slide scanning service?

[meyerweb]

Good day, all.

I have a large collection of mounted 35mm transparencies, and would like to get a significant subset of them scanned. Price is an issue (not likely to pay for drum scans of hundreds of slides), but quality counts, too.

I can search the web and find any number of services, at a wide range of price points, but I'm hesitant to send off original, irreplaceable slides without better knowledge of the available options.

By the way, if this isn't the proper forum for this question, I apologize. This seems closer than any of the others. And yes, I did do a search before posting.

Many thanks,

Bob

[Chris_Brown]

I have a large collection of mounted 35mm transparencies, and would like to get a significant subset of them scanned. Price is an issue (not likely to pay for drum scans of hundreds of slides), but quality counts, too.
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I recommend you buy a scanner and do it yourself. This assures you of getting exactly what you want for your money, and assures your satisfaction.

If you don't want to scan your film, I suggest you scan all but the best at a lab that offers Kodak Photo CD scans. Have the best images drum scanned.

[Richowens]

Hello Bob,

I second Chris's suggestion. Scanning your own can be time consuming, but it can be very rewarding when you have it the way you want it. And....the slides are still within your possession.

Rich

PS...yes this is the correct forum.

[Lisa Nikodym]

Agreed that doing it yourself allows you to do it just the way you want.  However, scanning takes a considerable amount of time (I found in my case that it took about ten minutes per scan to get it right), and if you have more money than time, I'd pay someone else to do it.

If you decide to have someone else do it, Calypso Imaging is a thoroughly professional place that is used by many pro photogs in Northern California, but does a mail order business too.  Not cheap, but will always do a great job, and are happy to discuss any issues with you.  Their web site is http://www.calypsoinc.com/

Lisa

[framah]

Buy a Nikon Coolscan 5000 (firewire so it loads fast) and  the attachment to do batch scanning and get it over with. Once you set it up for batch scanning, you can do 50 at a time and go do something else while it is working. It scans and sends it to where ever you tell it to and you are free to work them at a later date. You just need them scanned in for now. Forget the idea of 10 minutes per scan.  You do not need to do any adjustments on the image in the scanner, that can be done later.

I have scanned in a couple of hundred scans and was working in my store at the same time.

Once you are done, if you want, you can always resell the scanner and get most of your money back. But you should keep it!!

[feppe]

I've used ImageryLab to scan both 35mm and 6x6 Velvia and Provia slides. Results with 48-bit service were very good with Velvia, not so much with 24-bit. Quick turn-around, excellent service.

http://www.imagerylab.com/

[meyerweb]

Hey guys, thanks for the suggestions.  And sorry I didn't thank you sooner.

Shortly after my request, I had spinal surgery, and the whole slide scanning thing sort of fell off the back burner. I'll check out those services, and also compare the cost of the Coolscan.

Bob

[luong]

The Calypso service already mentioned is the best deal I have seen in the US. The Imacon 949  that they use for batch scanning is superior to the Nikon scanners and the Kodak scanners.