THE Fastest Way To Scan Slides - On1 DSLRRemote

With this setup involving a home-made slide/camera/flash holding jig, a computer with wi-fi, an iPod touch, a iPod/iPhone app called DSLRRemote and a computer program called DLSRRemote Server... I can copy slides to RAW format as fast as I can plop them in the holder, and take them out again. I copied 600 slides while watching Aliens on TV.

The copies are sharper than from my transparency scanner, and the files are at least 16-bit (being RAW files), and 10 megapixels. The camera is tethered to the computer with a USB cable, and doesn't write files to its internal memory card, so the batteries last forever. The flash is set to 1/32 of full power, so its batteries too last for a long time.

I do this in relative darkness so dust on the slide isn't illuminated from the front (which would make dust spots show up as white). Instead dust is backlit which makes it show up as dark spots which are easier to hide or ignore. A guard in front of the flash prevents light from illuminating the whole room when it fires.

The process is a lot faster than in the video when I have two hands to do the work.

see the rig at http://www.flickr.com/photos/omegaman/3771331088/

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• slide
• copy
• rig
• DIY
• homemade
• camera
• copier
• slides
• macro

[magicfryer]

A good scanner will run circles around this. I guess it's ok for low res web use.

[dsawatzky]

@magicfryer the key word is a GOOD scanner. There's no doubt a good scanner can do better. It will be much slower though, and unless it's a fluid scanner, the results will be marginally better. The results speak for themselves. I have 10 MP RAW files of each slide that are almost indistinguishable from the originals and maybe even better, because they are corrected in Lightroom. I have Epson and HP slide scanners, and they don't come close to this.

[theogoossen]

Hi Daryl,

Sounds interesting. Still way too technical for me. I've got 1000's of slides that someday I would like to turn into digital ones. Is your method better than using one of those slide & film digital scanners? Katherine McCallum (formerly Baerg) has done that with all of her slides.

[dsawatzky]

You don't need the computer and the iPod Touch... that just streamlines the process. I get better results using the camera than I do with my flatbed transparency scanner. The pictures are sharper, have better color depth, and contrast (less of it). Because they are stored in the camera as RAW files I have Lots of room to maneuver when color correcting the photos. And it's FAST! I did my whole summer in Europe in less than an hour.

[adigitalshoebox]

Awesome setup! Take a look at the scanner I built around the same concept, it manages 36 scans per minute v=-7SN4F9IbC8

[johnxnyc]

Your video is dark and i can`t see so i`ll ask...what are you using to back light slides.i have a scanner and used a canon point and shoot and got better results with the camera. going to get a dslr in next few weeks, and have a slr macro lens that goes 1:1 so can shoot full frame on a tripod just looking for illumination ideas. did you use a slide light box or are you using the flash somehow. i have 35 years of slides to convert so want a fast and good way...thanks

[theogoossen]

OK - thanks - I don't have an Ipod touch nor flatbed transparency scanner. Maybe someday!