Finally getting around to sorting through “stuff” stored in boxes for years, which has been inherited from my father’s entire side of the family. He was an only child and I have 2 brothers, who are not interested in it. My children may become interested one day.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of old slides to scan. Can I use a Canon MX850 printer/scanner/copier to scan them, or do I need a dedicated slide scanner?

There are many films (reels/mini camcorder type/VHS) which I would like to store in digital format. A couple of years ago I looked into having this done by a company that does it, but it’s very expensive. As I don’t even know what is on most of these films, I would prefer to convert them myself. How can I do it?

There are hundreds of letters from the 1930’s-1950’s, in envelopes. Some of them are of some interest, so I will probably scan them all. What about the envelopes?

There are old postage stamp and coin collections, which I don’t want to keep. How do I go about finding if they are of value?

Of course, there are hundreds of old photos too, most in albums.

I have two new WD 1TB (My Passport Ultra) external storage devices which I intend to use for storage, with one as a back-up for the other.

Speedy said:

Finally getting around to sorting through “stuff” stored in boxes for years, which has been inherited from my father’s entire side of the family. He was an only child and I have 2 brothers, who are not interested in it. My children may become interested one day.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of old slides to scan. Can I use a Canon MX850 printer/scanner/copier to scan them, or do I need a dedicated slide scanner?

There are many films (reels/mini camcorder type/VHS) which I would like to store in digital format. A couple of years ago I looked into having this done by a company that does it, but it’s very expensive. As I don’t even know what is on most of these films, I would prefer to convert them myself. How can I do it?

There are hundreds of letters from the 1930’s-1950’s, in envelopes. Some of them are of some interest, so I will probably scan them all. What about the envelopes?

There are old postage stamp and coin collections, which I don’t want to keep. How do I go about finding if they are of value?

Of course, there are hundreds of old photos too, most in albums.

I have two new WD 1TB (My Passport Ultra) external storage devices which I intend to use for storage, with one as a back-up for the other.

For the films you’ll need equipment, which may be more expensive than paying someone to do it. Where’s Pr0nlord when ‘e would be useful…

phew, I thought this might have been about euthanasia.

Yeah, we only kept Granny for 90 years.

Speedy said:

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of old slides to scan. Can I use a Canon MX850 printer/scanner/copier to scan them, or do I need a dedicated slide scanner?

From what I can tell about the MX850, it’s a reflective scanner, so you can’t scan slides with it. To scan slides you need a scanner with a light in the lid; there are plenty of scanners available with both sheet and slide capacity; all the ones I’ve looked at have inserts to allow multiple slides to be scanned at once. I’d offer to do it for you, but both mine are in storage.

Speedy said:

There are many films (reels/mini camcorder type/VHS) which I would like to store in digital format. A couple of years ago I looked into having this done by a company that does it, but it’s very expensive. As I don’t even know what is on most of these films, I would prefer to convert them myself. How can I do it?

Converting films requires specialist equipment: there are devices that house the entire optical train to make it rather simple, but they are expensive. I’ve used a prism-like device that allowed a projector to show the film on one screen, and a video camera to record the resulting image from a different screen. I was working for an AV company when I did that, and haven’t seen another since. Another method I’ve used was to use a high-quality video camera to record the image projected onto a normal screen. This produced a good, but not exceptional result. Alternatively, you could scan the films frame-by-frame. This is slow and tedious work, but produces excellent results. That’s how Disney digitised all its early animated films (like Bambi and Snow White.)

The videotaped stuff will need a specific machine suitable to play them; you may have one, but if not they’re getting hard to get. The output needs to be adapted for the computer. There are TV/video cards available for computers, which offer video interfaces to video players and digital cameras.

Speedy said:

There are hundreds of letters from the 1930’s-1950’s, in envelopes. Some of them are of some interest, so I will probably scan them all. What about the envelopes?

That’s really a matter for yourself. I would, and I’d try to keep the originals, but I’d try to preserve the whole collection.

Speedy said:

There are old postage stamp and coin collections, which I don’t want to keep. How do I go about finding if they are of value?

Take them to a reputable stamp and coin collector. The best are probably in a regional population centre, like Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, or Melbourne; find one close to you. If you wanted to take the time, there are online numismatics and philatelics sites (coin- and stamp-collecting, respectively) sites, and you could go through piece-by-piece for yourself. It would be time consuming, but you might find it rewarding.

Speedy said:

Of course, there are hundreds of old photos too, most in albums.

