This manual covers general usage of the SlideSnap Pro rapid slide scanner. It is evolving with the SlideSnap and is subject to frequent updates. If you feel something is missing or have support questions please contact us.
For the latest updates and additions, visit our news feed
The latest SlideSnap model ( as of Feb 10th ) no longer looks exactly like the pictures in this manual. The primary difference being that we’ve done away with the lens shroud and Infrared transmitter. We are working to release updated materials including step by step videos. Stay tuned.
1.) What you’ll need
2.) Mounting your camera
3.) Camera settings
4.) Scanning
5.) Control panel menu options
6.) Maintenance
7.) Troubleshooting
What You’ll Need
- SlideSnap
- Supported Digital SLR ( Refer to spec sheet )
- Appropriate Lens (Refer to spec sheet)
- Shutter release cable ( included )
- 9/16″ Wrench
- 110v Outlet
- A clear workspace.
- About 30 minutes for initial setup / calibration.
First things first, Familiarize yourself with the general operation of the Kodak Carousel slide projector. You may find this original user manual helpful. (© Kodak Kodak_Projector_User_Manual). Ignore any parts relating to projecting / focusing / the halogen bulb.
Make sure that nothing is missing or was damaged during shipping.
Plug in your unit and power it on all the way. The power switch has two stages: the first powers on the fan and slide advance mechanism, and the second turns on the LED backlight and SlideSnap Pro control panel.
A SlideSnap Pro banner will scroll across the screen along with the installed firmware version number (check our software page to make sure you are up to date).
Familiarize yourself with the control panel and control dial. The menu settings are explained in detail here.
Attach a slide tray (with at least one slide) onto the top of the projector and load the slide into the hopper by pressing the advance slide button on the left of the face of the projector (with the arrow that faces to the right ).
Mounting Your Camera
This is the tricky part of the setup and it may take up to 20 minutes to get right, but once you’ve set set your camera height for the first time, it will be the last time unless you change your camera model.
You should see the illuminated slide when you peek through the lens shroud into the lens cavity on the right hand side of the SlideSnap. This is your target, and your goal is to center this image in the frame of your camera.
Make sure the focusing rail is attached to the platform as pictured. If your SlideSnap shipped with a Sima Quickonnect, mount that to the macro rail first, then mount your camera to the Quickonnect with the plate.
Before attaching your camera to the focusing rail, you will want to adjust the vertical position of the camera platform so that it is close enough that your lens will clear the bottom and top of the lens cavity. Start off by loosening the nuts at the top of the riser bolts a few turns.
Note: If your SlideSnap’s camera mount has wing nuts, then ignore the next two paragraphs and simply hand adjust the wing nuts to set the desired height.
The tall 3/8″ riser bolts will lower the platform when turned clockwise, and raise it when turned counter-clockwise from the bottom (the locknuts in the middle should never be loosened / tightened unless you are having difficulty turning the riser bolts or they are too loose ).
So as not to put too much stress on the threads of the camera platform, adjust one bolt slightly ( about 3 turns ) and then adjust the other the same amount of turns. When you are finished making adjustments, be sure to re-tighten the nuts on top of the riser bolts.
Initially frame the image so that the bottom of the image is slightly cropped off and horizontally level. After that, you can make micro height adjustments using the included “Lens Lifter” ( Not pictured. Threaded knob attached to focusing rail that raises and lowers front of lens. This is a new addition, if your SlideSnap did not ship with one, contact us and we’ll ship you one for free ).
Focus using a combination of your lenses focus ring and by moving the focusing rail in or out. Then tighten the locking pin on the focusing rail.
You can fill the frame with the slide if you’d like, but the safest method is to back the camera out a bit so your image has a slight (~5%) equal black border. Then, you can make the definitive crop in software on a larger screen later.
Prepare your camera to be triggered by the SlideSnap
Hardwire Cable: Simply plug the 1/8″ “headphone” end of your cable into the right side of the control panel, and the other end into your camera. You shouldn’t need to change any settings on your camera.
Camera Settings
Here are our suggestions, but every camera is different so don’t be afraid to experiment until you are satisfied with the outcome. Before proceeding, you should have a thorough understanding of the principles of photography, and how to operate the manual features of your camera ( Read the manual! ).
• Autofocus : Off ( Most camera’s won’t trigger properly otherwise, it would also add time between each shot )
• Resolution / Size : Your choice. Larger images will take longer for your camera to process.
• White Balance : Shade or Cloudy preset. You may want to fine tune your white balance as the backlights vary slightly from unit to unit.
