Digitizing Slide & Negative Strip Advice

[EricBowles]

A lot of good comments here. Just a few more tips that may help.

Take the time to truly assess which negatives and slides you are going to scan. Be just as selective as you are deciding which digital images to edit. You're going to need 5 minutes or so per negative before editing, so make sure the image is worth the time to scan.

ScanCafe and similar sources are cheap and effective for snapshot size images. If you want anything larger, you'll need a higher resolution scan so it takes more time and becomes more expensive. As above, decide what you really need.

Most old negatives from inexpensive compact cameras are going to be of low quality compared to today's digital file or even a smartphone. Don't expect to make large enlargements from old negatives and slides. An 8x10 is probably going to be the limit.

Expect to spend an unreasonable time removing dust and cleaning negatives before scanning. It's a lot easier to have the proper materials and removing dust before scanning than cloning out dust later.

Editing is complicated by the time to fix dust and scratches. If you use Lightroom, you probably want this plugin. It is helpful for sliders and controls, and will speed up the editing process.

Negative Lab Pro

A brilliant Lightroom plugin for color negativ film conversion. All-Raw, non-destructive workflow. Download a FREE trial now.

www.negativelabpro.com

 

[Aus G]

I have a 35 year collection of slides and negative strips I wish to convert to digital. I’ve delayed climbing this mountain of work because I’m uncertain of firstly, best method and secondly, shortening the time consuming work involved. I’m considering using my D800 and purchasing the Nikon ES-2 and FH-4 Adapter Set. Can I use my Nikon 24-70 2.8 lens set at 60mm rather than purchasing the 60mm fixed lens? Is there a better solution? I prefer a digital image so I can correct color etc. However, this method that Nikon has on their website will be slow and tedious? I welcome this forums input over all others out there in web land. Thanks. Glen

I've copied a thousands of slides and negatives, mostly family stuff. I've used Epson V series flat bed scanners, and Plustek neg scanners using Epson software and Vuescan software. the resulsts have been very satisfactory but not brilliant. The images produced are quite useable and its amazing how the colour and tonality can be preserved and often improved. Even very good negatives, however, do not seem to reproduce with same degree of sharpness. Unless you have taken exceptional care with storing the negatives be prepared for a lot of post processing in photoshop -fixing spots and scratches. Watch for RSI symptoms if you have a lot to do - give your mouse hand frequent rests. Lately I've been copying 6 x 6 6 and 6 x 4.5 negatives with my D850 with a 105 micro using an old enalarger neg holder a lightbox and a copy stand (a reversed column tripod would work as well). The results are quite satisfactory and much quicker than the scanners. A similar set up with a 60 mm micro would work for 35 mm slides and negs. I haven't tried the 105 for 35 mm- perhaps with small extension ring. A 50mm prime with an extensions ring might be very inexpensive alternative - second hand manual focus or even a 50mm 1.8 D. I convert negatives to positives with Negative lab Pro (a lightroom plugin). It is quick and gives an excellent result. Don't be put off by the task just (..........insert appropriate cliche here).

 

[Glen]

A lot of good comments here. Just a few more tips that may help.

Take the time to truly assess which negatives and slides you are going to scan. Be just as selective as you are deciding which digital images to edit. You're going to need 5 minutes or so per negative before editing, so make sure the image is worth the time to scan.

ScanCafe and similar sources are cheap and effective for snapshot size images. If you want anything larger, you'll need a higher resolution scan so it takes more time and becomes more expensive. As above, decide what you really need.

Most old negatives from inexpensive compact cameras are going to be of low quality compared to today's digital file or even a smartphone. Don't expect to make large enlargements from old negatives and slides. An 8x10 is probably going to be the limit.

Expect to spend an unreasonable time removing dust and cleaning negatives before scanning. It's a lot easier to have the proper materials and removing dust before scanning than cloning out dust later.