If you haven’t scanned photos before, you’ll probably find you’ll need to tweak them after you’ve scanned them. That, too, can be time consuming, and requires image-editing software like Photoshop or gimp. I use the gimp, largely because Adobe require an annual subscription to use their software, and you can only use it online. And gimp is free.

Speedy said:

I have two new WD 1TB (My Passport Ultra) external storage devices which I intend to use for storage, with one as a back-up for the other.

Depending on how much you value them, I’d also consider looking at online storage. If you’ve got a gmail account, you can store a reasonably large number fo files by attaching them to emails to yourself. When I do this I encrypt them first, but that’s up to you.

I not only have hundreds of photos from my Dad’s side of the family, I’ve still got Dad himself in a suitcase in the sunroom. Package of ashes waiting to be scattered. The older sister has Mum in a wardrobe somewhere.

In the Sydney markets there used to be a stall, probably from estate sales, of boxes of photographs all catalogued. I used to flick through the car and bike ones. So many people posing proudly with their vehicle.

AwesomeO said:

In the Sydney markets there used to be a stall, probably from estate sales, of boxes of photographs all catalogued. I used to flick through the car and bike ones. So many people posing proudly with their vehicle.

Always a bit sad when these fondly snapped memories are no longer remembered by anyone.

Bubblecar said:

AwesomeO said:

In the Sydney markets there used to be a stall, probably from estate sales, of boxes of photographs all catalogued. I used to flick through the car and bike ones. So many people posing proudly with their vehicle.

Always a bit sad when these fondly snapped memories are no longer remembered by anyone.

It is.

Bubblecar said:

AwesomeO said:

In the Sydney markets there used to be a stall, probably from estate sales, of boxes of photographs all catalogued. I used to flick through the car and bike ones. So many people posing proudly with their vehicle.

Always a bit sad when these fondly snapped memories are no longer remembered by anyone.

But they are. Your (ir)regular postings of old photos from Shorpy demonstrate that.

btm said:

But they are. Your (ir)regular postings of old photos from Shorpy demonstrate that.

They’re certainly still appreciated, yes. But no longer by people who knew the subjects as individuals and shared their life & times.

It is better that they get sold than end up in a tip. Some of the older catalogues earn some good money. It is funny what time will add to what were probably daggy old family tourist and holiday snaps.

I know there are some great photos in my family, a railway driving grandad, some of what looks like Zimbabwe and a church in Scotland with arches made from whale ribs.

btm said:

Speedy said:

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of old slides to scan. Can I use a Canon MX850 printer/scanner/copier to scan them, or do I need a dedicated slide scanner?

From what I can tell about the MX850, it’s a reflective scanner, so you can’t scan slides with it. To scan slides you need a scanner with a light in the lid; there are plenty of scanners available with both sheet and slide capacity; all the ones I’ve looked at have inserts to allow multiple slides to be scanned at once. I’d offer to do it for you, but both mine are in storage.

MX850 definitely does not have a light in the lid. I’m thinking something like this will do the job instead

http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/kaiser-baas-photomaker-slide-and-negative-scanner-kbphotscan?searchTerm=slide%20scanner

btm said:

Speedy said:

There are many films (reels/mini camcorder type/VHS) which I would like to store in digital format. A couple of years ago I looked into having this done by a company that does it, but it’s very expensive. As I don’t even know what is on most of these films, I would prefer to convert them myself. How can I do it?

Converting films requires specialist equipment: there are devices that house the entire optical train to make it rather simple, but they are expensive. I’ve used a prism-like device that allowed a projector to show the film on one screen, and a video camera to record the resulting image from a different screen. I was working for an AV company when I did that, and haven’t seen another since. Another method I’ve used was to use a high-quality video camera to record the image projected onto a normal screen. This produced a good, but not exceptional result. Alternatively, you could scan the films frame-by-frame. This is slow and tedious work, but produces excellent results. That’s how Disney digitised all its early animated films (like Bambi and Snow White.)

The videotaped stuff will need a specific machine suitable to play them; you may have one, but if not they’re getting hard to get. The output needs to be adapted for the computer. There are TV/video cards available for computers, which offer video interfaces to video players and digital cameras.

This is by far the most difficult task. The result, however, does not need to be of exceptional quality. I will look into buying the players to project the images onto a screen and record with my normal camera. Surely, someone I know must have a VHS player. When I find one, are you saying that I can plug it straight into my computer if I have one of these TV/Video cards (and the right cable to connect them)?

