35mm macro lenses for slide copying

Then let's turn it back to an SLR thread . . .



Using Kodak Portra 400.

I have used a Nikon PB4 bellows and the 55mm Nikon f/3.5 and 55mm Nikon f/2.8. These give good results for digitizing and making copy negatives. As far as quality is concerned when digitizing the DSLR gives better results than a 4000dpi scanner. I don't think you will be disappointed in the lens for slide copying. You can get the same results without a bellows (which is how I started out to verify the idea could work well). With the Nikon 55mm lenses you need an extension tube to reach 1:1. You will also need to get a light source behind the slide. A light table would work well. I use a flash behind the slide with the diffusion plexiglass in the slide copy attachment. Then getting the whole setup parallel will be required. If you have many slides to copy a bellows with slide copy attachment is definitely the easiest and fastest way. Once setup I can "scan" or copy a whole roll in about 15 minutes.

I have lots of slides I would like to copy but have been delaying doing with my Nikon scanner. This seems like to perfect solution, as well as if I need to make a B&W print from either a slide. I have the Nikon set up already. Cool.

ic-racer said:

Looks like this is turning into a DSLR thread...

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Sorry about that, I actually use this setup mostly with my K1000 to copy many of thousands of old slides that I have shot over the years, some of them are posted here. Because many of my slides (color) are 40 plus years old and were often processed by labs other than Kodak, thus are fading; I am converting some of them to B&W film to save as many as possible. My setup works very well for this purpose, which is why I said to use a SLR with it. The equipment via ebay is cheap too. One computer crash and my digital photos are gone, but my film they will always be here.

Wayne

Too old to care said:

Sorry about that, I actually use this setup mostly with my K1000 to copy many of thousands of old slides that I have shot over the years, some of them are posted here. Because many of my slides (color) are 40 plus years old and were often processed by labs other than Kodak, thus are fading; I am converting some of them to B&W film to save as many as possible. My setup works very well for this purpose, which is why I said to use a SLR with it. The equipment via ebay is cheap too. One computer crash and my digital photos are gone, but my film they will always be here.

Wayne

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Wayne, make color separations and you can preserve the color as well. It'll take longer and use up three times as much film, but it may be worth it.

L Gebhardt said:

Wayne, make color separations and you can preserve the color as well. It'll take longer and use up three times as much film, but it may be worth it.

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Thanks, for the few that I really want to preserve the color I have been copying them with digital, the rest with B&W film.

Wayne