Editing is complicated by the time to fix dust and scratches. If you use Lightroom, you probably want this plugin. It is helpful for sliders and controls, and will speed up the editing process.

Negative Lab Pro

A brilliant Lightroom plugin for color negativ film conversion. All-Raw, non-destructive workflow. Download a FREE trial now.

www.negativelabpro.com

Hi Eric. Thanks for the informative tips. Yes very helpful. I also looked at the plug-in link you kindly provided as I now do use Lightroom (I’m a recent Aperture convert). The negative lab pro video explaining it’s usage with Lightroom is the missing ingredient I was looking for. Again, thanks for your posting. Glen

 

[Glen]

Update Slide Conversion Setup Topic.
I made a Small Rig Coldshoe setup I configured for portability. Don't like stuck at desk. All parts from Amazon.ca Total $150 CAN$. Weight (about two eggs).
(Only need one, comes two pack) SMALLRIG 8 Inches (20 cm) Black Aluminum Alloy 15mm Rod with M12 Female Thread, Pack of 2 – 1051
(Two) CAMVATE M12 Male to 1/4" Female Screw Adapter for 15mm Rod Plug(2 Pieces)
SMALLRIG Camera Monitor Mount Lite with Cold Shoe, Swivel 360° and Tilt 180° Holder for Field Monitor, LED, Flash and Video Shooting Photography Accessories, Max Load Capacity of 90° Tilt 3.2kg - 3809
VIJIM VL100C Bi-Color LED Video Light on Camera,Mini Rechargeable 2000mAh LED Camera Lights,CRI95+ Dimmable 2500-6500K Ultra Bright Photo and Video Lighting,LED Fill Lamp…
LrC Colorchecker profile (X-Rite) made with D850/60mm Mico and VIJIM Led set to max bright/daylight. Import all slides with Preset for this profile. VIJIM can be used plugged in also. Setup aligns light perfectly with Nikon ES-2 in both length and horizontal drop.

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[calcal]

I’ve been doing this one and off for a while now with a Nikon Z7, 60 f/2.8 micros and ES-2 kit. I’ve done close to 2000, 35mm slides and negatives that were my parents. I’m still working on the other formats and I think the count will be around 3500 when it’s done. Once you get a workflow going, the ES2 it works very well and you can’t beat the high resolution of a DSLR or MILC. I’ve cleaned some up in Lightroom and Photoshop and they hold together well. I tethered the Z7 to Lightroom and for negatives used a - to + preset that was applied during import.

I thought about using a service but didn’t want to risk giving up these slides and negatives dating back to the 1930s. These slides and negatives are really the only visual memories I have of my parents, grand parents and other family. What I found is I didn’t even notice the time passing. There were a lot of smiles and a few tears as these photos came across my screen, and in some way, doing this, even though they’ve been gone for a while, gave me some peace with their passings. I guess, depending on what your slides and negatives are, sometimes the time is really worth it.

I purchased the 60 f/2.8 (which is quite a great lens) and the ES-2 kit but I have not got around to doing any of my old negatives yet. I picked the lens up used and tried it for macro photos of flowers and for some portraits and was delighted by how light and sharp it is. I plan to use it with my D850 or Z7II when I can find the time. Can you tell me what 'a - to + preset you referenced is?

 

[calcal]

Update Slide Conversion Setup Topic.
I made a Small Rig Coldshoe setup I configured for portability. Don't like stuck at desk. All parts from Amazon.ca Total $150 CAN$. Weight (about two eggs).
(Only need one, comes two pack) SMALLRIG 8 Inches (20 cm) Black Aluminum Alloy 15mm Rod with M12 Female Thread, Pack of 2 – 1051
(Two) CAMVATE M12 Male to 1/4" Female Screw Adapter for 15mm Rod Plug(2 Pieces)
SMALLRIG Camera Monitor Mount Lite with Cold Shoe, Swivel 360° and Tilt 180° Holder for Field Monitor, LED, Flash and Video Shooting Photography Accessories, Max Load Capacity of 90° Tilt 3.2kg - 3809
VIJIM VL100C Bi-Color LED Video Light on Camera,Mini Rechargeable 2000mAh LED Camera Lights,CRI95+ Dimmable 2500-6500K Ultra Bright Photo and Video Lighting,LED Fill Lamp…
LrC Colorchecker profile (X-Rite) made with D850/60mm Mico and VIJIM Led set to max bright/daylight. Import all slides with Preset for this profile. VIJIM can be used plugged in also. Setup aligns light perfectly with Nikon ES-2 in both length and horizontal drop.