Speedy said:

MX850 definitely does not have a light in the lid. I’m thinking something like this will do the job instead

http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/kaiser-baas-photomaker-slide-and-negative-scanner-kbphotscan?searchTerm=slide%20scanner

That one looks adequate, although its resolution is a little low.

btm said:

Take them to a reputable stamp and coin collector. The best are probably in a regional population centre, like Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, or Melbourne; find one close to you. If you wanted to take the time, there are online numismatics and philatelics sites (coin- and stamp-collecting, respectively) sites, and you could go through piece-by-piece for yourself. It would be time consuming, but you might find it rewarding.

I’m in Sydney so this should be easy. It helps to know what they call themselves. As you say, there could be a bit of fun to be had with this, so I may leave that box until last.

For stamps etc a fail safe would be to take a photo and put it on eBay, that way you know you are getting a fair price. A dealer might flock through your gear and spot something valuable and forget to tell you. Not all all but there is a temptation. Plus he has to make a profit as well.

If there are a lot of stamps you could display 10 at a time on a white piece of paper, the stamp nuts will be sure to spot something desirable and bid accordingly.

Speedy said:

This is by far the most difficult task. The result, however, does not need to be of exceptional quality. I will look into buying the players to project the images onto a screen and record with my normal camera. Surely, someone I know must have a VHS player. When I find one, are you saying that I can plug it straight into my computer if I have one of these TV/Video cards (and the right cable to connect them)?

Yes. I’ve done just this, although the computer with that card in it is in storage. Have a look at staticice to find one at a reasonable price and close to you. The kind of video input socket on it will depend on the output of the VCR; mine was stereo sound and composite video (this is most common, but you can also get HDMI and DVI interfaces.)

btm said:

Speedy said:

Of course, there are hundreds of old photos too, most in albums.

If you haven’t scanned photos before, you’ll probably find you’ll need to tweak them after you’ve scanned them. That, too, can be time consuming, and requires image-editing software like Photoshop or gimp. I use the gimp, largely because Adobe require an annual subscription to use their software, and you can only use it online. And gimp is free.

Yes, I will just scan these using the Canon MX850 and go from there.

btm said:

Speedy said:

I have two new WD 1TB (My Passport Ultra) external storage devices which I intend to use for storage, with one as a back-up for the other.

Depending on how much you value them, I’d also consider looking at online storage. If you’ve got a gmail account, you can store a reasonably large number fo files by attaching them to emails to yourself. When I do this I encrypt them first, but that’s up to you.

I do have a Dropbox subscription (as well as PS and ACDSee software) so will see what I end up with first.

Thanks btm for your comments. This is exactly what I needed to find direction with this (much dreaded and delayed) project. I’m sure I’ll have more questions as I go, but I should soon be well on my way to getting those 8 big plastic boxes of “stuff” out of my dining room :)

btm said:

Speedy said:

MX850 definitely does not have a light in the lid. I’m thinking something like this will do the job instead

http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/kaiser-baas-photomaker-slide-and-negative-scanner-kbphotscan?searchTerm=slide%20scanner

That one looks adequate, although its resolution is a little low.

What resolution would you recommend, as a minimum?

I don’t have any slides to scan but do have lots and lots of photos. I bought a good quality scanner for the job over a decade ago, but still haven’t done many at all. As btm says, each photo can take a lot of time if you want a really good image for your efforts. I’ll have to get into the habit of doing a few each week.

AwesomeO said:

For stamps etc a fail safe would be to take a photo and put it on eBay, that way you know you are getting a fair price. A dealer might flock through your gear and spot something valuable and forget to tell you. Not all all but there is a temptation. Plus he has to make a profit as well.

If there are a lot of stamps you could display 10 at a time on a white piece of paper, the stamp nuts will be sure to spot something desirable and bid accordingly.

I’ve heard about these dealers. I guess eBay auction could be a better way. They are easy to send to a buyer overseas if necessary.

You can look up each stamp and it’s value on the net yourself anyway.

Bubblecar said:

I don’t have any slides to scan but do have lots and lots of photos. I bought a good quality scanner for the job over a decade ago, but still haven’t done many at all. As btm says, each photo can take a lot of time if you want a really good image for your efforts. I’ll have to get into the habit of doing a few each week.

Yes. Divide and conquer. That’s my intention too.

Speedy said:

btm said:

Speedy said:

MX850 definitely does not have a light in the lid. I’m thinking something like this will do the job instead

http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/kaiser-baas-photomaker-slide-and-negative-scanner-kbphotscan?searchTerm=slide%20scanner

That one looks adequate, although its resolution is a little low.

