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Realist format slide scanner?

Started Sep 8, 2014 | Questions
Realist Man New Member • Posts: 4
Realist format slide scanner?

I am looking to digitize my realist format slide collection without removing them from their frames.  Does anyone know of a scanner that I can use for this?  I've seen various scanners and they appear to only have jigs for other slide formats.

Has anyone scanned any slides with a relatively modern scanner?  Ideally I would like as high of an optical resolution as possible.

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Sailor Blue
Sailor Blue Forum Pro • Posts: 15,536
Re: Realist format slide scanner?
1

Realist Man wrote:

I am looking to digitize my realist format slide collection without removing them from their frames. Does anyone know of a scanner that I can use for this? I've seen various scanners and they appear to only have jigs for other slide formats.

Has anyone scanned any slides with a relatively modern scanner? Ideally I would like as high of an optical resolution as possible.

If you have a macro lens or close up rings you can take 1:1 images with a DSLR camera.  StereoPhotoMaker can do the alignment and combine the individual images if desired.

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Turbguy1
MOD Turbguy1 Senior Member • Posts: 1,467
Re: Realist format slide scanner?
1

I currently use a Canoscan 9000F. I do not remove the slides from the mounts, but lay the cleaned, mounted pair right on the platen and scan both chips at once. I scan at 4800 dpi setting, although the Canoscan is purported to scan at 9600 dpi (optical).

There is a workflow required to produce good results, and StereoPhotoMaker is part of it...

See the results here (at lower resolution, and in crosseye format...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/turbguy/sets/72157622321846829/#

All of these shots were taken with either an f3.5 or f2.8 Stereo Realist Camera made by David White Co.

In the 1970's, my neighbor's eyesight began to fail, so she sold me her f3.5 Stereo Realist so it could continue to see use. She used it VERY heavily for at least 20 years. I used it just as much for over 20 MORE years, until I upgraded to an f2.8 Stereo Realist. It still worked well when I sold it! The Realist is a very sturdy, simple camera. In a pinch, it also can be used as a weapon!

I couldn't afford slide film in those early years, so I fed it re-spooled B&W film, processed it myself, and made Holmes views in my "darkroom", seen here...

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/turbguy/4634280265/">www.flickr.com/photos/turbguy/4634280265/</a>

To produce a single antique Holmes (3.5&quot; x 7&quot;) card took about an hour (not including drying time). How things have changed!

I had produced HUNDREDS of negatives that I've never seen printed or made positive. A modern film scanner is changing that rapidly....

Slides and Negatives presented here were scanned with a CanoScan 8400F and 9000F scanner, cropped and re-aligned with StereoPhotoMaker, then tweaked (levels, curves and color balanced) and sharpened with Photoshop. Recently, I have discovered that even very dense negatives can be successfully scanned by fusing three scans at different exposures with Photomatix software.

The scanner can recognize dust and scratches on E6 films and &quot;removes&quot; them. Sometimes this produces small spot &quot;retinal rivalries&quot; as the software &quot;fills-in&quot; or clones the obscured image with extrapolated data from surrounding areas. Spots/scratches on black and white negatives cannot be detected and these remain in the displayed image.

The Stereo Realist can have some &quot;Quirks&quot;. Some users have called these quirks &quot;features&quot;! It was common to experience a small light leak on the right film chip using modern high speed (100 ISO) films due to an inadequated film door seal. These remain in some of these scans. Another is a slight difference in exposure between pairs. While the shutter is fully sychronized, the irises are not so precise. The scanner will pick up these slight exposure differences and some of this shows as &quot;retinal rivalries&quot; in the highlights (typically in clouds). The solution was to always set the lens aperture from one direction to compensate for very slight &quot;slack&quot; in the iris adjustment mechanism. An example of both &quot;features&quot; is here:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/turbguy/3949565494/in/set-72157622321846829/">www.flickr.com/photos/turbguy/3949565494/in/set-721576223...</a>

The f3.5 Realist lenses will vignette heavily when used at f16 or f22. Here's an example:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/turbguy/4468636702/in/set-72157622321846829/">www.flickr.com/photos/turbguy/4468636702/in/set-721576223...</a>

It's best to go no smaller than f11 to avoid vignetting. Some of this vignetting can be seen in the scans of early slides and negatives. The f2.8 lenses do NOT vignette at small apertures, and will produce superior photographic results overall.

For a great resource about the Realist, go to DrT's page here:

<a href="http://www.3drealist.com/" rel="nofollow">www.3drealist.com/</a>

All the images here are arranged for &quot;crosseye&quot; viewing.

