photo negatives scanners

[didikai]

Cn anyone recommend a good low price dedicated negative / slide scanner. One that wll scan all negative formats, 35mm 110 etc.

[hech54]

"Good" and "low priced" cannot go in the same sentence when it comes to a dedicated negative scanner.

[didikai]

"Good" and "low priced" cannot go in the same sentence when it comes to a dedicated negative scanner.

Well I'm not looking for pro quality. Most I have seen are about $100.00

[DB83]

One review of such a device sums it up raher well. "You get what you pay for"

So if you want barely passable images then get one. Or spend real money on a Plustek (but they will only do 35mm - slides and negative)

[hech54]

Either rent a Nikon pro scanner, or send them out to have them scanned.

http://www.vistek.ca/rentals/details/32/R301896/nikon-coolscan-ls5000-scanner.aspx
http://www.northcoastphoto.com/

[didikai]

One review of such a device sums it up raher well. "You get what you pay for"

So if you want barely passable images then get one. Or spend real money on a Plustek (but they will only do 35mm - slides and negative)

So by your reasoning, ImgBurn is free so it must be crap

[Moontrash]

I am w/o a doubt not a pro photo restorer or anything photo related but back in 2002 I bought an Epson Perfection 1650 and grabbed an optional negative/slide scanning unit for around $290 total...and it does a fantastic job. Unless your doin restored photos of the JFK assasination or sumthin that requires absolute 100% quality, save your money and buy a middle priced Canon or an Epson. They do just fine

Epson V500

Canon 9000F

Epson V300

Canon 8800f

[hech54]

So by your reasoning, ImgBurn is free so it must be crap

I love how people change their tune the more their initial expectations are proven to be unobtainable.

Cn anyone recommend a good low price dedicated negative / slide scanner. One that wll scan all negative formats, 35mm 110 etc.

Well I'm not looking for pro quality. Most I have seen are about $100.00

[DB83]

One review of such a device sums it up raher well. "You get what you pay for"

So if you want barely passable images then get one. Or spend real money on a Plustek (but they will only do 35mm - slides and negative)

So by your reasoning, ImgBurn is free so it must be crap

When Imgburn can scan negatives I will pass judgement on its capability.

I own a Plustek so I know what exactly that does. These <$100 'toys' scan a neg, according to the blurb, in one second. Do me a favour.

But go ahead and, against all advice already given, buy one. You said do do not want pro quality. You sure will not get that with these.

[didikai]

So by your reasoning, ImgBurn is free so it must be crap

I love how people change their tune the more their initial expectations are proven to be unobtainable.

Cn anyone recommend a good low price dedicated negative / slide scanner. One that wll scan all negative formats, 35mm 110 etc.

Well I'm not looking for pro quality. Most I have seen are about $100.00

So what are your comments on Moontrash post?

[hech54]

So what are your comments on Moontrash post?

Those aren't dedicated negative / slide scanners like you asked for so why bother?
I'm trying to stick to your original expectations.

[didikai]

So what are your comments on Moontrash post?

Those aren't dedicated negative / slide scanners like you asked for so why bother?
I'm trying to stick to your original expectations.

This is the point of this forum. People with little knowledge being helped by people with lots of knowledge.
When we ask a question, we don't know if there are different options.
I've been on the Plustek site, and there are some reviews that say they are no good. Who writes these reviews? Who do we believe? Thats's why we come here to get opinions and help.
I,ve surfed the net for these scanners at that price range and still can't find which, if any are any good.
I asked about dedicated scanners as I thought that was the way to go. Now it seems there are other avenues.
I only have a few negatives to scan. So telling me to get a $700. 00 scanner is a bit pointless.
If you get annoying posts like mine, take a step back and look at why we are looking here for help.

