I'm considering getting a scanner. I'd like to scan old photographs as well
as 35mm slides. Here's some questions:
1. Can I get a flat bed scanner that will do OK with 35mm slides, or do I
really need a dedicated slide scanner?
2. Digital Ice looks cool. Does it really work well?
3. How good a scanner do I need for slides, if I want to print them out at
5X7? How about for 8X10?
4. The Epson Perfection 3200 looked interesting (3200x6400, 48 bit). But
then I saw the Microtec 6800 with Digital Ice (4800x2400, 48 bit). Is it
reasonable to think that Digital Ice will become more common in flatbed
scanners, and that I should wait a while for a high resolution flat bedwith
digital ice, or will the Microtec 6800 do a decent job for what I want?

Thanks,
Larry

Larry Fieman wrote:
Depends on what you mean by ok. If you just want to look at them on
screen and print out 5x7s and you are going to save them as jpgs then
the epson 3200 should be just fine. If you plan to do mostly 8x10s or
larger, then i would get a film scanner.

Yes, except for silver based slides (kodachrome, traditional B&W). With
KC some slides will be fine others horrible. Look at
www.appliedsciencefiction.com for details. Nikon has an example in their
tech support page of what can go wrong.My own experience with KC have
been very good. Others swear at it. It will soften the image slightly.
It is very very slow on the flatbeds currently as it takes two separate
passes and the object must not move. There is a new epson flatbed that
may address some of the issues. There are several pure software dust
reducers available - google this newgroup. Good humidity, an antistatic
brush, will usually take care of most of the issues though.

8x10 is about an 8x enlargement. For printing you need about 300 ppi so
a 2700 PPI scanner would do it. The real issue is what the actual
optical resolving power of the scanner is and that is what drives people
to dedicated film scanners. That and the film scanners usually have
better capability to see into the darkest portions of the slide and
extract detail.

Personally, i would wait for the second generation of flatbeds
implementing ICE if you want that feature. Most all of the reasonably
priced flatbeds are very well marketed, IMHO.


Frank

On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 01:41:30 GMT, degrub <degrub@nospamflash.net>
wrote:

negatives with impressive results. I'm not very clear about the
effects of digital ice on a scan, but I thought it only worked on
prints, not negs or slides. If the $100 rebate is still in effect,
the 3200 is a great deal. Here is a site that has a very
comprehensive review of the 3200: http://www.photo-i.co.uk/
Good luck...

"Larry Fieman" <fieman@comcast.net> wrote:
The Epson Perfection 3200 is a much better scanner than the
Microtek 6800. Also, the 6800 uses misleading marketing when it says
it has Digital ICE - it actually doesn't have a separate infrared
lamp for removing dust on slides, but instead uses two lamps
to illuminate reflective material and find the dust spots from
the shadows they throw.

Regards,
Ed Hamrick

<snip>
I'm considering getting a scanner....

Thanks to all. I ordered the Epson Perf3200. Epson is offering a $100
rebate, so it was quite reasonable at $269 (after rebate) delivered.

I own the Epson 3200 and it is an outstanding scanner but it may not
be what you are looking for. There are other scanners out there that
you should investigate as well as other interesting options.
First we've determined you want to scan both prints and film. That
said then a flat bed may be your best starting point.
The Epson 3200 is a top of the line flat bed scanner. It also
commands a top of the line price however I understand it is on the
heals of being replaced with a new Epson model. For that reason Epson
is offering a $100 cash rebate. It now sells for around $350 so with
rebate it should cost you about $250.
The competitor is the Canon 9900f. This has much of the same specs as
the Epson but also includes FARE 2.0 (Film Automatic Retouching and
Enhancement, available when using 3,200 or lower dpi). This is
Canon's own version of Digital Ice and it is said to work with both
prints and color film. Cost is about $350.
If you want to compare the two to and read this
http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/int...s/overview.htm

Alternatively you could buy both a flat bed scanner and a film scanner
for close to the same price as the two listed above by shopping around
on Ebay. I just purchased a Minolta Scan Elite 2900 for $170. It's
an older model that scans 2800dpi, has Digital Ice, and is SCSI (card
included in price). You can also find Nikon film scanners with
Digital ice for around the same price and specs.

Alternatively you could also price out a less costly flat bed scanner
to start you off. A good choice would be the Epson 1670, 2400, or
3170. For prints alone the dpi on either of these scanners should be
fine and for film I would think the 2400 or 3170 would be fine for a
starter system. I also see the Canon 5000 on Ebay for around $100.
This comes with FARE 1.0. Buy any of these used or refurbished, save
the money, have a lot of fun finding out what you really want to do
and then take the savings either buy yourself a film scanner or the
latest model a year down the road.

I've given you a lot to think about.


"Larry Fieman" <fieman@comcast.net> wrote in message news:<I6PBb.358682$275.1171018@attbi_s53>...