Where to send 2000+ slides to be digitized/scanned?
December 26, 2015 11:22 AM Subscribe
In the 60's and 70's my dad saved money by getting slides instead of pictures. I would like to get them onto a computer. Given the number, I am ruling out DIY.
I have seen ScanCafe mentioned, I was wondering, how good is their color correction/lightening dark slides/lightening dark ones? I also ran into DPSDave, who are cheaper and I don't have to worry about the slides being shipped internationally, but I wonder about quality, as they seem to be beating everyone's prices, which makes me suspicious and I can't find any reviews, just comments on pages, which makes me suspicious.
Is there another services which is comparable (or slightly more expensive) than these two that I should use instead?
My dad passed away two years ago, so I would like to save these in good shape. I'd like to keep the cost <$750, around $500 (or less) would be great.
I have seen ScanCafe mentioned, I was wondering, how good is their color correction/lightening dark slides/lightening dark ones? I also ran into DPSDave, who are cheaper and I don't have to worry about the slides being shipped internationally, but I wonder about quality, as they seem to be beating everyone's prices, which makes me suspicious and I can't find any reviews, just comments on pages, which makes me suspicious.
Is there another services which is comparable (or slightly more expensive) than these two that I should use instead?
My dad passed away two years ago, so I would like to save these in good shape. I'd like to keep the cost <$750, around $500 (or less) would be great.
My local camera shop (Shutterbug, branches in Petaluma and Santa Rosa, in the north San Francisco Bay Area) did a handful for me $.25 each ($40 minimum, and they had to be in carousels, although they'll happily loan you those). At 2k slides that's $500, but you can probably negotiate for slightly better prices given the quantity.
posted by straw at 12:44 PM on December 26, 2015
posted by straw at 12:44 PM on December 26, 2015
I haven't used ScanCafe for slides, but they did a good job with prints and 35mm negatives.
posted by djb at 12:46 PM on December 26, 2015
posted by djb at 12:46 PM on December 26, 2015
Is that the total number of slides? If it is you can cull them down by deciding which ones are the most important to you and only getting those scanned. I did mine this way.
You will also need to know how much resolution you want in the digital files.
posted by GeeEmm at 12:46 PM on December 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
You will also need to know how much resolution you want in the digital files.
posted by GeeEmm at 12:46 PM on December 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
I've used Scancafe for hundreds of slides and thousands of negatives and even a few photos. They've done a good job on color correction, but they are not miracle workers. Even though the turn-around time is long, since you have so many, i would suggest sending a couple dozen or so as a test run. Choose dark, bright, faded and regular ones and see how well they do. The other nice thing about Scancafe is that you can preview online and reject up to half of the scans if they don't turn out.
posted by nightwood at 2:03 PM on December 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by nightwood at 2:03 PM on December 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
A couple of years ago I was involved with a publication project that used Two Cat Digital for bulk digitizing of prints/negatives/slides (http://www.twocatdigital.com/). Don't know how their prices compare but they are highly professional.
posted by Creosote at 4:02 PM on December 26, 2015
posted by Creosote at 4:02 PM on December 26, 2015
I've used ScanMyPhotos for digitizing of photos for awhile now and have always found them to be professional and quick. They scan slides. Not sure what your budget is...
posted by softlord at 7:34 PM on December 26, 2015
posted by softlord at 7:34 PM on December 26, 2015
And if you do decide to do Scancafe - memail me for their current discount code (good until 12/31). They often run discounts and through the years, I've always waited for the next discount code to make my orders.
posted by nightwood at 9:09 AM on December 27, 2015
posted by nightwood at 9:09 AM on December 27, 2015
LegacyBox does this - we personally used it last Christmas to digitize super 8 video, slides and Polaroids.
Ended up with 3 discs of material; quality was great and reasonably priced.
I would link but I'm posting on my phone in the bath.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:36 PM on December 28, 2015
Ended up with 3 discs of material; quality was great and reasonably priced.
I would link but I'm posting on my phone in the bath.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:36 PM on December 28, 2015
https://legacybox.com
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:39 PM on December 28, 2015
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:39 PM on December 28, 2015
I used ScanCafe for over 6000 items, found the color correction quite good and consistent. I was nit under any time crunch so waited for a hefty discount coupon. I belive i received 35% off.
Henry
posted by silsurf at 9:09 AM on December 29, 2015
Henry
posted by silsurf at 9:09 AM on December 29, 2015
« Older Films watched on New Year's: international edition | Please help identify this short book Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
Many of the newer scanners will automatically correct tone and exposure as part of the scan process, if you want. If your dad shot exclusively Kodachrome, for example, the photo house can adjust for that to preserve the original tonality, or apply other adjustments— but you might be able to save on the final cost by passing on those and doing it yourself with Lightroom.
It might also be a nice way for you to engage with your dad's original shots as you post-process them digitally. What's your final goal? Just archival or making prints or a book?
posted by a halcyon day at 12:21 PM on December 26, 2015