Re: Seattle Film Works Question

[Colin <colinmi@fast.net>]

Richard Clompus wrote:
> 
> Dear Fellow LUGnuts,
> 
> I am looking for an efficient and economical method of digitizing 35mm
> Ektachrome slides to use in PowerPoint lectures.  When I'm not seeing
> patients or photographing, I enjoy traveling and lecturing to other eye
> doctors.  It gets me out of the office without guilt and I enjoy the travel
> (with camera in hand).
> 
> I came accross some literature from Seattle Film Works where they will
> develop your E-6 film and then digitize the images for delivery as email
> over the Interent or by sending you a 3 1/2" floppy disk with the images on
> it.
> 
> Developing of a roll of 36 exposure Ektachrome is $ 7.95, pictures on a
> disk $ $5.95 and shipping  $3.45 priority mail.  Its seems rather
> reasonable compared to scanning the slides at a local shop at $5.00 per
> slide scan.
> 
> Anyone used this service in the U.S.?
> 
> Thanks for your response. It would seem silly to use a Leica to get the
> sharpest images and then skimp on the scanning service.  I have not tried
> their combination slide/print film.  I suspect it is the film used in the
> movie industry and question its permanence.
> 
> Richard
> ------------------------
> Richard Clompus,OD
> West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA

Richard,

I'm not familiar with Powerpoint, but if it requires greater resolution
than thumbnails on a normal computer monitor the Seattle scans probably
won't work for you.  If they can fit all 36 images on one floppy, they
must be very small files.  Even with JPEG compression I don't see how
they could fit more than 3 or four good quality screen images in 1.4 MB.
On a CD they could, but the price seems to low for that.  I'm not sure
what they're doing, but it does sound to good to be true.  My
recommendation would be to pick up a Nikon CoolScan and do it yourself.
They are easy to use and they work well, but of course, a couple of
years from now will be worth almost nothing, like all computer
equipment.

Have fun,

Colin