Slide duplicator for Eos

[Hans]

I plan to convert my old slides into digital files. I have done a lot on a good flatbed scanner; decent result (but not top) but quite time consuming and big files.
I have also done a lot by using my Eos 5D, Canon Macro 100/2,8, tripod, light table etc; decent result in quite short time and reasonable file sizes (raw). Major drawback is that I have to arrange the whole lot for each session (time consuming and lack of certain accuracy - see enclosed photo).

Therefore, does anybody have any experience of good slide duplicator to be put on Eos 5D and Macro 100/2,8 (diam 52 mm)? The ones I have seen seems to work only with small sensor sizes and close-up lenses, but I want to use my full format camera and only Macro lerns.
The German manufacturer Kaiser has a slide duplicator (#6506), but does it work with 5D and Macro lens alone? Any other brands available in Europe?

[Graeme]

Re: Slide duplicator for Eos

I cant see any reason why it wouldnt work (with the correct mount. As for alternatives, I believe Novoflex make an adaptor that fits onto their autobellow. But tha would be much more expensive, you could probably buy a dedicated slde/neg scanner for the price.

Graeme

[b.d.bop]

Re: Slide duplicator for Eos

Not sure if you ant to spend the money, nor how many slides you have to digitialize, but I bought the Nikon Coolscan 5000 and slide feeder and did about 20,000 slides beautifully.

It ran me about $1500 USD altogether, though, and that ain't cheap. But I sold the unit after I finished for about $1,000 on eBay, so not too bad for the "rental".

Just a thought.

Also, I salvaged some slides with that unit that you'd never believe could be saved, color fade-wise.

[Hans]

Re: Slide duplicator for Eos

Novoflex might be a good idea - although expensive (it costs more than 300 EUR where I live). It gives me more than 30 cm between sensor and slide which is needed for 1:1 repro.
A good dedicated film scanner is always an alternative, but scanning takes much longer time.

[Graeme]

Re: Slide duplicator for Eos

That seems far to cheep! Are you sure you have the whole cost, remember you haveto buy the auto-bellows as well.

Graeme

[Hans]

Re: Slide duplicator for Eos

Maybe it's too cheap. I figured out that one needed a Focusing Rail Standard and a Slide Duplicator. And that would be all. Together with Canon Macro lens 100/2,8 that should work without the Auto Bellows, don't you think?

[Graeme]

Re: Slide duplicator for Eos

I hadn't thought about it like that.
My slide duplicator was bundled with the autobellows when I bought it so I always thought they were linked. The duplicator mounts onto the front of the bellows via two long pin like arms which slide back into the upper rails of the bellows, there is a screw to lock it in place. This keeps the whole thing rigid and registered on the centre of the lens.

I also have the mini-castel focus rail which looks very similar to the rack arrangement below the autobellows. The hollow rack rails do accept the duplicator pins but the focus rack does not have a locking screw. Unfortunately thats where the experiment breaks down. The camera mounts on the rear of the auto bellows, however, naturally, it mounts on top of the focus rail. This being the case, the lens cannot line up (its well off the centre) with the duplicator attachment.
I have just tried the arrangement and I really think the autobellows is the only workable solution.

Graeme

[Graeme]

Re: Slide duplicator for Eos

Ooops! I have just been to the Novoflex website (only the German site was working) and it seems that they have completly changed their slide duplicator. Mine is a few years old now and it has a bellows between the back of the slide mount and the front of the lens....clearly no longer there on the current model!

[hotkeez]

Re: Slide duplicator for Eos

Amazon do a Canon eos fit slide copier, I think about �25. Having a large stock of slide, am considering buying one myself.

[hotkeez]

Re: Slide duplicator for Eos

correction, looking at the wrong thing, �68, or you can get a usb slide copier for �52

[nathanie.ramanaden]

Re: Slide duplicator for Eos

Look at Ebay where I have advertised the Ohnar Slide Duplicator. A very good device

[Hans]

Re: Slide duplicator for Eos

Yes, Ohnar Slide Duplicator seems to be a good choice. I read today about it in the Eos Magazine (Jan-March 2010) and it seems to work with fullsize cameras like Eos 5D.