You can use :

<a href="http://www.schillr.com/index.php5?n=1&amp;outputmode=parallel&amp;query=&amp;user=turbguy&amp;color=&amp;sort=" rel="nofollow">www.schillr.com/index.php5?n=1&amp;outputmode=parallel&amp;am...</a>

To see them in Parallel mode!

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threed123
threed123 Senior Member • Posts: 1,490
Re: Realist format slide scanner?

I currently use an Epson V700. I lay the mounted slides over the glass and block with cardboard. You have to mess with height adjustment as well. Once you have it figured out, the images are the best I've seen. Before this I used an Epson 4490, which did a reasonable job (see images below). I copied each image into a R and L image (Tiff or JPG). I then processed the resulting images in Corel Paint Shop Pro to remove dust, etc, and to improve the color/contrast etc. Then did a match up in Stereo Photo Maker. I did about 1000 like this. Took almost a year. I now want to redo them with the V700.

Here are a few examples in crosseyed view taken in early 70s and 80s. All on Kodachrome (they still look good after all these years). Dust is the biggest nemesis to good stereo, so it took a lot of work removing it. I don't use the dust removal algorithms that the scanners have as it removes image detail as well in my experience.

1970-Busch Gardens, CA

1972-Marineland, FL

72-Marineland, FL

1986-My 4-year-old son...cherish the picture--he's in his 30's now.

66GTO Veteran Member • Posts: 4,312
Re: Realist format slide scanner?

When I look at your scanned images they show being done with a Real3D camera. Did you shoot the scanned images with a Real3D or what am I missing ?

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threed123
threed123 Senior Member • Posts: 1,490
Re: Realist format slide scanner?

What the?????  I didn't notice that before. I used StereoPhotoMaker to create the side-by-side images, and it tagged along the Fuji W1 exif--from what I have to clue. These were definitely scanned Realist slide images by the Epson 4490 scanner.  Maybe the scanner attached an exif, but highly unlikely...a real head scratcher.

OP Realist Man New Member • Posts: 4
Re: Realist format slide scanner?

Much appreciated.   I am looking at my options.  I figure Scanning would be the easiest, but if a photo can be done I will try.

OP Realist Man New Member • Posts: 4
Re: Realist format slide scanner?

This may be what I am looking for.  I will possibly look into this scanner.

OP Realist Man New Member • Posts: 4
Re: Realist format slide scanner?

I noticed that the Epson V700 seems to be at the higher end of the scanner cost spectrum.  I am wondering if the quality matches the price.  How are your personal comparisons?

John Shuller New Member • Posts: 4
Re: Realist format slide scanner?

This is October 2017.  I am nearly 80 years old and have a fairly large collection of stereo slides made with one or the other of two Stereo Realist cameras.  Up to now viewing these has been largely limited to hand-held viewers and one person at a time.  I have seen a device that seems to be available now on the internet for viewing stereo pictures using an I-phone.  The problem is digitizing the original slides and making them available.  The examples I have seen on various websites look terrific, and can be viewed in 2-D (side by side) or 3-D if you have a viewing adapter.  I plan to leave the 3-D viewing up to any individual who sees my webpage, but I don't know how to scan the double images and make them available.  I own a Canoscan 9000F scanner. I see there is an updated 9000F available, but don't know if it is more flexible than the original or what it would cost to buy the new one.  Up to now, I have not been able to get my Canoscan 9000F to accept the stereo format.  What do I need--equipment and settings?  Can you tell me how to scan my pictures in today's technological environment?

Turbguy1
MOD Turbguy1 Senior Member • Posts: 1,467
Re: Realist format slide scanner?

If you have a Canoscan and a modern computer (less than 5 years old), you have the hardware. You will need StereoPhotoMaker freeware (Windows only), and a good photo editor (Infraview freeware works OK).

Step-by-step screenshots of my scanning workflow are here:

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/photo-3d/photos/albums/785295921

You will need to join this free Yahoo group to view them.

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John Shuller New Member • Posts: 4
Re: Realist format slide scanner?

I have just found your reply.  Thank you for your response.  I am a real novice when it comes to computers and stereo slide scanning, but I have a friend coming to my house tomorrow who I hope can take me a few steps further.  Stereo pictures taken with a Stereo Realist camera are wonderful.  Most of my collection is 50 years old now, and finding what is needed today is a challenge--but I am sure I don't have to tell you!  I hope he will be able to take your advice and put me in a position where I can begin digitally copying my slides.  Thanks again.  John Shuller

RealistGeek New Member • Posts: 1
Re: Realist format slide scanner?

I use a Nikon Coolscan V ED and an adapter that I made from a post I read a long time ago. View this link and go to the end to see the adapter that I have used to scan over 1500 slides. https://www.stereoscopy.com/isu/scanners.html

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