Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Ian Young's Bulb Log - Feedback Forum => Topic started by: Lauren on October 30, 2008, 08:29:30 AM
-
Ian, thank you for your ingenious idea for digitalizing slides!! My father has been through the same thing as you, looking for a decent way to scan his slides. He has 100's from when he worked on the diamond mines in the 70's, and I can just imagine the memories that will be brought back by using your nifty invention. Thanks for sharing!
Lauren
-
Ian commented that crocus flowers need a bit of warmth to open as well as light. We bring them inside so they open and I have observed a flower opening at night when brought in to a warm room, so the light creates the warmth to open the flowers.
As for my C. niveus and laevigatus they are still in bud.
-
Ian,
Thank you for the additional notes concerning Sternbergia species.
You mentioned for S. greuteriana - ' seed pods bending down towards the gravel - a characteristic of this plant '.
I just observed the same with S. sicula 'Dodona Gold' - unfortunately something more to increase the confusion.
Do you have a key where the position of the seed pods is described?
Gerd
-
Gerd, Ian didn't mean by " seed pods bending down towards the gravel - a characteristic of this plant "... that this was a diagnostic.... simply that this is what HIS S. greuteriana do!
Yes, S. 'Dodona Gold' tends to do this too.... pehaps there is some S. greuteriana in the 'Dodona Gold'??
SO confusing, I agree!
-
Ian, My husband Barry is also working his way through thousands of old slides using a similar method. He reckons he can do 1000 per night with this setup. The slide is placed in a jig over a lightbox, the camera set up so that the picture taken is slightly smaller than the frame size to avoid having to crop. The slide jig needs to be seperated from the lightbox by a few centimetres or specks of dirt on the lightbox can show up on the photo. The camera is linked directly to the computer, which automatically numbers the photo to correspond with numbers previously written on the slides ( it can be told to start at a particular number and move on from there).
-
Positively high tech compared with Ian's set-up, Anne. Impressive about the computer link for numbering ...... 8)
-
Gosh... there's some smart and skilful people around on this forum... ::)
-
Gerd, Ian didn't mean by " seed pods bending down towards the gravel - a characteristic of this plant "... that this was a diagnostic.... simply that this is what HIS S. greuteriana do!
Yes, S. 'Dodona Gold' tends to do this too.... pehaps there is some S. greuteriana in the 'Dodona Gold'??
SO confusing, I agree!
Maggi - I never get seed pods on Sternbergias unless I hand-pollinate. On the few occasions I have done so the seed pods on all forms bend towards the ground.
I believe S. sicula 'Dodona Gold' is a clone derived from CH856 collected in N. Greece some 20 years ago. It seems unlikely that there is any S.greuteriana in it.
Ian - a wonderful set of photos showing the fascinating range of forms in Sternbergia. According to the RBG Kew Checklist, the name S. lutea subsp. sicula which you mention is the currently accepted name for S. sicula. Incidentally, the Checklist web site (http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/home.do) allows one to create a list of all the recorded names which have ever been applied to Sternbergias. The list is very long.
-
We've just had the pleasure of a surprise visit from Margaret and Henry Taylor....... they're confused by the Sternbergias, also ....so we're in good company!!
-
Maybe we should build a new subgroup - confused Sternbergia enthusiasts ??? ??? ???
Gerd
-
What a brilliantly simple wheeze to get those old slides on the computer.
Now I know how I will spend those long winter evenings. ;D
Thanks Ian.
John
-
I tried a couple of pictures of slides laid against the window this afternoon. It works but my results were poor, however, I can see how I can work with this to get acceptable results. I don't intend to get as detailed as Barry (Wright) but the winter afternoon seem shorter already!
-
I have an old slide viewer with a large screen which I tried to use as a light box. The light behind it is a single bulb and was still too focused on the slide. I have removed the diffuser and, with this against the window, would hope for more even lighting - if the fog ever lifts!
-
David the point is to use the natural light either difused through a white plastic screen or you can reflect the light from white card.
By having the camera fixed to the same piece of wood as the slide I can get away with working in very low light with long shutter speeds. In fact the best results are in low white cloudy conditions - direct sunshine should be avoided.
If you are using an artificial light source it is vital that it is completely difused and also that the correct white balance is set on the camera for the light source.
For me there is no better light than that supplied by nature.
-
It is important as Ian says to get the white balance right. Barry takes the photos in a CR2 format (something to do with his being a Canon camera ??? ) then the white balance is easy to adjust digitally using Zoombrowser software.
-
I did something similar a couple of years ago and just as Ian, I have surprisingly good results.
I used a cold light viewing screen. On of those you use when comparing slides.
I have that flat on the table. Then I made a holder where I could conveniently drop the slide in and that would block light not passing the slide.
The holder straddles the screen at a distance above so any specs on the screen are out of focus.
The contraption then carries a similar drop in holder for an old biggish lens (Heliar 30cm 1:4.5 for 24x30cm negatives) and a mount for the camera.
The advantage lies in the quick exchange of slides and in convenience since I do not have any fold down screen. The long focal length of the heliar gives me plenty of space to maneuver the slides but I must of course use the camera in telephoto mode.
Gravity can be a great help sometimes ;)
Unfortunately it does not work all that well with negatives. The negatives have a different gradation and further there is the orange mask. I have yet to find out how to process the images. mere conversion does not give sufficiently good results. My dedicated (= s---l----o----w >:( ) scanner handles these problems reasonably well.
Göte
(On request I could post a photo but we all have to use what bits and pieces that are available)
-
Yes, I agree that natural light is more diffuse and better than point source for this work. I have also found it safer for me to place the diffuser against the window than ask Carol to stand outside all day with a sheet of white paper :o
I have two further questions arising from this topic.
Anne tells us that Barry has his camera connected directly to computer, presumably his pictures appear on the screen as he takes them. I have always thought that I should be able to do this but never found out how. Any ideas?
Back in the old days photographers used to have their cameras mounted on a tri-pod and had a cable from the camers to a remote toggle switch so that they then don't have to disturb the camera again.Modern digitals don't seem to have this facility. Am I correct or is there a way to fit this up?
-
The remote release seems to have disappeared. For this type of work, the self timer can be useful.
Göte