However, it uses a lens of its own, which makes me somewhat suspicious as regards the image quality. If one could use a macro lens I think one should achieve a better image quality. But Ohnar might be the solution to my problem.
Hans

[felix reutter]

Re: Slide duplicator for Eos

Hi, - it might already be a little late as we have 2012 now, however, I found your earlier entries helpful - and me having been even a living example of not knowing about how to best digitize my old slides even today I thought this might be of help to someone.

What I now do is: Canon EOS Mk II with Canon 3.5 / 50 mm Macro (75� incl. extender, looks ok, ebay) on an old but nice, original Canon FL/FD Below including the original front mounted slide duplicator for the canon below. I was lucky as my dad had one. I bought a FD/FL - EOS adapter (without lense, 35�). The adapter fits nicey with ony little tolerancea, however, when mounting the Camera it is a little tight and the below modulaters are a little disturbing while mounting. I duplicated around 1000 slides so far. Biggest issue is dust. I use Aperture 11 (goes up to 32), as I found that sharpness suffered when going to higher numbers - diffraction??. I am producing jpeg only and feel that - so far - the quality of the output is determined by the (sometimes very poor) quality of up to 20 years old slides. Good, sharp slides (taken with my old Leica R) turned out to be very good, at least comparable to productions I made earlier with a Nikon scanner. I tried different light sources and ended up with a selfbuilt light table with does an ok job (neon light) . Reproducing slides is fast (0.2 - 4 seconds) and the nice thing is that within very short time you can produce small series with different exposure. Also very nice is the "life view" - magnification (5x and 10x) which makes it easy and precise to focus. When I am not using the camera as a scanner, I am mounting my old Leica R lenses with Novoflex adapter and I really love it. I enjoy the quality of the results, even when very little light is available. This is what I wanted to share with you, however, I have two questions also:

Yesterday during slide duplication I connected my Macbook Pro computer through USB cable to the EOS body. Maybe a little naive, however, I thought the Cameras energy supply would then come from the computer, and, maybe I could see the live image on the nice large computer screen... And, - pls. do not laugh - it did not work... :-) Have you tried something similar?? Any (simple) solution?? It would be so convenient and would give a more realistic view of the results at a time when you still have the slide in the duplicator.

Any help is welcomed!

BR, Felix

[Hans]

Re: Slide duplicator for Eos

Hi,
Glad to hear that the thread has helped you and that you have succeeded in getting good digital copies of your old slides. I tested different solutions in 2009, but I went to a conventional scanner solution. I never found a simple slide duplicator and my solution with a tripod etc was much too time consuming (alignment etc). And ... I never got rid of the dust! I also found that the copied slides had very high contrast (more than I could handle).
Now I use an Epson V-700 scanner (with ICE dust removal) and I scan 12 slides/hour. It is time consuming, but fortunately I don't have sit beside the scanner - it scans all 12 automatically. I have done approx 12000 so far!

I noted that you produce Jpegs only and I think you miss future possibilties of correction. By using Raw you will have all chances to make corrections, while Jpeg (e g only 24 bit RGB) gives you almost nothing. Canons CR2-file is a very compact and efficient format! And in Eos 5D Mk II (if I remember right) you can use a "reduced Raw-format", which still is more than enough for old slides. But Raw is far better than Jpeg!

I get DNG-files (Adobes raw format) with 48 bit RGB from my scanner and then by using Adobe Lightroom I have all chances to correct the old slides. After all necessary corrections I can easily produce Jpegs. And the "original" DNG remains the same all the time. Unfortunately the files are quite large, approx 34 MB/image at 2250 dpi (2-2.5 times as large as Canon CR2-files). And, yes, you are right, the quality of old slides are sometimes very poor (my oldest slides are more than 50 years old and taken with an ordinary camera) so 2250 dpi is enough in most cases (enough to produce a 20x30 cm print if necessary; 99% of my digitalized copies are to be seen on the TV screen, however).

Almost all lenses are at their sharpest at aperture 11-16, so I am not surprised about your experience.

Finally, I think you are on the right way as regards connecting your camera with the computer. If I remember right, there is a program delivered together with the camera that can be used. With Eos 5D you can only see the exposed picture, but with 5D Mk II you should be able to use the "Live View" option and see what you'll get on your laptop even before the exposure.

Interesting to hear your experiences! I wish Good luck and hope to hear from you.

Hans