35mm slides->digital. need scanner recommendations

My grandparents have quite a few 35mm film slides they would like to convert to digital format. I'm not sure if they are looking to print any, but I would guess they wouldn't print any larger than 4x6 in most cases, if they would decide to. I went through a couple of threads but didn't see a lot of model recommendations. Without ever using one before, what model or type would you recommend, with ease of use being the primary goal? The Epson 4490 looks like it could do the job and isn't all that pricey. There are also many others that look similar to the Plustek Technology OpticFilm 7200i SE. The 4490 seems to be rather popular though.

here is an alternative
http://www.scancafe.co​m/

dashotgun wrote in post #6905801
here is an alternative
http://www.scancafe.co​m/

Thanks! I haven't seen this site before. This might be a better option than getting a scanner.

Look at this selection at B&H. You definitely would rather have a dedicated slide scanner than a flatbed like the 4490.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …sories_Film_Sca​nners.html

ScanCafe seems like a great business idea but unfortunately it is only available in US.
Seems like the Pacific Image 3650 would be the answer for us fergners with thousands of slides and not so much time. 800 dollars...plus postage plus customs.

Scan Cafe has a great business idea there, don´t they!

get silverfast software with whatever slide scanner you get because it has the best colour correction module out there and gives fantastic results

iceman1 wrote in post #6905769
My grandparents have quite a few 35mm film slides they would like to convert to digital format. I'm not sure if they are looking to print any, but I would guess they wouldn't print any larger than 4x6 in most cases, if they would decide to. I went through a couple of threads but didn't see a lot of model recommendations. Without ever using one before, what model or type would you recommend, with ease of use being the primary goal? The Epson 4490 looks like it could do the job and isn't all that pricey. There are also many others that look similar to the Plustek Technology OpticFilm 7200i SE. The 4490 seems to be rather popular though.

Look at the v700 Epson. I use it to scan my 6x17cm tranny's and its quality is unbelievable . Sometimes I cant even pick the diifference in quality between my labs $20,000 Imacon Scanner files and the v700 file of the same shot its that good!

I like the Nikon Coolscan range of dedicated 4000ppi 35mm film scanners. Really bullet proof kit as you'd expect from a quality camera manufacturer. Sadly NikonScan is crap, but Silverfast and Vuescan are viable alternative software solutions.

Another happy Nikon Coolscan V and Vuescan owner here

Scancafe.com -- negative & slide scanning service

We did a lot of dupe work for film with a Bowens Illumitran way back when. I've seen them on ebay for $15 - $50, & for this purpose (web), it would probably work well & be a lot faster than a scanner. Some scanners come with dust removal software, & trust me on this, that's a big selling point.
http://forums.dpreview​.com …rum=1014&messag​e=16932153
http://www.prophotohom​e.com …al-camera-vs-scanner.html

OTOH, if you're adventurous & like to build things, maybe buy a nice macro lens & try something like this for the web use:
See post #23 Do you Cobble? (Slide duplicator)

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=58609

PhotosGuy wrote in post #6920257
We did a lot of dupe work for film with a Bowens Illumitran way back when. I've seen them on ebay for $15 - $50, & for this purpose (web), it would probably work well & be a lot faster than a scanner. Some scanners come with dust removal software, & trust me on this, that's a big selling point. ...OTOH, if you're adventurous & like to build things, maybe buy a nice macro lens & try something like this for the web use:
See post #23 Do you Cobble?(Slide duplicator)

The difficulty in using a slide dublicator is that it is designed to replicate a 24x36mm film area onto a a 24x36mm film area...1:1
If you tried to use such a device with an APS-C dSLR, you would only be capturing the central 15 x 22mm (approx) section of the original slide to the APS-C sensor!

For another service, I've used digmypics.com and really like their service.

I also checked into doing this myself (and tried to do some of it) and quickly decided I'd rather have it done professionally than muck around with scanning and dust correction and...

Paying someone else to do it will always be quicker and certainly no dearer than doing it oneself. The trouble is that the quality depends on someone who : may be hungover, have lost a boy/girlfriend, has a cold, been made redundant, generally cannot be bothered to do the job properly.

Home scanning is not quick, its not easy. But you get the results if you are prepared to put the effort in.

That might be true with some fixed duplicators, but the Bowens Illumitran has a wide range of adjustments, both in subject to lens distance, & bellows extension.