Need help digitizing stereograms

I am a novice photographer and have been tasked by a relative to digitize a box full of glass stereograms from the 1920's that belonged to my ancestors. I am seeking help on finding the right equipment to digitize these slides and preserve my families history.

Does anyone have any experience working with these?

I appreciate your time.

 

 

 

 

What camera system do you have, Mike? Do you have a scanner? Nikon has slide copying attachments that are easy to use - these look of a size that might work with that. Some Nikon cameras have software that allows combining two Raw photos in one image. Don't know if that is necessary or helpful, having never worked with stereo slides. I would guess considerable care would need to be taken to avoid damaging the slides. Hopefully someone with direct experience will chime in.

I currently have a Sony Alpha A6000 and do have a Canon CanoScan 5600F scanner.

Yes I must use extreme caution as these are nearly priceless to my family and I as they are irreplaceable.

I am willing to invest in new equipment if needed. Sandy I really appreciate your help and am keeping fingers crossed hoping someone has experience in working with these.

Try the Canoscan's slide mode first. You might be able to scan the width of the plates directly with a modified holder - a cardboard jig taped to the glass should be sufficient.

 

The alpha6000 is certainly capable of doing the job, but would need a macro lens and front-of-lens holder. These are easily obtainable for 35mm slides, but it's doubtful that your glass slides would fit without modification. There might be 120 film holders out there, but none have come to my attention. Worth a Google though.

 

For a backlight you could just use the camera's popup flash pointed at a white card in front of the camera and slide copier arrangement.

 

If you want to make a digital version of the stereo pair; you can colourise the left image blue, and the right image red, then superimpose them digitally. A simple red/blue spectacle pair could then be used for viewing.

If the images are viewed by reflected light, like Daguerreotypes, you may be able to copy them in a flatbed scanner with reflected light (not as a transparency). You could also use a digital camera with a macro lens. In either case, I would use a pice of matte black paper as a background.

 

If they are positives, then a flatbed with a transparency cover (back lighting) would be a good choice. You don't have to spend a fortune. Film scanners can be had for as little as $200.

 

Making good quality transparencies from a digital image is a challenge. However you could view a print of the results with some form of Stereopticon, which can be as simple as a book on end as a divider/spacer, and a pair of strong reading glasses.

Edited August 24, 2018 by Ed_Ingold

Actually, was just thinking I used to use clear media in regular office copy machines, some of which would zoom. You might try a DIY copy shop. Have no idea of the state of that tech at present.

Laser transparencies don't do well with continuous tone images, but you can get transparency media for inkjets, which I suspect would do pretty well. People use them for digital "negatives" and contact prints.

If you look at the spec of the Canoscan 5600F, it comes with a transparency/filmstrip adapter. The stereo pairs look as if they're 2" wide or under, and so should be covered by the backlight.

 

Just noticed the size printed on the box; 4.5 x 10.7, presumably centimetres. So they should be less than a standard slide frame in width. And 'diapositive plate' means the end result is a B&W positive transparency.

Edited August 26, 2018 by rodeo_joe|1