Topic: Flatbed scanner/transparency adapter?

[Juliet]

I've been planning for some time to get a digital camera & colour printer so that I can process my own photos ... but before I start on that I have several thousand strips of negatives and quite a few negative-less prints which I'd like to scan onto the computer, so I'm looking for a flatbed scanner (ideally to take prints up to A4) with a really good quality transparency adapter.  Can anyone recommend any particular ones - or anything I should be looking out for (other than highest amount of dpi I can afford, obviously)? - or, conversely, anything I should avoid?  Many thanks,

Juliet

PS Questions about digital cameras & colour printers to follow when I get around to them, so please don't tell me about those in this thread (unless you think I should get an all in one scanner/printer), or I'll get confused  ::) - thanks.

[redimp]

Hewlett Packard make some good ones with transparency scanners built in: PCWorld

[Juliet]

Thanks Redclanger ... I'm afraid the link doesn't work  :( - but I have had a look at PCWorld.  Just trying to work out why I should buy one scanner rather than another, if you see what I mean!

[redimp]

Sorry about the link. >:(

[Garden Manager]

I too have loads of photos in slide format, which are bit of a faff veiwing. Would like to scan them in to the computer too.

I already have a scanner, but do you need to buy a special scanner or can you just get an adaptor for a normal scanner that will allow you to do this?

[Juliet]

Several of the scanners I've seen have a transparency adapter as an optional extra, so I'd guess you can buy them separately - might need to find one which is compatible with your scanner, though - perhaps it would be worth asking somewhere like a specialist camera or computer shop?

[moonbells]

It takes ages to do - bear this in mind!

I have an Epson with a slide adapter: it got excellent reviews and only cost £50. The only slides it has trouble with are some of my astrophotos which are mostly black. It's great fun and really easy to use - it will even scan several at a go - I have also scanned colour slides and finally turned them into prints.  I remember years ago it cost a quid a shot to get that done by a lab!

moonbells

[Garden Manager]

It takes ages to do - bear this in mind!

I have an Epson with a slide adapter: it got excellent reviews and only cost £50. The only slides it has trouble with are some of my astrophotos which are mostly black. It's great fun and really easy to use - it will even scan several at a go - I have also scanned colour slides and finally turned them into prints.  I remember years ago it cost a quid a shot to get that done by a lab!

moonbells

Any i deas where i could look for a suitable one moonbells? I have a Visioneer scanner. Thanks

[Juliet]

Hi Moonbells, thanks for the recommendation - could you possibly tell me which model Epson you have? - someone else recommended an Epson & I've been looking at their website - they make several different scanners with transparency adapters & I'm having trouble working out what is the difference between them!

[redimp]

Start here:
Visioneer Parts & Accessories

Second attempt at formatting links differently - let's hope this one works.

[Garden Manager]

Start here:
Visioneer Parts & Accessories

Second attempt at formatting links differently - let's hope this one works.

Sadly it appears they dont do adaptors for transparencies. Thanks anyway.

[Merry Tiller]

Transparency adapters fitted onto a flatbed do a very poor job compared to a proper transparency scanner, it's all down to the definition

[moonbells]

Transparency adapters fitted onto a flatbed do a very poor job compared to a proper transparency scanner, it's all down to the definition

True - depends on whether you have thousands of transparencies you want to scan, or if you have mostly prints/documents that you want scanning, with a few slides on top.

I can scan negatives which has allowed me to replace some damaged prints which went sepia.  They're not sharp enough to be as good as a directly printed original but better than not being able to see them at all.

moonbells

ps will have to look up exact model later as it's at home!

[Crash]

We have an Epson Stylus RX 500 this does negs even 120 film if you have anything old enough or different enough not to use 35mm. It is a bit of a faff but I had an enjoyable evening last night with my latest lot of snaps.(Some people on here don't think much of my photography!) If you've got a few mins you could look at my albums.www.lomohomes.com/crashndonna

[Carrie]

My husband has just bought an Epson Perfection 4990 photo - comes with attachments for negatives, slides, 5x4 transparencies - sings dances etc etc.

He is a professional artist so needs the best quality scans and he thinks this is the best one on the market - the software has an option to remove dust from the image - great if the negatives have been hanging around in less than ideal conditions.

No idea of the cost I'm afraid - he tends to keep me in the dark since I screeched in horror at the fact that he could spend £10 on a small paint brush!!

[Juliet]

Thanks, folks.  You've really got me dithering now, though  ???.

Merry Tiller - can you tell me any more about transparency scanners, & what I should be looking out for?  I'm not sure I can afford a proper transparency scanner AND a flatbed scanner for prints - but I might be able to if I combine the flatbed scanner with the colour printer I was going to buy later. 

Moonbells - sounds as though I may need the transparency scanner - dunno - I am definitely wanting to scan mostly negatives (at a wild guess, about 1,000 strips of negatives but only 100 prints) - partly because it's easier to take strips of negs out of packets than it is to take individual photos out of albums, & partly because sometimes the prints I got from the photo processing companies aren't quite right (eg for some reason my orange rose always comes out pink!).  And  I do want my scans to be as sharp as a directly printed original ...

Crash - must confess I am a bit of a camera club nerd - wanting photos which are sharp etc - but I do think your photos are fun & a bit more interesting than a lot I've seen!  Epson don't seem to make the Stylus RX 500 any more though, so can't add that to my list of ones to look at (that's one less thing to dither about, at least!).

Carrie - goodness, sounds wonderful, but not sure I can afford an all-singing all-dancing scanner!  I've just looked it up on Kelkoo ... would you rather I didn't tell you how much it cost?!  The dust-removing option sounds a good thing to look out for, though - will see if I can get that with whatever I do end up getting.

[Carrie]

Yes Juliet - better keep quiet - don't want to cause a marital tiff along the lines of " the kids need new shoes and you spent how much??!!! ;D