Analog film photography and cameras

My mother-in-law wants to scan a load of old slides and isn't sure what they best way to go about it is. She says she can buy a scanner for around £100 and do them herself, but is loathe to do this as she'd never use it again, and I'm wary of the quality from a cheap machine. Do any of you London-based filmy types have a 35mm slide scanner? If so, could I borrow or rent it, or possibly even pay someone to scan them for me? Or does anyone recommend a particular company to do it? Thanks!

£100 scanner will be a waste of cash and the results will be poor.

How many slides? Scanning is painful, especially if it isn't your work.

How many slides? Scanning is painful, especially if it isn't your work.

+1
It takes FOREVER and that's before you start to clean the scans up too - dust, hairs, scratches etc.

So should she send them somewhere?

It really depends on how many need to be scanned and how high quality.

From here

From here

4000 dpi scans here for 75p each

http://www.1scan.co.uk/page5/pricing.html

Although if you're sat at a desk all day anyway, scanning might not be so bad if you could get hold of one to borrow.

Cheers, guys. I'll relay the info and see what she wants to do.

I think the prices for digitalab at the top of nefarious' list are different if it's a big batch of slides that need scanning. Do you have any idea how many she wants scanning?

Buy a decent Nikon film scanner on Ebay then sell it when you are done, will probably not lose any money at all and may even sell it for more than you paid

I think the prices for digitalab at the top of nefarious' list are different if it's a big batch of slides that need scanning. Do you have any idea how many she wants scanning?

500 or so

For that many, I almost reckon buying and then selling a slide scanner wouldn't be a bad idea cost wise - it will take while though.

I bought another folder, Zeiss 531/16 with the crappier Novar lens. Really enjoy using these, considering selling stuff so I can buy a really decent one.

A boring(sorry) test shot, not bad for nearly wide open(I think).

Hey guys, got given a Praktica MTL 5B body for Christmas, and want to get round to setting up. As I'm pretty new to SLR photography as a whole, would anyone be able to provide me with some links to get me started? Also, looking for a lens, which I understand is M42 threaded. Can anyone recommend anything for cheapish? Thanks.

http://camerasim.com/camera-simulator/

A useful tool for getting to know how/why you should adjust the shutter speed and aperture.

Oh, and I've got a Helios-44 lens that I don't need any more - I'll see if I can find it.

edit - Got it, but it's got a dint in the front thread so if you want to use a filter, you'll have to attach it by some other means (like electrical tape). Looks usable otherwise - there's really nothing to go wrong on it anyway. No automatic stop-down (that is, the lens won't go to the correct aperture only when you press the shutter; instead, have to leave it at the correct aperture all the time). F2.0, 58mm so good for portraits. Since the rim is dented you can have it for postage (about a fiver I should think, it's quite heavy).

What fitting - PK, OM, NIK, CAN, M42?

Oh, and I've got a Helios-44 lens that I don't need any more - I'll see if I can find it.

edit - Got it, but it's got a dint in the front thread so if you want to use a filter, you'll have to attach it by some other means (like electrical tape). Looks usable otherwise - there's really nothing to go wrong on it anyway. No automatic stop-down (that is, the lens won't go to the correct aperture only when you press the shutter; instead, have to leave it at the correct aperture all the time). F2.0, 58mm so good for portraits. Since the rim is dented you can have it for postage (about a fiver I should think, it's quite heavy).

Sounds good, but I'll wait a couple of days for GA2G etc. to reply.

What fitting - PK, OM, NIK, CAN, M42?

M42

Ok, M42 means I cannot use it. Ta though.

Hey guys, got given a Praktica MTL 5B body for Christmas, and want to get round to setting up. As I'm pretty new to SLR photography as a whole, would anyone be able to provide me with some links to get me started? Also, looking for a lens, which I understand is M42 threaded. Can anyone recommend anything for cheapish? Thanks.

My Grandad gave me an MTL 5B and it is still one of my favourite cameras.

I bought my favourite lens, I can't remember exactly but I think it's a Sigma 35–70mm 2.8 on eBay for £20 and bought a second MTL 50 body and to me it was unbeatable. I kept one body for black and white, one for colour and swapped the lenses.

They are cheap, incredibly robust and brilliant.

best thing about praktica's is that they're built like tanks. you can hurl them about the place, use them for door stops, hammer nails in with them and they'll still be fine. solid eastern block work

The dead MTL3 on my shelf would beg to differ.

really? mine is fine after being dropped on many occasions when i was a clumsy youth. In fact i had a lecturer who loved them so much he'd make people us them for a projects, to demonstrate they're ruggedness he'd toss one across a room. justin quinnell if anyone has heard of him

Yeah, dead electrics and the mirror is off at a jaunty angle. It went through two family members though.

Might take it apart and have a poke around.

Stronger than my F100 too, took the slightest knock and now I need a new rear door. £30/50

i'd say you can have mine, but it was my dad's and then he gave it to mem as my first ever camera