and features,
but if I'm understanding correctly the slide scanners use red/white LEDs and
the SilverFast or Digital ICe technology to automatically restore colour and
remove dust and scratches. The HP doesn't. Does it matter?
looking great even though they are 20-30 years old. Some (cheap, no-name
slide film) are gone forever. I want to make digital copies to 'freeze' the
ones that are fine now rather than risk their loss. The slides are in a
variety of mounts -- thin glass, cardboard, and plastic.
I also have thousands of negative I want to scan. I want to create archival
quality copies of everything and then deal with editing and creating lower
res versions to share with family or for printing later. I want to automate
the process as much as possible. Storage space is not an issue. I'm very
familiar with data backup and storage. So no help is required in that area.
Do slides in glass mounts have to be scanned differently than the ones in
plastic/cardboard mounts (nothing in front of the film)?
Currently I have an HP Scanjet 4070 - 48 bit, 2400x2400 dpi Optical res, and
a slide/negative TMA that can do 4 at a time. I want to replace it with a
better flatbed+TMA or Slide Scanner. here's my options:
1) HP G4010. 96 bit, 6-colour. Optiical res 4800 x 4800. "Hardware Scanning
Resolution" 4800 x 9600 -- it's different than "interpolated", but I don't
know if the 9600 is a true resolution. I also don't know if beyond 4800
matters anyway. Scan five slides or 6 negatives at once. On sale for $120
(non-sale price $190). Can anyone comment on this scanner, it's specs, and
suitability to task. I realize it's not automated, but other than that, any
thoughts?
2) HP G4050. Same specs as above, but HP also mentions "faded colour
restoration, dust and scratch removal". It can scan 16 slides or 30
negatives at once. $180 at most places. This is my first choice if I can't
find a 4010 on sale before 11th (when sale ends).
As for Slide Scanners, tigerdirect.ca has a few.
- OpticFilm 7200 $232 - 48-bit, 7200 x 7200, and does 4 slides or 6
negatives at a time. Comes with Silverfast software. Reviews are great - 5/5
for all categories.
- Plustek 7200i is $366 and seems to be the same as the 7200, but they
mention "SilverFast 6 SE iSRD" for the software (they just say "SilverFast"
for above model)
- Alestron Prime Film 3650u. $330. It says 3600 dpi and "incorporates
DIGITAL ICE technology" and doesn't seem to have any kind of tray so it's
one slide or a film strip (possible manual feed) at a time.
At the moment I'm really leaning towards the G4050 for value and features,
but if I'm understanding correctly the slide scanners use red/white LEDs and
the SilverFast or Digital ICe technology to automatically restore colour and
remove dust and scratches. The HP doesn't. Does it matter?