Large Autochromes 5X7 glass...how to scan?

I was hoping I could copy my nearly 100 year old color autochromes using my

Canon Rebel Xti and macro lens, but these images are on the dim side, and

reflection in the glass is a problem. I do not have access to a proper copystand

setup so scanning would seem like a good idea.

The end result is publishing in my Hawaii guidebooks. The images need color

correcting due to fading with age. so the best scan possible at a reasonable

price is my goal.

Does anyone know of a flatbed scanner that can accept a slightly larger than 5X7

glass plate for less than $500? Or a technique for coying them using my Xti?

1. Increase the amount of light being projected through the glass plate.

 

 

2. A guy who works for our store uses a Canon Tilt/Shift lens when he has to do copy work through glass. Shoot your plates at an angle using a T/S lens, which will allow you to square up the image but avoid reflections that are inevitable when shooting directly into glass.

A good answer above but reflections are NOT inevitable when shooting directly into glass - just bear in mind that the angle of reflectance equals the angle of incidence, so if you have 1 light each side at say 45 deg, the reflections will bounce off at 45 deg too - not the 90 deg that causes reflections.

 

And anyway, these plates need to be backlit very strongly, which would make any reflections that did occur almost irrelevant.

The $450 Epson 4990 is supposed to scan transparencies up to 8x10, but I don't know about the logistics of handling 5x7 glass. I'd go with the in-camera solution, as described above; you could buy a tilt-shift lens (the 45 or the 90) and after you're done sell it for $100 less than you paid for it. And if they're dim put a slide projector behind it the Autochrome with some tissue or wax paper halfway between the projector and the Autochrome to eliminate hot spots. You might even cut a 5x7 hole in a large black piece of foamcore or such and tape the Autochrome into the hole (so that stray light couldn't get around to reflect off the camera side of the Autochrome).

I have not scaned Autochromes But I do Glass negatives up to 8x10 on a epson V700 flat

bed with no problem EXCEPT I have found it is best to scan them with emulsion side down

then flip them in photo shop after the scan since the thickness of the glass upsets the focus,

I also used my old canon scaner flatbed but it would only do up to 4x5 plates.

The 4990 should do OK. I stress OK because none of the under 1K scanners will do a superb

job, especially with source material such a san autochrome. That said, I have scanned

autochromes on my high-end flatbed scanners with great success. From the Epson 4990 you

will get an ok scan and it should be good enough for publication but you will likely loose

some of the subtleties of the original.

Thanks to everyone who replied. The willingness here for so many people to help one another is very life-affirming, especially when one is experiencing a bad day ;-)

 

The reflection problems include my own refection and objects in the room behind, so I will try my hand at photographing them using Ralph's suggestion of a black mask on a light table, correcting for the light source, and see how that works out.

Since I have seen so many printed examples of Autochromes that are beautiful, I assumed there would be a simple universal copying solution I was missing. I am grateful for all your suggestions and any others that may still come in.