Re: [APML]: Digitizing Slides. Help!

[patrickg@nosc.mil (Patrick W. Greenlee)]

>Another benefit to Snappy is that it will read an input image as B/W or
>color, and will read it as a positive or negative image.  So theoretically
>you could mount all of your film in slides and use this method to transfer
>them to graphics.  Or if your videocam focusses close enough (like mine),
>you could put negatives on a backlit display and take the images right
>from the 35mm film (although I expect this will yield less detail).
>

While working on a mini-documentery for a grad class in educational TV I
needed to get color and black and white slides into video quickly and
cheaply.  I aimed a Hi-8 camera up toward a white ceiling and placed the
slides one at a time on the lense's rubber flare guard and having good
close focus/macro capability... QED.  For better color I did light up the
ceiling with a pair of 500 watt halogen mechanic's work lights (45 degree
incidence on the lights, copy board style).  Worked most excelently.  I
thought I might have needed to make a dull black paper mask to exclude any
stray light from around the slide but experiments with my fingers showed no
improvement so I didn't bother.

Please provide more detail RE Snappy and companion software.  Sounds like a
budget concious substitute for some expensive and or time consuming
alternatives that would help a neophyte like me.

Patrick