Cheap arse vs. the lightbox

Although now most of my images tend to be digital, I still love the vibrancy of a good Velvia slide shot - especially for travel photography. In the absence of a scanner, getting a good look at the slides or negatives requires a lightbox - so if you want to save a few bucks, and the space, then try using your LCD monitor with a large white image/background on it. LCD screens are easily laid flat, you can adjust the colour balance as well, something you can't do with a normal lightbox.