Light table recommendations

[PhilBurton]

I need a light table big enough to hold about 40 slides max, but not so big that it takes up too much desk space.

Color accuracy is moderately important, since the purpose is to cull bad slides before scanning.

If someone has a unit to sell, just send me a message.

Phil

 

[fs999]

Reflecta makes an A3 sized led light table for 140 € : https://reflecta.de/en/led-light-pads/470-reflecta-led-light-pad-a3-super-slim.html
You can find it on B&H for $210...

 

[Nitroplait]

I don't find color temperature data for the Reflecta in the link above. I would say that is essential information for photographic usage. Same information is lacking from most of the light tables listed on Amazon.

 

[lantau]

I have a Kaiser Slimlite Plano, the medium size I think. Looking at this Reflecta and some images I've seen elsewhere I believe this is an OEM design. Obviously a buyer can have it cosmetically customised, but in all likelihood it's the same inside.

I'm not too impressed with my Kaise. Illumination is from one side only and shows a light gradient. I also seem to have a slightly bad contact in the switch. I flickers occasionally. I'm also not impressed with the brightness and the glossy surface finish is sensitive and a dust magnet.

It is great, though, to look at a whole roll of slide film at once and as such perfect for the OPs use case. My E6 lab puts the film in endless sleeves and cuts it into strips of six (135) or three (120 6x6). So the dust issue is not that important. When I digitise they come out of the sleeve and are quite dustfree.

But for camera digitisation I use a previous generation Kaiser pad. A Slimlite LED. Mine is just big enough to fully iluminate a 4x5 sheet and has a non glossy surface. But they are discontinued. It's running on AAA batteries, while the newer ones have a build in Li-Ion battery.

 

[fs999]

I don't find color temperature data for the Reflecta in the link above. I would say that is essential information for photographic usage. Same information is lacking from most of the light tables listed on Amazon.

It seems that this lightpad has a color temperature of 13 300 K (measured by scandig.com)

There is also Kaiser producing a 5 000 K "Slimlight Plano" lightpad : http://www.kaiser-fototechnik.de/en/produkte/2_1_produktanzeige.asp?nr=2455
or the "Prolite scan SC" with 5 400 K : http://www.kaiser-fototechnik.de/en/produkte/2_1_produktanzeige.asp?nr=2493

Also a Wafer 2 at 6 000 K : https://www.daylight-lampen-leuchten.de/contents/de/p2727_lichtbox_leuchtplatte.html (in German)

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Here you go Phil.
https://www.amazon.com/Logan-Folding-Sorter-Slides-750485/dp/B00009V39N

 

[MattKing]

Here you go Phil.
https://www.amazon.com/Logan-Folding-Sorter-Slides-750485/dp/B00009V39N

These actually work well - particularly if you replace the bulb with a daylight LED one.
I got mine at a used camera show - it was cheap.
They show up on Craigslist from time to time.

 

[Nitroplait]

It seems that this lightpad has a color temperature of 13 300 K (measured by scandig.com)

Thanks. That confirmed my fears. Many cheap ones are above 10,000K which IMO isn’t acceptable.

 

[PhilBurton]

These actually work well - particularly if you replace the bulb with a daylight LED one.
I got mine at a used camera show - it was cheap.
They show up on Craigslist from time to time.

I had one once and got rid of it when the plastic turned yellow and cracked.

 

[PhilBurton]

Thanks. That confirmed my fears. Many cheap ones are above 10,000K which IMO isn’t acceptable.

I'm interested in the light table primarily as a first screen and culling process prior to doing scans or just to lay out an entire roll and see if there are any handwritten notes on the cardboard mounts.

 

[lantau]

I wrote above. As fs999 said, the Kaiser one is specified to be at 5000K. I just had a look at mine and it sais 5000K. The lit area is 9 in by just over 12.5 in. If you look at Kaisers US website kaiserfotous.com you'll find is as the 10.5"x15.5" model. That it the total size I'd think. I'm not going to measure mine right now. But the SKU of 202454 matches the label on mine (2454).

This one is great for having an entire 135 film with a few more than 36 frames on it. I'm talking about unmounted film strips of six frames each. Also an entire 120 film with 6x6 slides, three per strip. I don't use other 120 formats, but I'm sure 6.7 will be fine. Don't know how 6x9 is cut, so won't comment.

As I said in my previous post. I'd like it to be a bit brighter than it is, and the lights are at the top so there is a slight drop off towards the bottom. I don't use it as a backlight for digitisation for that reason. But for physically viewing a whole film roll of slides it is basically not perceivable. If you somewhat underexpose your film that older style model with 4x5 inch lit area will be better punching through that densitiy. But for realistic viewing comparable to projection this one might be spot on. Maybe the smaller 8x11in model of the slimlite plano is a bit brighter? But with this being the outer dimensions you'll have trouble getting a whole roll onto the lit area at once.

 

[MattKing]

I had one once and got rid of it when the plastic turned yellow and cracked.

The yellow makes Fuji slides look better.\
(ducks for cover).
Surprisingly, a colour cast in the plastic doesn't matter for these purposes - your eye and brain adapt.