SF-210 Auto Slide Feeder - Does it worth the price?

[tropdude]

To hopefully significantly enhance the Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 productivity

while scanning in a few thousand 35 mm slides, I am considering to buy the SF-

210 Auto Slide Feeder.

 

Question: Does the SF-210 works smoothly, does it - by any means or chance -

pose a risk to the actual slide film, does it get jammed, can it really

be "left alone" to do the work, etc.?

 

Slide mounts in question are typically the Kodak-processed paper cardboard and

the comparable thickness Kodak/other plastic mounts.

 

Any suggestions, pro or cons, would be appreciated a lot!

[david-m]

I use one, and as long as each batch of slides is roughly the same thivkness it works

perfectly. You can set it, and go and do something else for an hour, so well worth it if you

are scannning many slides.

 

David

[stefan_g]

Search this site for previous discussions of the SF-200 and SF-210. In my experience (7500 slides scanned) there is about a 50% chance of the feeder hanging up on a stack of cardboard mounts. One suggestion I found here (after finishing my project) is to use a dowel pin to prevent hangups: I can't find the original post, but this is the picture that was linked <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/uploaded-file?bboard_upload_id=29211684"> (dowel pin in sf-210 loader)</a>. That being said, for several thousand slides I don't think there is an alternative to investing in the feeder.

[bernard_frank]

It works. Respect the mounts requirements, and you should have no problem. One caveat:

always load ALL your slides in "landscape" position. You will rotate the "portrait" ones

later.

[elektrik]

The slide feeder has been amazing for the several thousand scans I've made, but the 2 feeders I've used have both had random problems with pulling in more than one slide and getting stuck.

 

Rather than the peg solution above, I used a small metal ruler clipped to the guide, pulled back from the feeder mechanism just enough to let a slide pass. That works well, but be careful that your solution doesn't touch the slide surface and leave a set of scratches, as I belatedly once realized that one of mine did.

[christopher_engeler]

Same as Matt: Metal ruler or, in my case, a spare computer part. Look for anything thin and firm which you can slide in and adjust the "aperture" of the feeding mechanism. Not 100%, but so far the best solution for me.

[tropdude]

Thanks a lot to all for the suggestions!

 

One more related question: Apart from the "getting stuck" issue, has the bulk-scan any possible effect on the quality of scans - e.g. focus, other parameters what sometimes require individual adjustment in single-slide scans?

 

Thnaks.

[elektrik]

This isn't a problem -- the default settings are to do a prescan before each frame, calculating exposure and focus. These settings can be tweaked (in Vuescan, at least) but the prescan takes a few seconds.

[Robert_Lai]

For the guys using a metal ruler - do you realize that the SF-210 has a little dial that allows you to adjust the slit width of the gate? No need for a ruler.<p>I love this feeder. It works great with plastic mounts, and 95% great with cardboard mounts (depends upon their condition).

[tropdude]

Again, thanks to all for the answers.

 

Realistically, how many slides I can expect to scan-in using the SF-210 feeder with the Coolscan 5000 before either of them brakes?

 

I have a library of 35,000+ slides. Of course, not all needed to be scanned (although would not hurt), but what would be a "good and realistic" target number to start with? The best 10% = 3,500 slides? Or the SF-210 and the Coolscan 5000 are robust enough to do let's say the best 30% = ~11,000 slides?

 

Ang how long does it take to scan in 1000 slides - so I can plan?

[stefan_g]

I think 10,000 slides (or more, if you have the time) is realistic. I did my scanning (7500 slides) by starting a batch load (30-50 slides, depending on frame thickness) in the morning before leaving for work, and occasionally a second one in the evening.

With my settings a single slide takes about 150 seconds to scan. Including breaks the project took me about a year. I have noticed

no deterioration of either the scanner or the feeder.