steven_jewett

<p>@ Mendel Leisk<br /><br />Hard drive space shouldn't be an issue. I'm also giving them an old 500GB external hard drive, and if necessary, can either provide more or they can buy something. Space is cheap these days. I'm fairly certain her computer has USB 2, but if not it can either be added or that will be another reason to just give her my old laptop with 2 & 3 on it.<br /><br />@ Steve Parrott, Mendel Leisk, et al<br /><br />I've mentioned over and over that this is an enormous undertaking, and she is insistent that it won't be an issue. Even if she just works on it here and there and it takes a few years, I think that's fine for her. And believe me, I will not have to take it over, that's not going to happen. It would cost about $1,000 to have them done professionally, which I think is worth it and would be more than willing to pay. I tried to convince her to go that route, but she doesn't want to do it, I think mainly because of the risk of losing them (and likely partly because she doesn't want to spend that kind of money, nor does she want me to, you know how parents are). So that's why I say even if she does them herself then has to have some done professionally, even if half or more, that would be fine. Because even if something were to happen to them then at least she would have something. I agree with everything you said, but after multiple talks with her, having it done by a service is not going to happen.<br /><br />@ Leszek Vogt & Harry Joseph<br /><br />As far as I can tell, the XA only does batch scanning on negatives, not slides. The higher Dmax is nice, though. I hadn't run across that one.<br /><br />@ Robin Smith<br /><br />I've considered the DSLR approach, but there are a few issues. The main one is cost, as she doesn't have a DSLR, and it would be several hundred dollars minimum for a decent one with a decent lens. Another problem is that I have read varying opinions on the quality of this approach.<br /><br /><br /><br />After all the comments reemphasizing what I already knew, I'm thinking that while the XT or XA or V700/750 might be better, perhaps I shouldn't spend too much simply because there's a decent chance this will not be a long-lived project. But then again, she's already dont a fair amount of scanning on an old scanner they borrowed from my dad's work, so it's not like she's completely in the dark on what to expect.</p>

<p>I've been doing research on slide scanners for my mom for a Christmas present. She has roughly 4000 35mm slides to scan (not sure what kind or if they're all color, B&W, or a mix), and despite my repeatedly warning her that it will take <em>forever</em> in both learning how to do it and actually doing it, she insists that's fine. So the question then becomes what scanner to get. She isn't too worried about quality, and we figure once they're scanned any she does want done in higher quality can be sent to a service. So I'm trying to figure out the best scanner for under several hundred dollars. She also wants to be able to scan photos, which means if I were to get a dedicated scanner I would still have to get a flatbed, though not necessarily a high-end one, so the combined cost might still be less than a nice (i.e. V700/V750) flatbed for everything.</p> <p>Here are my options based off my research:</p> <p>Epson V700/V750: DMAX of 4.0, good resolution, able to do everything but also much more expensive and more reliant on proper slide placement etc for the best results</p> <p>Pacific Image PrimeFilm 7200u (Reflecta ProScan 7200): DMAX of 3.8, better resolution, easier to use but unable to do multiple scans at once, much cheaper</p> <p>Pacific Image PrimeFilm XE (Reflecta ProScan 10T): DMAX of 3.9, best resolution, slightly more than 7200u but still much cheaper than Epson</p> <p>I was initially considering the Epson V600, but due to its low DMAX (my understanding is this is a critical spec for slides) I've ruled it out.</p> <p>Unfortunately, while everyone agrees that dedicated film scanners are better than flatbeds, they are always talking about film scanners that cost 2x as much or more, and they are talking about film, not slides. I'm trying to determine which of these is the best option for what she is trying to do, bearing in mind as well that she doesn't intend to print the photos, just have them for computer viewing and emailing primarily. Any she might want to print she could send to a service. I have no problem spending up to the cost of the Epsons if it's worth it for improved quality, or if it would be significantly easier for her in being able to load up several slides at once and walk away, but if the cheaper ones will work just as well or better due to being dedicated to the job, I'd rather save the money and just buy a cheaper flat bed to accompany it and still likely come out ahead. Additionally, I'd rather avoid buying an Epson due to their somewhat questionable reliability and terrible customer service, as I don't believe in rewarding companies for that. So all else being equal, I'd much rather spend my money elsewhere. I'm leaning toward the XE, as it's slightly better than the 7200u but still relatively cheap.</p> <p>Besides cost and scan quality, another consideration is ease of use or, more accurately, quality without having to be a pro. IOW, I'm not only interested in the comparative capabilities of these scanners, but how they do with an amateur at the wheel. So even though one might be ultimately capable of better quality scans, if that's only with an in-depth knowledge of how to tweak everything whereas without that knowledge and time the scans are no better or even worse than what a different scanner will do with limited user intervention, then I would lean toward the latter.</p> <p>I would say in order of importance, I'm looking for: ease of use, scan quality, speed (ability to do batches, scan speed), then price.</p> <p>Another thing to mention is she is running an old, slow computer, still on XP with probably 4GB or less of RAM (pretty sure it's 32-bit XP). If need be, I can let her have my old laptop with an i7 and 8GB RAM running Win 7 Ultimate x64.</p> <p>Until about a week and a half ago, this was a world unknown to me, and I know nothing about film/slides/etc, so I appreciate any and all help you can provide.</p>