Photo slides to digital -- how do we do it?

cruzanheart

I have thousands of slides from my life, courtesy of Dad (who was a camera junkie like me). I'd like to convert them to digital format because some of them -- since I'm so OLD -- are degenerating (kind of like me).

Do any of you smart techie-type people know how to do that? I don't have the money to spend to take them to my nearest camera shop, and I'd like to find out what the process is so I can do it myself (or Big Tex can).

Thanks!

Nina

Twitch

I have an Epson Perfection 1260 scanner that has a "adapter" for scanning 35mm slides. It's essentially just a bracket that sits on the scanner bed and has a built in light to backlight the slides. Works ok but the resolution of the scanner is key considering the small area that is to be scanned.

Google scanners with 35mm slide adapters

Lady Lee

I have an HP4470c scanner and it came with the adapter.

Like twitch said it is a bracket that fits on top of the flatbed scanner (open lid).

You adjust the settings on the scanner for slides or negatives and increase the dpi settings

Scully

I could get one of those adapters, but rather than just scan all of them indiscriminately, I probably would go through and pick out the best ones (for sentimentality, quality, etc.) and just take them in to be converted professionally.

It might be fun for the family too. Hang a white sheet up on the wall, fire up the slide projector, and sit up with some popcorn and look at slides like we used to do 20 years ago. That's something Jennie and Jackson might not get to do otherwise.

cruzanheart

Thanks for the helpful suggestions! Scully, we sat down one weekend to do just that . . . and discovered that the old slide projector's bulb was burned out. Haven't been able to find a replacement (it's an OLD slide projector). Plus, I have a lot of very old slides that are too big for the slide projector -- they fit into the ANTIQUE slide projector that nobody on this earth has parts for anymore, and it doesn't work. See, I told you I was old!

Nina

zeroday

After my father died we gathered all of his slides, 2500 in all and took them down to Walmart and they transfered them to photo CD. Also he had about 50 reels of 8mm movie pictures we had transfered to DVD's. Definately worth the memories. Very easy to copy and give to all the family.

cruzanheart

I got the home movies converted to DVD -- you should see some of the shots of Hawaii in 1955! (That's the year I was born, Navy brat that I am.) Pretty amazing stuff. No high rises at all, just lush green tropical beauty, and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in all its pink glory.

But there are SO many slides that the cost would be prohibitive. Besides, we've converted LPs to CDs, VHS tapes to DVDs -- surely in this day and age we could do this ourselves!

Nina