• ISO : As low as possible ( i.e 100 ). The lower the number the less noise in the resulting image.
• Shooting Mode : Av / A (Aperture Priority) at an F-Stop of 8. Or M (Full manual) depending on your needs. If you are shooting manual, you want to meter off of a properly exposed image and choose your desired f-stop and shutter speed. Underexposed images will capture underexposed and vice versa. But if you shoot in aperture priority, your camera will attempt to compensate for the poorly exposed images. To avoid the risk of dark images causing excessively long shutter speeds, turn on auto ISO and a minimum shutter speed of 1/60.
• Liveview : Off. It’s great for calibrating camera position / focus but will slow down scanning considerably, so disable it when you begin a batch run.
• Flash : Off
• D-Lighting : If your camera supports it, it can help improve your image density. Choose Normal or Auto.
• EV / Exposure Compensation: 0 / None (Unless desired)
• Metering Mode : Evaluative / Matrix.
NOTE!: Due to the slight vibration caused by the SlideSnaps main motor, you must shoot with a shutter speed equal to or greater than 1/60″. Anything slower may result in a soft image.
Scanning
Your camera is positioned, the settings are ready, it’s time to digitize the entire tray. The SlideSnap’s scanning loop goes like this:
• Take Picture
• Delay ( Set using “d S” menu item )
• Advance Slide Tray
• Delay ( Set using “d A” menu item )
• Repeat
Option 1 | Continous Scan : Represented by the infinity animation on screen. Press the control dial to begin. The SlideSnap will begin automatically scanning and the display will count up from zero.
Option 2 | Specify Scan Amount : Turn the control dial clockwise to choose the amount of scans, then press the dial to begin the count down to zero.
If you have “Sens” enabled on the SlideSnap, it will automatically pause if it senses a blank slot or if a slide fails to drop. To continue scanning you will need to manually advance to the next slide and press the dial.
Control Panel Menu Options
When you turn the control dial to the left ( from the infinity animation ) you will find a few menu options.
Snap
Press the dial to trigger your camera once ( without advancing the slide tray ). Useful for testing if the SlideSnap is communicating with your camera properly, Also useful for scanning a single slide without bothering the camera.
Beep
Press to disable / enable the beeper on your SlideSnap. Useful for quiet environments. Indicated by a row of dots at the bottom of the screen ( dots on = beep on ).
Sens
Press to disable / enable the slide sensor. When enabled, your SlideSnap will require a slide be in the hopper to continue scanning.
d S
Delay after scan in milliseconds (ie 1000 = 1 second). Press dial then rotate to choose from a list of options, press again to confirm your choice. Allow enough time for your camera to shoot and save the image. Default is 500.
d A
Delay after tray advance in milliseconds. The carousel usually takes about one full second to complete an advance, so a setting larger than 1000 (1 second) is required. If you are shooting in aperture priority, allow extra time for your camera to meter the slide. 1500 is a good all around setting and is the default.
Odo
The Slidesnap’s odometer. When pressed, will display the total amount of cycles the SlideSnap has performed in it’s lifetime.
rSEt
Press to restore the SlideSnap settings to their factory defaults.
Maintenance
The SlideSnap has no duty cycle and should run day and night problem free with essentially no maintenance. You will find however, that dust likes to collect from all of the old slides. Use compressed air to occasionally clear dust out of the machine. More importantly, remove the lamp tray to wipe off all glass in the light path. ( the lamp tray is on the left side of the projector. It contains the LED backlight and has a power wire running to the control panel ) .
Troubleshooting
Slide Jam: Refer to Kodak_Projector_User_Manual
Camera not triggering: Disable camera’s autofocus. Check that the trigger cable is properly inserted. If using infrared triggering, ensure your camera is set to receive an infrared remote signal.
Camera mount loose / angling down: Loose bolts on camera mount, or locking thumbscrew on macro rail needs tightened.
“0000″ displayed on screen: Cycle power to unit ( turn off, turn on ).
Difficulty focusing on image: Ensure that you are using an appropriate lens. Liveview should be disabled when using autofocus.
Soft Image: Shutter speed should faster than or equal to 1/60″. Autofocus should be used on the first slide (with live view off) and then disabled. The slide film should be as parallel with your camera as possible.
Consistent grain / spotting on images: The optics of the backlight may be dirty. Unplug the cable from the control panel labeled “12v DC”, unroute it’s cable from the cable clips on the front of unit. Remove the backlight assembly and using a lint free cloth and lens cleaning solution wipe all glass in the light path.