copying slides

[P3D Elliott Swanson <e3d@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I use a government surplus Honeywell Repronar, but essentially, it's just
a Pentax with a bellows and a flash with a button for alternate
illumination during composition. I think a bellows 1:1 copier could be
made very inexpensively from Adorama or B&H Photo inventory. As has been
pointed out, keeping things clean is an issue, and stick to flash
duplicating film such as SO-366 or the Fuji duping film (the Fuji is only
sold in 100 foot rolls). If you're buying SO-366 in 36 exposure carts, buy
it by the brick, because you'll waste a roll or two getting the filter
pack built and corrected, and getting exposure values down. The next batch
you buy will be completely different in terms of the required filter pack,
and you'll have to do the setup all over again. 

I've tried quite a few options-- PKR, KR, EPX, etc, and nothing seems to
work as well re contrast as a film designed for copying. Shop for out of
date stock and freeze it to keep your costs down.

Stereo is unusual for most labs to deal with, so doing it yourself can
save hassle, and ultimately, will probably end up being less expensive
despite an initial outlay for a bellows set up for slide duping.

I often see such things sold very reasonably priced at camera shows.

--Elliott


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