JosvanEekelen

<p>Perhaps iFixit: https://www.ifixit.com/ has a repair guide that can help but I wouldn't put too much effort in repairing a machine of that age. In general I'm opposed to replacing things too soon or too often but in case of computers an 8 year old machine is not worth the time and/or money. For USD 600 you can buy a better spec'd laptop.</p>

<p>I am not a Mac user but these costs seem to be excessive. I assume they used 2009 prices for the components but there must be cheaper ways to keep it running.<br> Personally I'm in a similar position: 2009 PC standby for tst use: If it breaks I'll repair it with old components and when that's not possible it's a one way to the waste bin.</p>

<blockquote> <p>..... no substitute for an actual film scanner</p> </blockquote> <p>I thought so too until I compared the results from a Coolscan V with these of an EOS M + EF 50/2.5. Camera setup is faster with somewhat similar results. I know, Coolscan V is not the latest scanner but there are better cameras than the EOS M as well. </p>

<p>PDFs use JPG compression as well. Have you tried Tiff or another losless format? JPG compression is such that the human eye can't see that it is comptessed but if you alter the picture artefacts may become visible. <br> A lot of assumptions with regard to product shots and whether they are altered, and of course, how far they are altered. The better the shot the less PS work is needed and less chance that artefacts show up. <br> I guess that when you know the peculiars of a certain sensor you can always see whether the image is altered or not but that's just a guess. (Nikon and Canon make bodies that let you somehow show that the image is not processed)</p>

<p>DON'T use solvent on LensPen, not even a tiny bit.It's simply not meant to use that way.</p>

I have used a tripod with the center column reversed. Probably not as stable as an enlarger but it does the job.

<p>Can you give us a bit more information about the files you have used, TIFF, JPG? Do you still have the final .PSD?<br> I guess you can always (?) see when an image is altered but especially with JPG's and other compressed formats. </p>

<p>You might try Lenspen. </p> <p>Lens cleaners often contain isopropanol. As Glen stated, be carefull with the amount of liquid. In the end you have to start somewhere so give it a try. </p>

<p>I don't understand #1 but I assume it is a variation on setting the hyperfocal distance. Google hyperfocal distance for more info. One remark: with today's autofocus lenses it is difficult to set the exact distance and the f-stop info on the lenses is of limited value because of the short throw of these lenses. </p> <p>With regard to aperture: avoid the smallest apertures because sharpness will be limited by diffraction. Try f-stops around f/8 - f/11 for best sharpness, depending on whether you use full frame (f/11) or APS-C (f/8). Diffraction sets in gradually so use these f-stops as a guideline only.</p>

<p>I still use a 5D, (almost) nothing wrong with it but keep in mind that's its 10 yrs old. If you buy one make sure the mirror assembly has been modified/strengthened because without it the mirror may fall out. <br> The present 2nd hand price makes it attractive but at the moment I'd go for a 5DII or a 2nd hand 6D. </p>

<p>I'm not familiar with your specific setup but the camera has no way to adjust the aperture on the lens. You'll have to set the f-stop on the lens and close it manually, regardless of the camera's reading. It's a while back I used a similar setup, I think in Av the camera automatically sets the shutter speed, in M you have control; you can dial in the shutter speed you need, using the camera's indicator. Forget P and/or Tv, at least that's what I remember but it's all easy to test. One of the advantages of digital. </p>

<p>It's because you are in P mode. P defaults to 1/60 and full opening. If you go to M you can dial in the shutter speed and aperture as you want and the flash will still be automatic/E-TTL. Photonotes.org has a 3 part paper on Canon flash but the site seems to be offline at the moment so try this later.</p>

<p>I use them only when there is a severe risk of damage to or dirt on the front lens element. While travelling abroad (sometimes). I have experienced serious reflections, even with good (B+W) filters so nowadays I hardly ever use them. </p>

<p>Seems defect to me. Does the display give any information about what's going on?</p>