View attachment 54807View attachment 54808View attachment 54809View attachment 54810

Thank you for sharing your set-up. I'm going to have to take a deep breath and get started with my negatives. What camera setting did you use and any other tips?

 

[Aus G]

I've copied a thousands of slides and negatives, mostly family stuff. I've used Epson V series flat bed scanners, and Plustek neg scanners using Epson software and Vuescan software. the resulsts have been very satisfactory but not brilliant. The images produced are quite useable and its amazing how the colour and tonality can be preserved and often improved. Even very good negatives, however, do not seem to reproduce with same degree of sharpness. Unless you have taken exceptional care with storing the negatives be prepared for a lot of post processing in photoshop -fixing spots and scratches. Watch for RSI symptoms if you have a lot to do - give your mouse hand frequent rests. Lately I've been copying 6 x 6 6 and 6 x 4.5 negatives with my D850 with a 105 micro using an old enalarger neg holder a lightbox and a copy stand (a reversed column tripod would work as well). The results are quite satisfactory and much quicker than the scanners. A similar set up with a 60 mm micro would work for 35 mm slides and negs. I haven't tried the 105 for 35 mm- perhaps with small extension ring. A 50mm prime with an extensions ring might be very inexpensive alternative - second hand manual focus or even a 50mm 1.8 D. I convert negatives to positives with Negative lab Pro (a lightroom plugin). It is quick and gives an excellent result. Don't be put off by the task just (..........insert appropriate cliche here).

I get good results with a Plustek neg scanner and scanner and Vue scan software. If your home geography co-operates a trick is to leave it set up and push a scan through every time you pass by. I have also had good results with a D850, 105 macro lens, an old enlarger neg holder (or a scanner neg holder), a copy stand (or reversed tripod) and a cheap led lightbox. You can do a lot of negatives in a hurry. I make a lightroom catalogue wth the negative images and then use Negative Lab Pro (a lightroom plugin) to convert the images to positives. Negative lab pro is is expensive but very easy to use, works brilliantly with black and white negatives, and, so far, updates for free.

I have a 35 year collection of slides and negative strips I wish to convert to digital. I’ve delayed climbing this mountain of work because I’m uncertain of firstly, best method and secondly, shortening the time consuming work involved. I’m considering using my D800 and purchasing the Nikon ES-2 and FH-4 Adapter Set. Can I use my Nikon 24-70 2.8 lens set at 60mm rather than purchasing the 60mm fixed lens? Is there a better solution? I prefer a digital image so I can correct color etc. However, this method that Nikon has on their website will be slow and tedious? I welcome this forums input over all others out there in web land. Thanks. Glen

 

[Glen]

Thank you for sharing your set-up. I'm going to have to take a deep breath and get started with my negatives. What camera setting did you use and any other tips?

