Photography Project

September 21, 2010 12:41 PM

How can I make photo slides from a digital camera? Also I need a light box to display them.

I have a Nikon D80 and I want to print slides to display on a light box. Is this even possible? Also, where can I get materials to make a small (handheld) slide viewer with a light? Sorry, non-photographer here so i don't know the right terms. My friend made a wooden slide viewer with a light switch that was really beautiful. He just passed away and I want to make one as a memorial.

posted by jddizzle to Media & Arts (3 answers total)

It is possible - you just need to find the right materials. One printer friend of mine 'makes negatives' in order to do platinum/palladium contact printing. He uses a digital printer to print the file onto some form of plastic slide film. Upon Google searching, looks like there are a few places that do this.
posted by infinitefloatingbrains at 1:06 PM on September 21, 2010

It's eminently possible to print transparencies. A lot of pro print shops would be able to do that for you. For instance, a google search found these guys (No endorsement or relation or prior knowledge)

You could even do it yourself with an inkjet printer if you buy some transparency paper. I can't promise the quality will be quite as good as with a native slide, but it'll certainly be adequate. It will be bigger than a slide, but obviously not in the slide mount.

As far as making a lightbox goes... you'd probably want something like a decent piece of cloudy perspex between your light and the slide to provide an even backlight, but it's not really my area of expertise, so I'm sure you can get some better advice elsewhere.
posted by Magnakai at 1:06 PM on September 21, 2010

Sorry no links, I'm on a phone: www.iprintfromhome.com will make slides from digital files. They have clear info about their specs online. For the viewer, go to BHphotovideo.com (B&H) and search "slide viewer" for lots of possibilities.
posted by xo at 5:25 PM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]