Customer Reviews

Opteka HD² Slide Copier for Sony Alpha A100, A200, A230, A290, A330, A350, A380, A390, A500, A33, A55, A550, A700, A850, A900 55mm Digital SLR Camera

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This item is easy to use and works well. I've used this on about 500 slides so far and its allowed me a lot of control. I've decided to provide some info on how I do it to get the quality that I get from it in the simplest form. Other slides I have had to do more work to mostly from damage.

First I snap the photo pointing the camera at my computer screen with an all white background. For this I just leave notepad open. The settings I use are mostly in auto on my Sony A200. The first photo I let it auto focus and then adjust the zoom and the angle of the frame. From there I switch it to manual focus and as long as I keep it all steady I can just pop in a slide and shoot and all come out clean and straight. I also use a remote trigger release so all I have to do once setup is pop in the slide, snap the photo, remove the slide and I'm on to the next one.

From there I use a script I created in Photoshop CS4 to auto correct levels, contrast and color. For most of the slides this does the job just fine. Others need a little more work but most of the time this works and gets great results. So I can just download the photos, load the folder and run the auto corrections and I'm done.

That's just how I have done it and have gotten great results.

Opteka HD² Slide Copier for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Cameras]]
I have a thousand slides from the 70's to 80's that are never looked at in a slide projector. So ... I used the Opteka HD Side copier for the Sony Alpha cameras. The device screws onto the end of the camera lens with the help of an adapter. Slides are put in the holder one at a time, so it is very time consuming. The picture 1st must be set level with a twist of the converter, then just take the picture with the DSLR camera. The pictures came out equal if not better than the Originals. Amazing. Once you take one, if you are careful not to twist the adaptor, everything should be in focus for the next slide. I have done 200 slides so far in under 2 hours - I just loaded them from the camera to the computer and a few of the pictures I touched up (took out the blemishes from my youth. Ha ! I was more than satisfied with the results and saved a much of money in the process. The choice is yours $50 and some work, or several hundred $$$ from a camera shop developer at $.50 to $1.00 a pop. The only drawback is the set up, but it took a few tries to get the hang of it, but the results were professional.
Also do not over tighten the adapter to your lens or you will have a time getting it off. Hope this helps !

The slide copier works with 18-55mm lens at 55mm on Sony A33. The images are good quality. But slide doesn't take up the whole frame. I used a +2 close-up filter/lens on my 55-200mm lens so it would focus ok (can't without it) and I could zoom in to fill the viewfinder (about 70mm) or zoom more to crop the slide. The rotating end with the slide is stiff and have to hold the other end when aligning slide. This is cheap China plastic stuff. My slide duplicator from the 90's for film or full frame dslr's is metal and has a zoom built in to it, much better quality feeling. As stated this slide copier does work (don't expect much for $30), but has issues.

Very useful. The only caution is to shut off the auto-focus when use it. AF rotates the lenses and misalign the photo. Put a fixed focus and carefully pick-up the processed slide and replace for the next one, no new alignment is needed.

Have only had the chance to copy a few slides So far. If you're careful you get good results. The process is slow, but the copies are sharp and clear. Take your time when focusing. Would recommend

This device may not be capable of capturing scanner-quality images, but it is SO much faster than any slight decrease in photo quality is greatly overcome. I use my PC monitor with notepad or wordpad maximumized as the light source, set the camera and Opteka in front of it, adjust f-stop, shutter speed, and manual focus and start taking pictures...that is it, just a quick focus check when a new slide is inserted and take the shot. I am very pleased with this and I've been able to capture hundreds of old 35mm slides in a fraction of the time my scanner would take. This is well worth the money!

Image would not focus on my Sony A 55 when used per the instructions. I was able to get a fairly decent image (in focus) by adding a 12 mm extension ring. Due to the need to focus it is difficult to get the image horizontal as the turning to focus rotates the copier mechanism. I do not recommend this item at least for a Sony A 55.