<p>I just started experimenting with taking pictures of 35 mm slides, mostly Kodachromes I shot between 1980 and 2005. Setup with lighttable, tripod with reversed center column, EOS-M with EF-m to EF adapter, 12 mm extension tube and EF 50/2.5 macro lens. I used a makeshift slide adapter (cardboard) to hold the slide into place.<br> I made a few hundred copies and compared these with ones made with my Nikon Coolscan V scanner.<br> Preliminary conclusion: Coolscan V produces less noise, EOS-M colors are much better and the resolution between the two is comparable. Handling is a big difference. The scanner takes more time, 160 sec vs. 30 seconds with EOS-M. The timing is such that you can do very little in between scans so that's a big advantage of the camera setup. <br> With regard to resolution: I also did a few with an EOS 10D (6 MP) and the difference in resolution is not huge, this (6-20 MP) seems to be approximately the resolving power of film. No need to buy a 5Ds or Nikon D810 for scanning a slide collection. In the end I chose to continue with the EOS M because of live view which is a great help in scanning slides.<br> I started using the before mentioned setup in order to make a prescan with the idea of scanning the best slides with the Coolscan V but it worked out differently from what I expected.<br> BTW, I have mostly Kodachrome slides. In scanning these have two problems: color turns out too blue and ICE dust removal works poorly because the film is silver based. Thus the preference for the camera route.<br> Later I will have to scan some negative films too, in that case I'll make the comparison between Coolscan and film again.</p>

<p>see this: http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/29775/what-does-flat-field-focus-mean link. <br> In general all or most macro lenses are good to excellent. Apparently the design is well known to all manufacturers. </p>

<p>There seems to be little activity on a CZP update. AFAIK it does not support 16 bit files. I tried it af few years back, the program is not intuitive but the results were quite good, better than CS4 or Helicon Focus. Mind you, in my opinion there is no best stacking software, some programs handle certain files better than others. So in one case CZP may be best, in another one CS4 or program x will give the best results. <br> Other software to look into: Lightroom/Enfuse, Enfuse (GUI), Affinity Photo, others.</p>

<p>Why not start with a standard 18-55 mm kit lens, in general these are so inexpensive that you don't heve to look for 2nd hand ones. Perhaps add a 30 or 35 mm later, as a "normal/standard" lens. <br> Star trails: wide angle, 20 mm (full frame) or 14 mm (APS-C) and wider. fast (f/2.8) lenses and a sturdy tripod. Plus a timer remote.</p>

<p>This is not an uncommon problem. When I encountered this I chose to ignore it and use an external cardreader. I'm sure there are methods to correct this issue but sometimes it's better to use an alternative and don't bother about the problem. Earlier cameras (10D/5D - about ten years ago) had a few interface settings to choose from, I don't know if this is still the case. Have a look at the manual.</p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/casual-conversations-forum/00b9SE?unified_p=1<br> https://www.ravpower.com/ravpower-rp-wd01-filehub-3000mah-power-bank.html<br> My personal preference would be a netbook or tablet with proper software/disk. If it is for backup purposes only: SD cards are rather robust, I think most backup options will break before the SD card. </p>

<p>Impressive. Any disadvantages besides the price? I'm certainly going to give it a try.</p>

<p>Batteries may die suddenly or behave erratical. If I'm not mistaken the 7D has several options about the battery's capacity and the remaining number of shots. What do these read?</p>

<p>Perhaps it is possible to convert the camera to IR by replacing the filter with a IR one. The cost of this will be higher than the value of the 20D so it's only a valid option when you want to use the camera for IR and/or black and white. </p>

<p>Have a look at https://www.lightroomqueen.com/find-move-rename-catalog/ and other blogs at the same site. I think there is even an article about moving your LR system to another PC. </p>

<p>Nice thread, since I'm a windows user I'm now looking at W10 alternatives for TM :-)</p>