slide scanning, DIY or send it out, and if so, where?

[Eric Brody]

A close friend wants to scan her collection of many 35mm slides, mostly family images, eg uncle Jack's trip to Easter Island in the 1940's.
Either way, she knows she's going to have to look at them first.
She can get a simple scanner, suggestions? or send them out. Does anyone here have experience with a service, preferably local (eg USA) for slide scanning?
Thanks for any responses.

[cunningIMG]

I have a dedicated 35mm scanner, a Nikon CoolScan IV, and can scan slides or negatives. For bulk/large orders I offer reduced pricing. I am located in Chicago. Please contact me if you you/your friend needs scanning services. mail@loupeprint.com | www.loupeprint.com

[BobShaw]

If they are just happy snaps then this is an easy method and then you can pick the ones where you want to pay for a better option.
You set up the projector and camera on a tripod side by side and with two remotes, one in each hand, and you just advance and shoot.
I did over a thousand slides in three nights.

[saiguy]

Of the very limited offerings for new scanners it looks like the Plustek Opticfilm 8200ai is a good choice. It was 1000 USD when it came out a few years ago and seems to be selling at half that price. It has all the important features needed for good scans. It's bundled with SilverFast 8 and comes with an IT8 target. Other film type targets are available at SilverFast including a resolution target to determine the actual resolving capability of a scanner. I would question their claim of 7200ppi and test it. Also the SF software sells for about the same price as the scanner. So a good scanner, the best software, and a great price.

Here is a link to view that scanner and can be ordered form them.  https://www.helixcamera.com/collections/scanners/products/plustek-opticfilm-8200iai-7200dpi-film-and-slide-scanner-pls-783064365338

You say many slides. If it is a thousand or more consider up grading to SF 8 Archive Studio. I did that some years ago for $50. Then you batch scan in the HDR mode and develop them later in the HDR sister app. If it ships with only one slide tray order a second one, if possible, then you can be numbering, cleaning and preparing while the first one is running.

If you learn the art of scanning you can do a much better job than any of those services. IMHO

[HarveyM43]

Another option instead of scanning is to copy them with a camera/macro setup. Youtube has a bunch of videos on the subject.

[Peter McLennan]

I did over a thousand slides in three nights.

That is impressive productivity.  Scanning is laborious, boring and slow.  It took me months to do half that volume.

Given the low resolution of old 35mm originals, copying with a camera, either by screen projection or with a macro lens might be a far more practical, "good enough" approach.

A simple test will establish the viability of the camera vs scanner approach for this project.