What resolution would you recommend, as a minimum?

My scanners do 2400 and 3600 optical. You only need resolutions like that for high-quality reproductions; it really depends on what you want to do with them. Online images (eg for websites) tend to be about 72dpi.

Bubblecar said:

I not only have hundreds of photos from my Dad’s side of the family, I’ve still got Dad himself in a suitcase in the sunroom. Package of ashes waiting to be scattered. The older sister has Mum in a wardrobe somewhere.

You might need to get to that one day. A pleasant “family” outing?

When my grandfather died, my father came for the funeral and took off overseas again. I kept the ashes here at home, thinking they could wait until my dad returned to scatter them himself. When he did return 3 years later, he was horrified to find that I’d kept them inside the house for so long, and got to it himself very, very quickly.

When he died, I think I scattered his ashes within a fortnight or so of his funeral (and this involved a holiday/extended drive to get to the right place). It was better than him haunting me at home ;)

scanned all my photos ten+ years back, did M&D’s, also only uncle on dad’s side, me grandpa’s. Grandpa had some work account books of his father’s, copied them, put all on discs gave someone else copy in case mine got damaged or lost. Lot of work all was, lot of photos. Scanned them at highest resolution that was available on scanner had at the time.

btm said:

Speedy said:

btm said:

That one looks adequate, although its resolution is a little low.

What resolution would you recommend, as a minimum?

My scanners do 2400 and 3600 optical. You only need resolutions like that for high-quality reproductions; it really depends on what you want to do with them. Online images (eg for websites) tend to be about 72dpi.

This one is better? It has scan quality listed with different values.

I am our familys relic.

Have a chat to your local historical society – or the one near where your father’s family lived, if it’s not the same. They may be interested in (some of) the photos and letters.

Similarly, the State Library could also be interested.

The Canon MX850 is the very work of Satan himself. Even if scanning slides was an advertised feature, it probably wouldn’t work when you wanted it to anyhow.

AussieDJ said:

Have a chat to your local historical society – or the one near where your father’s family lived, if it’s not the same. They may be interested in (some of) the photos and letters.

Similarly, the State Library could also be interested.

Yes. There could be some items of interest.

party_pants said:

The Canon MX850 is the very work of Satan himself. Even if scanning slides was an advertised feature, it probably wouldn’t work when you wanted it to anyhow.

You obviously don’t know how to use yours :)

Speedy said:

party_pants said:

The Canon MX850 is the very work of Satan himself. Even if scanning slides was an advertised feature, it probably wouldn’t work when you wanted it to anyhow.

You obviously don’t know how to use yours :)

I use one at work on a daily basis.

party_pants said:

Speedy said:

party_pants said:

The Canon MX850 is the very work of Satan himself. Even if scanning slides was an advertised feature, it probably wouldn’t work when you wanted it to anyhow.

You obviously don’t know how to use yours :)

I use one at work on a daily basis.

I am sorry pp. I didn’t think they were made for anything more than a home office.

Speedy said:

party_pants said:

Speedy said:

You obviously don’t know how to use yours :)

I use one at work on a daily basis.

I am sorry pp. I didn’t think they were made for anything more than a home office.

Kinda how I acquired it. One of the people we employed worked from home. When he left he handed back all his gear. When my old printer died I took over his old MX850 instead of buying a new one.

Generic ink cartridges are cheap as chips though.

> There are hundreds, if not thousands, of old slides to scan. Can I use a Canon MX850 printer/scanner/copier to scan them, or do I need a dedicated slide scanner?

I agree with comments above. My brother-in-law hired a dedicated slide scanner to go through all his.

Tau.Neutrino said:

SCIENCE said:

dv said:

Is there a term for someone who shares grandchildren with you? Or who is a parent-in-law of one of your kids? Seems like that should have a term.

What’s the term for someone who shares children with someone¿

Would this help?

Families and family composition
https://aifs.gov.au/research/facts-and-figures/families-and-family-composition

American version ?

https://pophealthmetrics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12963-015-0038-0

Family structure is measured categorically as: married couple (referent), cohabiting couple, single mother, single father, extended married couple (including married parents and at least one grandparent), extended cohabiting couple, extended single mother, extended single father, and skipped generation (including at least one grandparent but no parents). We exclude the 0.002% of children who do not live with grandparents or parents because the NHIS provides scant information about those family structures. The NHIS does not distinguish among adopted, step, or biological children.

Thanks.