Slides 2 PC slide scanner is a cheap, easy way to digitize forgotten memories
Ion Audio is now selling a USB 35mm slide digitizer called the Slides 2 PC. For less than $100, it digitizes each slide at a respectable (but not incredible) 5 megapixels. The whole process is painless: you simply push a slide into the box, push a button, and the slide is scanned in less than a second. There's even automated exposure and color balance.
I'm impressed. Sure, there's been plenty of slide scanners, but about seven years back, my mother purchased one of the first slide scanners to digitize boxes of old 35mm wafers, a childhood memory of frilly dresses, scotch-and-sodas and chain smoking fathers in shirt sleeves frozen in each. I don't remember the price, just that it was staggeringly expensive.
I wish this sort of consumer solution had been around back then, but surely, there's plenty of people like my mother with boxes of old slides in the closet. An affordable, painless slide scanner like the Ion Slides 2 PC is going to be the gateway to a lot of poignant memories of old friends, cherished pets and departed loved ones.
Slides 2 PC [Ion Audio via Everything USB]
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at my mom's school one of her co-workers bought a slide scanner and everyone used it (very carefully), and then she boxed it up and returned it. The images weren't that great (even eight years ago) and now my mom has slides from when her father died so this might make a good christmas gift.
Neat idea, but for those that don't mind a bit more handling there should be plenty of used Minolta Dimage scanners and similar with twice the resolution and up to get for the same price.
Something else I've thought about is the option to use a slide duplicator on a dSLR. I've seen pretty nice ones with zoom/crop function for $100 or so, and with my EOS 5D that might be a nice option to get quick digitization at a pretty decent resolution.
Okay another add to my Xmas/Birthday/Anniversary list for you and/or Dad. Haven't done all of the negatives from when you were a baby, and I could do with additional blackmail material (for Joel and Rob, if not myself).
It was a Minolta Diamge Scanner that I have. Think it was the second one I bought, it really doesn't like Vista, and it's hard to find the right drivers. Plus, for some unknown reason, the cable that worked great on my XP system, had to be changed for a much shorter one on my Vista laptop. And the transfer for the slides seemed to take forever, not including all of the times the holder stuck. If you don't position it just right it wouldn't move or would partially skip the first slide and start processing the last half of the first and part of the second. Could be I just got a klutzy Dimage, or that it's owner was a klutz, but if this is as easy as advertised I'd love one. But I really want the cane ice pick, or the boot ice tracks.