[MacDV] Re: Film Scanners

[Scott Baldwin]

> 4. Use a digital camera: Project each slide onto a movie screen or 
> transfer box, and use a 4 megapixel digital camera to snap off each 
> picture.  This would probably take 3-5 seconds per picture (assuming 
> the digital camera could store things off that quickly), and would be 
> high enough resolution for most things.  I need to experiment to see 
> how the quality compares with a slide scanner.
>
> Does anyone have a digital camera and a slide scanner and a slide 
> projector to see how the same slide would compare those different > 
> ways?


Randy,

I have about 1000 slides that  I am  halfway through scanning.

I started with a digital camera and projected slides.  I used a Canon 
S30 on a tripod and projected the slides and photographed them.  I was 
happy with this method, it can go very fast, 5  secs a slide once you 
get the hang of it.  I have a very good quality projector which can 
change slides very fast, so this helped.   I used the highest quality 
setting on the camera.  ( 3 megapixel ).

It worked best if the  slide was not projected very large, say about an 
10 x 12 size.  I placed the camera as close as possible to the screen, 
( you need a digital camera with a good macro feature for this).  Also 
try to use the smoothest whitest surface you can find to project onto.  
A typical home projection screen has a sort of rough surface, which was 
visible in the close up photos.  ( I considered spray painting some 
smooth surface with high gloss white enamel spray paint, to use as a 
"projection screen", but never got around to it.)

By necessity the camera is off to the side of the projected image, so 
there will always be a slight slant in the resulting photos.  In 98% of 
the pictures this was not noticeable.

As I said I was satisfied with the results, but then I tried scanning 
with the 2450 and I felt that there was no comparison.  The  images 
scanned  at 600 dpi were much better, even to my unprofessional eye.  
The color and detail were clearly better.  The S30 is an excellent 
camera, so I do not feel that it was the fault of the camera.

  Also I found that I had to do more tweaking in photoshop with the 
projected images than with the scanned images.

If someone know of a better method, I'd love to hear about it.

So I am scanning away.  It is slow with the 2450, but I read a lot, so 
I just get my book and sit with a pile of slides and while away the 
hours.  Some day I'll have a life........

Cheers

Scott