Re: (erielack) Slide Scanners

[paultup_@_optonline.net]

> I 
> don't know that much about them so if you have an opinion or 
> some personal experience with them I'd appreciate your comments.
> What does DPI mean?  4.8D? 3.4D?

DPI stands for "dots per inch." Basically, your average slide is about ~1.25" wide. To get an image that is 1024 pixels wide on the screen, your DPI needs to be 1024/1.25 = ~820 DPI. If that's the largest image you want to get from a slide, then you'll have to get a scanner that supports that (optically, not through software - if you see "softare enhanced," ignore it - it changes the perceived DPI by interpolating pixels - similar to taking a 4x5 print and having it blown up to 8x10: sure, it will be bigger, but it will be fuzzier and of lesser quality).   The "D" numbers are the dynamic range of the scanner. The typical dynamic range for consumer scanners is about 2.5-3.4, with dedicated slide scanners at the high end. For comparison, the dynamic range of good quality black and white print film is about 2.8.

For slide scanning, I'd recomend a scanner that will do at least 1200 dpi optical. The dynamic range is a bit more flexible for consumer quality, but the 2.5-3.4 values above are a good guideline.

 
> There are a couple models that seem reasonably priced but I'm 
> wondering if they can take a 35mm slide up to an 8x10 print with 
> reasonable quality.  Here they are:
> 
> 	PrimeFilm 1800u
> 	PrimeFilm 1800AFL
> 	PrimeFilm 1800 Silver
> 	Dimage Scann Dual II
> 	Dimage Scann Elite

I'm not familiar with any of these, but I just picked up an Epson Perfection 3200 scanner. It cost me $399, and it will do flatbed scanning, 35mm slide and negative, and even larger format negative scanning. It's extremely fast, and it has a whopping 3200 dpi optical (great for getting little details out of scanned slides!).  Dynamic range is 3.4D, at the upper end of consumer scanners. What I like best is that it allowed me to get rid of my separate flatbed and slide scanners and replace it on my desktop with one unit, a big plus for me, that's faster than either of the old ones. You can get more details at www.epson.com.

And no, I'm not a paid endorser, just a happy customer :)

      - Paul

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