Nikon D850. "Deep breath relief" I understand. If not fun for me...forget it. Locking light source to lens was key for me. Bump either the camera or light source in a table top setup I viewed as PITA. May work for some but not me. Thus a Coldshoe top setup gave option to still use tripod mount OR sit with camera/rig in my lap while reclining in lay z boy with higher shutter speed. (admit sometimes sipping a Buffalo Trace). Adage crap in is crap out so not all old slides make the grade. But having said this, some slides I'm converting I was not the photographer. Lack of good focus technique shows up but for the sake of historical capture I keep it (great grampa etc). Tips: Use power of software to your advantage. Create a LrC camera profile for slide work. I used X-Rite colorchecker to ensure shots taken with this 'led light' as the light source are 'color accurate' and with that created a Preset: D850 X-Rite Slides VIJIM Led. Import from D850 camera card with this preset minimizes the LrC 'Develop' corrections. I ensure my LrC library is clean, it only stores negatives, both RAW and DNG (created Dng's using camera profiles). Exports (usually Jpegs) from LrC are kept on the HD in Picture folder. I copy the slide RAW Nef files from the camera disk to a portable backup drive stored in folders by year correlating to the date marked on slides. I back up my MacPro regularly using Carbon Copy Cloner. Thus my LrC is always backed up. Hopefully helps ease "deep breath" for you.

 

[TonyB]

Can you tell me what 'a - to + preset you referenced is?

A preset to convert a negative to a positive. If you are photographing film, you are photographing the reverse (negative) and need to change it to positive. In the simplest form, reverse the tone curve diagonal line from lower left to upper right to upper left to lower left.

 

[VinnyH]

I use an Epson Perfection V600 Photo Scanner which has an optional setup and guide for slides and negatives. I've digitized my older baseball slides. I don't expect them to be tack sharp like an expensive drum scan but it works for me. I've printed many color images up to 13x19 with good success.
I'm not the sharpest guy myself (pun intended) but here are my basic 3200dpi settings, and an example of how big a 12,800 scan ends up. The 3200 image takes about 45 seconds and is 2.2mb while the 12,800 image took about 2.5 minutes.
Best Always,
Vinny

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[Maljo]

Step 1. Whittle your slide collection down to only your very best.

 

[calcal]

Nikon D850. "Deep breath relief" I understand. If not fun for me...forget it. Locking light source to lens was key for me. Bump either the camera or light source in a table top setup I viewed as PITA. May work for some but not me. Thus a Coldshoe top setup gave option to still use tripod mount OR sit with camera/rig in my lap while reclining in lay z boy with higher shutter speed. (admit sometimes sipping a Buffalo Trace). Adage crap in is crap out so not all old slides make the grade. But having said this, some slides I'm converting I was not the photographer. Lack of good focus technique shows up but for the sake of historical capture I keep it (great grampa etc). Tips: Use power of software to your advantage. Create a LrC camera profile for slide work. I used X-Rite colorchecker to ensure shots taken with this 'led light' as the light source are 'color accurate' and with that created a Preset: D850 X-Rite Slides VIJIM Led. Import from D850 camera card with this preset minimizes the LrC 'Develop' corrections. I ensure my LrC library is clean, it only stores negatives, both RAW and DNG (created Dng's using camera profiles). Exports (usually Jpegs) from LrC are kept on the HD in Picture folder. I copy the slide RAW Nef files from the camera disk to a portable backup drive stored in folders by year correlating to the date marked on slides. I back up my MacPro regularly using Carbon Copy Cloner. Thus my LrC is always backed up. Hopefully helps ease "deep breath" for you.

Thank you, I will be doing only negatives focusing mainly on the first couple of years for my first two kids before I started shooting digital. I was lucky that my brother who is a retired Navy Photographer had time scan our Dad's slides from when we were kids. He did a great job using a scanner.

 

[Glen]

If your doing just negatives and don't want Raw file the KODAK SLIDE N SCAN Film and Slide Scanner with Large 5” LCD Screen good option for jpegs. I want slide Raw file for sorted best color accurate. The scanner is good for culling/selecting best.

 

[Larry Shuman]

In 2010 I scaned 3,517 images that I had. It was B&W, color negs and slides. I used my Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 and my Epson Perfection V700 Photo scanner. It took me about a year do all the work. I put it all on a 2TB Drive and then I coped all to another 2TB.