19 April 2011

Converting slide/cine to digital in Canberra - any recommendations?

| grump
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I am cleaning up my mother’s estate and there are quite a few slides and cine films of the family growing up that I would like to preserve and get converted to digital media.

A quick search of the RiotACT shows nothing so I am asking the hive mind if anyone has experiences/recommendations of local business who do this sort of thing, costs etc.

thanks

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Lookout Smithers1:49 pm 25 Apr 11

The biggest challenge for archiving digital content is that they are not yet sure of what problems might come up in storage. A file might become corrupted or go missing. The NFSA last year were still grappling with how best to proceed. Film stock however doesn’t have that problem provided it was not made before some time in the 40s. It will hold its properties splendidly with that look you just cant get with anything else. I would look into film stock preservation and just have a digital copy for showing. If you want prints, Deluxe in Elsternwick, Melbourne can do it well and well priced.

creative_canberran said :

To some extent, it depends on the state of the slides and film.

For the slides, a place like Bica will do them for $4 each for a lower-res scan suitable for 4×6 prints. For true archival quality scans, expect upwards of $25/frame. If they’re in fare condition it’s more cost effective often to buy a scanner and do it yourself. A slide capable Canon flat bed for about $300 will do a good job for 35mm and medium format slides and can automatically do 4 in each scan. Dedicated units cost more but deliver better quality, depending on the condition of the originals.

Holly cow!! I’m going to start charging $4 per slide for my family!! That’s insane if you have a large number of slides!!

I can’t help with a recommendation, but I did see a business that does conversions to digital. I can’t remember what its called, I just saw it a couple of weeks ago while shopping for sugary delights at Flute Bakery. Its just opposite Flute, which is at 8 Barrier St in Fyshwick.

creative_canberran10:46 pm 19 Apr 11

To some extent, it depends on the state of the slides and film.

For the slides, a place like Bica will do them for $4 each for a lower-res scan suitable for 4×6 prints. For true archival quality scans, expect upwards of $25/frame. If they’re in fare condition it’s more cost effective often to buy a scanner and do it yourself. A slide capable Canon flat bed for about $300 will do a good job for 35mm and medium format slides and can automatically do 4 in each scan. Dedicated units cost more but deliver better quality, depending on the condition of the originals.

The film is more difficult and as troll-sniffer said, there’s some backyarders who do a poor job. Again, somewhat depends on the condition of the film. If it’s old film stock, then it will need far greater care and restoration work. The National Film and Sound Archive has one of the best labs in the country for this and they do take on work and enquiries from members of the public. Best bet is to talk to them first, see what their own service costs and if not suitable, they should be able to guide you in the right direction at least.

troll-sniffer6:21 pm 19 Apr 11

Slide scanners are available from goodly photo shops and electronics retailers, a google search should point you in the right direction.

As for the cine transfer, that’s a different matter. Plenty of backyarders offer conversion to video, the unfortunate fact is that most use barely adequate equipment. Flickering, poor exposure management and generally low fidelity are what you can expect from most non-professional setups. In order for a conversion to be the highest possible quality it needs to be done with a frame matching setup, as well as a broadcast quality camera to render the cine image (and it’s attendant scratches and dust) pin sharp.

I guess it depends on how much you value the end quality. If you find a lab that swears they’re up to the job, don’t get more than one reel done initially.

I had my old super eights done by a kiosk that opened up next to Foxy’s in Woden some twenty-odd years ago, it was equipped with a full broadcast camera linked to a proper frame synchronised projector and the results are still relatively stunning, VHS tapes notwithstanding.

I bought a slide/negative converter from Ted’s a few months ago to convert my Mum’s slides and negatives to digital for Christmas. I strongly suggest spending that little bit extra to get an auto feeder as after a while, clicking open, positioning medium, feeding through, clicking open, repeat, gets awefully tedious.

Also, don’t tell your family you’ve got one or they’ll be knocking on your door for you to put their’s onto CD for months

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