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Thread: Film Scanner

  1. #1
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    Film Scanner

    I'm looking at getting back into pictures, with my old SLR camera. I was wondering if there are any film scanners you guys recommend to upload the pictures directly to my computer, rather than going to the local photo store and having them put them on a disc. Whenever they put them on a disc, quality seems to be god awful. Any help would be fantastic!


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    I have an Epson v700. I love it for an all around scanner. It takes all sizes of film and quality is great. But a dedicated 35mm scanner might be faster and better quality.

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    Realistically only 35mm is needed. Eveey camera I currently own or plan to own is 35mm.


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    Jeremy why don't you just go buy a DSLR instead of spending a bunch of money on film and a good scanner to digitize film -_______-
    Skip the middle man. You can add grain and other hipster features on photoshop.

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    Quote Originally Posted by GTRSv View Post
    Jeremy why don't you just go buy a DSLR instead of spending a bunch of money on film and a good scanner to digitize film -_______-
    Skip the middle man. You can add grain and other hipster features on photoshop.
    I don't feel like spending the money on a new camera... if the film scanner will cost any more than $150 for something decent, I won't do it.


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    A good film scanner costs ten times that much...

    If you're developing film, most places will make a set of JPEGs for you at the same time.

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    Quote Originally Posted by e24mpwr View Post
    A good film scanner costs ten times that much...

    If you're developing film, most places will make a set of JPEGs for you at the same time.
    Thanks for the honest aanswer, pretty much what I wanted to hear... now a stupid follow up question, what do they put these JPEGs on? Flash drive, disc, external hd, etc?


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    Quote Originally Posted by jeremy5000 View Post
    Thanks for the honest aanswer, pretty much what I wanted to hear... now a stupid follow up question, what do they put these JPEGs on? Flash drive, disc, external hd, etc?
    CD/DVD or a USB drive depending on who does it.

    Sent from my Nexus 4 using BF.com

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    Quote Originally Posted by e24mpwr View Post
    A good film scanner costs ten times that much...

    If you're developing film, most places will make a set of JPEGs for you at the same time.
    Not true. My epson v600 was around $175 IIRC. Great value, IMO.

    I think there was a thread on this topic a couple years back. Search fourside's username's threads. He had more knowledge on the subject and better used equipment suggestions for the budget conscious. I couldnt wait at the time and got a new V600.
    Last edited by cr2596; 12-13-2013 at 01:06 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by cr2596 View Post
    Not true. My epson v600 was around $175 IIRC. Great value, IMO.

    I think there was a thread on this topic a couple years back. Search fourside's username's threads. He had more knowledge on the subject and better used equipment suggestions for the budget conscious. I couldnt wait at the time and got a new V600.
    Fair, though you and I probably have different ideas of what "good" means. I'm sure the V600 would be great for what he's talking about.

  11. #11
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    The v600, I think, would be good for web quality and proofing. For 35mm film, though, I don't think the flatbeds are high quality. A coolscan is much more but also much better. I used my Epson 4990 for some 35mm film and although it did ok it certainly wasn't impressive. Wish there were cheaper options but getting everything you can out of film costs money. Comparisons:

    http://www.terrapinphoto.com/jmdavis/
    http://www.largeformatphotography.info/scan-comparison/
    Last edited by Zaitz; 12-13-2013 at 10:41 PM.

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    Yeah, I was thinking CoolScan as well Zach. Those things are amazing. I keep thinking I'm going to grab one and take a couple weeks off work to scan all my old negatives.

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    We just got an Imacon Flextight 848. Let me know if you have any images that you want extremely high quality scans of. I can get you a pretty decent deal.

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    Nikon Coolscan is the only way to go. I bought a Coolscan V ED for a little over $500 shipped. It resolves more detail than a flatbed ever will and digital ICE is a lifesaver. ANY dust at all will show up on your scans without it. There are a couple downsides with the coolscan, which I think apply to most dedicated film scanners: 1) the light source is very focused which makes dust and scratches far more noticeable than on a flatbed 2) The DOF is very shallow. If the film has a curve to it, part of the scan will be out-of-focus. Flatbeds seem to get more in focus, plus it's possible to force the film to sit right on the glass. There are few other notes worth mentioning too - if you scan B&W, don't bother with digital ICE because it doesn't work on B&W film. You might as well buy an old, high end film scanner without the digital ICE. These old units still produce excellent scans and can be had very cheaply. If you scan Kodak Kodachrome, it is a very similar film to B&W. There are several challenges with Kodachrome because of this: 1) Digital ICE doesn't work correctly on Kodachrome films, except on the Coolscan 9000. Digital ICE works "OK" on my Coolscan V, but it will interpret parts of the image as scratches at times. It still looks better than a bunch of dust... 2) Kodachrome is a very dense film. My Coolscan V does not like to scan underexposed slides at all. All the dark regions come out noisy and lack detail. Color management is also a real challenge.

    One thing to keep in mind is that there's a limit to the resolution you can resolve on a dry scan. If you want the ultimate level of detail in your scan, you'll need to have the film drum scanned.

    Here's an example of a negative scan from some junk 35mm I have laying around:


    Full res: http://i.imgur.com/LqqOLNt.jpg
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    Quote Originally Posted by PeterHall View Post
    I have an Epson v700. I love it for an all around scanner. It takes all sizes of film and quality is great. But a dedicated 35mm scanner might be faster and better quality.
    I use an Epson Perfection V800 that I got based on this article https://www.paramountind.com/best-photo-scanner/ and it worked wonders for the past year. I have a hobby of restoring old photos that earn me some side money, and it was a good investment. Still, it costed kinda much, and it is nowhere near the 150$ OP wants lol. Buying such scanners should be only for one thing, and that is hobby or work, that's all, because the price stings.

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