SlideSnap Pro
What slide formats can it scan?
Every slide in a standard 50 × 50 mm (2×2 in) mount: 35mm, half-frame, 110, 126 and 127. Pocket slides need the pocket slide adapter. 120 slides in 70 mm mounts don’t fit.
Will my camera and lens work?
Pick them on the product page and it shows the cable and thread adapter you need, or open the Camera & Lens Picker to compare every option. Any interchangeable-lens camera with a wired shutter release should work.
Does it remove dust?
There’s no infrared dust removal on camera scanners. Swipe slides through the DB60’s brushes before scanning, and SlideSnap Studio removes the small specks that remain. It also works on black and white film and Kodachrome. It paints over specks with the pixels around them, so check fine detail like text and power lines.
Are these used machines?
The slide mechanism is a restored Kodak Ektagraphic projector; everything else is new and built here.
How should the slides be prepared?
Load every slide in landscape, even if it was shot in portrait, to use the whole sensor. Keep the base (glossy side) of the film facing the camera, or the images will need mirroring afterward. Cardboard slides stored somewhere humid can curl and catch on the way out of the gate. Clearing a jam like that takes about 10 seconds.
What’s the scanning resolution?
It depends on your camera. A 24 MP camera gives about 4200 PPI on a 35mm slide. The sum is the sensor’s width in pixels divided by the frame’s width: 6000 px ÷ 1.42 in. Leaving room around the frame gives up 5–10% of that.
How do I get rid of the black borders?
SlideSnap Studio crops them automatically. Any image editor can do it by hand.
What maintenance does it need?
Wipe the backlight’s lens and your camera’s macro lens with a lens cloth now and then to keep dust out of your scans. Machines that start to show issues from heavy use can come in for a tune-up.
Can you retrofit a projector I already own?
All our equipment is built in advance, so no. But if yours is in good condition we may offer a trade-in credit. Send a clear, well-lit photo to support@slidesnap.com.
SlideSnap Strip
What film can it scan?
Unmounted 35mm, 120 (up to 6×7), 127, 126, APS and 110, negative or positive, as single frames, cut strips or whole rolls of 36 frames or less. It isn’t made for long rolls of movie film.
Is it fully automatic?
No, it’s semi-automatic and you stay with it. Hold a button on the remote to advance, let go to step in. The Strip moves and holds the film; you confirm each frame is centered. Skipping frame detection is what lets it take every format, at a few seconds a frame.
How short a strip can it feed?
A single frame. The continuous belt gate carries the film from end to end, so one loose negative feeds the same way as a full roll. Single 110 frames can take tweezers to load.
Does it scan 110 full frame?
The belt and guide crop 110 by up to 30%. The 110 full crop sled captures the whole frame, a little slower.
How fast is it in practice?
About 1–3 seconds per frame.
How do I convert negatives to positives?
With SlideSnap Studio, which is included. It converts a whole batch, color or black and white, then crops, straightens and removes dust. You can also use your own software, such as Negative Lab Pro.
Can it scan slides?
One at a time with the optional SlideGuide. For boxes of slides, the SlideSnap Pro runs 140 unattended.
What’s the scanning resolution?
A 24 MP camera gives about 4200 PPI on 35mm and about 1800 PPI on 120, where the film’s 56 mm height sets the limit. A 61 MP camera gives about 2900 PPI on 120.
General
Is scanning with a camera as good as a traditional film scanner?
For nearly all work, yes, and it’s far faster. A camera is a scanner in a different form: instead of moving a single line of pixels across the film, it captures the whole frame at once. With a macro lens, a 24 MP camera reaches about 4200 PPI on 35mm and a 61 MP camera about 6700 PPI, against 4000 PPI on a Nikon Coolscan. A traditional scanner takes 30 seconds to a few minutes per frame; a SlideSnap takes a few seconds or less. The one thing you give up is infrared dust detection, and SlideSnap Studio removes dust in software. Results depend on your camera and lens, so the Camera & Lens Picker shows which ones work well, and you can upgrade later without replacing the scanner.
Why not build my own, or buy a camera scanning kit?
Kits and copy stands leave you to buy the stand, light, film holder and adapters separately, work out which pieces fit together, align it all yourself, and move the film by hand. If something doesn’t work, you’re the one who has to figure out which part is at fault. A SlideSnap is one machine, designed as a whole, built and tested here. The camera mount, backlight, film handling and alignment kit are made to work together, the cables and SlideSnap Studio are included, and it advances the film for you, at up to 30 frames a minute. If you need help, there’s one place to call.
What’s the warranty?
One year or 100,000 scans, limited. If it breaks, we’ll fix it. We cover shipping one way; international buyers cover both. See warranty and returns.