I bypassed all of that and had my slides scanned professionally. It costs 0.35 € each (about 52 cents due to the devaluation of the dollar). Some of my slides have been posted here on this forum, and the only thing I can see wrong is dust on the slide and a black shadow on the top edge of the photo. The dust can be eliminated by me -- simple cleaning before taking it to the photo shop, and the black shadow can be cropped out after I get it back. For me, it's a win-win deal. I just cannot see myself going down to buy a slide scanner and paying big, big bucks scanning 3/4 or side shots of 1940-era boxcars. If you have a million slides, I guess it'll be worth it it. But in my experience, one in 50 is excellent, the rest are just OK. As time and cash permit, 03.9 € each is no big deal. A hundred slides for $52, that's my way.