photo scanning and 8mm film transfer

[lordhutt]

I know this has been asked here before but since new models are always coming out I will ask again.

I am trying to decide on a scanner to but to scan a large amount of photos...probably about 1000.
I want high quality scans. From what I have read it seems that you will get better quality scanning the negatives instead of the photos. However, since I don't have negatives for all my pictures I will need to scan both.

There are many scanners out there that advertise great quality photo scanning for as low as $200. But then there others out there in the $500-800 range like the EpsonV750mPRO and the HPSJ8300.
Is there really going to be that much of a noticeable difference to the average person between a $200 and a $700 scanner?....I mean I can't tell the difference between my .flac and .mp3 files and I don't think I notice any difference between a dvd played on a progressive scan dvd player and an HDTV picture....so will I really notice any difference if I buy a really expensive scanner?

Also, I know there are many ways to transfer 8mm film. It's seems that the 'best' way require some really expensive equipment.
Is there any type of scanner out there that can scan each frame one at time...or maybe an adapter of some sort that can be used with a regular scanner.
I know there are places that I can send it to have it done but I have quite a lot of film so it would probably be quite pricey...and I think it would just be fun to do it myself.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...or even some links that are not outdated...many of the links and articles I have found are 5-10 years old.

Anyone here ever buy the book from scantips.com? Is it worth the $25?

lordsmurf wrote....Flatbed scanner do a terrible job of scanning slides. I mean just rotten, awful, crap quality. Only use those for scanning paperwork, such as printed photos.

If you want to scan slides, get a film/slide scanner.

Even the very expensive scanners??...Does that go for negatives as well...I am assuming slides and negatives are basically the same thing.
You said film/slide scanner...does this mean there is a scanner that can scan 8mm film...it seems the Coolscan machines you linked are for 35mm only?

Thanks,
Andy

[ahhaa]

ls can sometimes overstate the situation...

some scanners come with the ability to do slides/negs... its not really the scanner but the software- (even 16 million colors doesn't seem to be enough to prevent 'banding' in a gradual gradient sky).

time is the real issue- are you going to enjoy tweaking all 1000 of those photos? or are there just some who nobody but you can tweak?

I'd recommend getting in touch with someone like one of your 'local newspaper' photographers and getting their advice/demo on the level of gear that suits your needs.

One more option: on the newest macro cameras, like the $800 Sony Alpha, you can get or make a slide/neg copying adapter that would give you far more capability than a consumer level scanner would.

On the 8mm Q, you are far better off using a commercial service- then you have somebody to complain to!:]

[ozymango]

I've got an Epson Perfection 3200 PHOTO that I got a few years back for about $300, it's a flatbed scanner with carriers for 35mm slide and neg, and 4x6 slide/neg, and for the money I absolutely love it. I've scanned thousands of photos (prints, slides, negs), and between the Epson software (pretty decent for basic use) and the included Silverfast SE (extremely nice but a bit slower and with a steeper learning curve), it's a very solid scanner.

I know it's discontinued but I'd definitely recommend a flatbed scanner w/slide-neg ability as a viable option. Personally I wouldn't spend for anything more than 3600dpi for a flatbed, just because even the really pricey flatbeds w/neg-slide capablity don't deliver enough (for me) detail above 3600dpi to justify their cost -- for the money, I'd go for a separate slide/neg scanner (Nikon Coolpix) and a basic flatbed scanner.

In either case, sitting down and scanning a thousand prints/slide/negs and tweaking them to get them just how you like and then organizing and archiving them ... having been there-done that, I wish you all the best!!!

[thecoalman]

I haven't looked recently but the better scanners have digital ice which is dust, scratch etc removal done through hardware which is supposed to work very well. If you ever done scans , especially from negatives you'll know this is big problem no matter how many cans of air you buy. Probably much faster and some of them are autonated.

Also, I know there are many ways to transfer 8mm film. It's seems that the 'best' way require some really expensive equipment.
Is there any type of scanner out there that can scan each frame one at time...or maybe an adapter of some sort that can be used with a regular scanner.

Good quaestion, I've been looking a for solution like that myself. I've seen some pretty good examples from "home brew" machines using the same technique but hese were not automated. They scanned a few frames at a time then cropped each frame and assembled.... Take you a month to do one reel. Probably a market thing since there wouldn't be much demand.