Advice on selecting a film scanner, please

[wjgreenall]

I would like to start digitising my old 35mm and 110 negatives. Does anyone have any experience of these and recommendations as to what to buy or otherwise?

[shreds]

Hi James,

Welcome to CiC if no one has said that already.

I am going to answer by asking you a question; what is your intended usage of the negs? You mention some were 110 size and others 35mm. Obviously enlarging anything will show the faults to a greater degree, and my experience of 110 is that quite often the cameras were cheap point and shoots with plastic lenses, so don't expect too much of them. On this basis even the best scanner in the world is not going to create anything better than the original.

The advantage we do have nowadays with software, is that some defects such as dust, scratches and colour casts can be fairly readily resolved.

Is it simply to have them digitally recorded for posterity, or are you going to be producing prints from them and if so to what size? Are you intending to selectively enlarge any?

There are a number of different types of scanner available, but let us know your intentions firstly.

[dje]

Hi James

I've used a Canon film and slide scanner CS9000F belonging to a club of which I'm a member. I was quite pleased with it but I'm not in a position to compare it with other models. It has a few different jigs for holding the source material. eg it can hold 2 strips of 6 x 35mm negs. I've been happy with the quality of scans of some negs that were about 10 years old. Obviously the quality of the negs has a fair influence on the final quality of the scanned image and one thing in particular is that the negs must be scrupulously clean (I used film cleaning fluid).

The machine comes with specialized software which makes it easy to use. This incororates some editing facilities including dust spec removal which works reasonably well but I prefer to use Photoshop.

It cost about $320 AU.

Dave

[wjgreenall]

Thanks for the response Ian. It is primarily to digitise the images for posterity and maybe produce small format (6"x4") prints. I would like to get the maximum quality possible out of the negatives but realise that you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear.

[jcuknz]

There seems to be a fair selection here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...ngJavascript=1
But I cannot see the one I bought locally which isn't anything particular but adequate to save getting prints made which wouldn't last any longer than the negatives I'd guess.

[davidedric]

You might find this thread helpful.

I've discovered a new skill: Making Digital Images from Slides

Dave

[shreds]

James,

Thank you so much for starting this thread. As a result I dug out a perfectly good Epson 4490 flatbed that had ceased to work after Apple and Microsoft changed their OS systems about 4 years ago.

(Cant recall the detail but it affected a lot of things including the Nikon Coolscans which were subsequently withdrawn from sale). I bought an inferior scanner for the office and ceased to scan slides/transparencies etc.

Time moves on and all the drivers are indeed available now and I now have a spare scanner, ok not as good as the Coolscans or 'blads, but then some of my old pics probably aren't up to the standards I maintain nowadays anyway. I shall try and find time to do a few more.

[tfoss]

I'm very happy with the Epson Perfection V700 photo. It will scan transparencies up to 8x10, so allows for batch scanning of negatives and slides. It has high enough res to do 8x10 prints from 35mm originals.

If you are doing a lot of scanning, I would suggest you purchase a second film/slide holder for the sizes you are scanning. Then you can let the scanner do one batch while you are loading the next batch. You need to really search the Epson support website to find the link to extra holders, but it's well worth the trouble.

[Donald]

Missed this thread previously, but .... I'm very happy with the Epson V500 that I bought recently and have been ploughing through my own and my sister-in-law's from Venezuela 40 years ago.