[hech54]

I had a little Plustek 35mm scanner YEARS ago(looked like a little flattened turtle)....complete garbage.
You wanted a "dedicated negative / slide scanner" for "about $100.00"...I told you (in no uncertain terms) that
this was NOT going to happen. My post was short, sweet, to the point....and correct.
My suggestions to you (rent a scanner, have them scanned for you) are also looking to be the best answer since you
"only have a few negatives to scan".

You were saying?

[jagabo]

This will probably give you an idea what <US$100 slide scanners can do:

http://forums.steves-digicams.com/image-film-scanners/149341-reviews-new-wolverine-f2d...scanner-2.html

Adequate for 4x6 prints. Maybe even 8x10. You'll probably have to do a fair amount of color correction after scanning.

[lordsmurf]

To call those sub-$100 scanners a "piece of shit" would insult fecal matter. You'll end up with fuzzy off-color and noisy crap for your scanned image. The depth for exposure is truly terrible, so you lose image in shadows/highlights, etc. Beyond that, they often fail to work properly or at all. Lots of driver issues. If that's what you want -- go for it.

An Epson V300 flatbed is MUCH better at scanning slides, and is about $100.
I'd buy from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GBKTGM?ie=UTF8&tag=thdifa-20&linkCode=as2&camp=17...SIN=B001GBKTGM

Better yet, the Epson V600 comes with ICE
About $200 from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002OEBMRU?ie=UTF8&tag=thdifa-20&linkCode=as2&camp=17...SIN=B002OEBMRU

Or for the "best" quality, simply pay a good service that's using a pro scanner.

I've used everything from high end Kodak drum scanners to sub-$50 toy junk, and I've been scanning images since 1992. This is an area where I have quite a bit of expertise -- even more than video or audio.

[didikai]

I had a little Plustek 35mm scanner YEARS ago(looked like a little flattened turtle)....complete garbage.
You wanted a "dedicated negative / slide scanner" for "about $100.00"...I told you (in no uncertain terms) that
this was NOT going to happen. My post was short, sweet, to the point....and correct.
My suggestions to you (rent a scanner, have them scanned for you) are also looking to be the best answer since you
"only have a few negatives to scan".

You were saying?

I was saying I am near to a solution thanks to various posters suggestions. Unfortunately none came from you.

[hech54]

I was saying I am near to a solution thanks to various posters suggestions. Unfortunately none came from you.

And I guarantee you will keep it a secret...

[Moontrash]

To call those sub-$100 scanners a "piece of shit" would insult fecal matter. You'll end up with fuzzy off-color and noisy crap for your scanned image. The depth for exposure is truly terrible, so you lose image in shadows/highlights, etc. Beyond that, they often fail to work properly or at all. Lots of driver issues. If that's what you want -- go for it.

An Epson V300 flatbed is MUCH better at scanning slides, and is about $100.
I'd buy from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GBKTGM?ie=UTF8&tag=thdifa-20&linkCode=as2&camp=17...SIN=B001GBKTGM

Better yet, the Epson V600 comes with ICE
About $200 from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002OEBMRU?ie=UTF8&tag=thdifa-20&linkCode=as2&camp=17...SIN=B002OEBMRU

Or for the "best" quality, simply pay a good service that's using a pro scanner.

I've used everything from high end Kodak drum scanners to sub-$50 toy junk, and I've been scanning images since 1992. This is an area where I have quite a bit of expertise -- even more than video or audio.

good suggestions LordSmurf

[Slowburn]

I looked into dedicated negative/slide scanners and decided that I wouldn't live long enough to be able to scan all the negatives and slides I have. They go back into the 40's and there are several old b/w negative formats that are not accomodated with any of the scanners I looked at. Forums advised me to buy a used Nikon on Ebay or somewhere, then sell it once I had finished my project. After looking at the specs for this scanner, such as the preview time and scanning speed, I decided to scrap the project, which is a shame because there are so many negatives I would like to be able to preview. The process is just too slow.

As a compromise, I decided to work only on my slides. I have a digital camera, which I set up on a tripod and made a frame to hold the slides. I set them up with a light illuminating them from behind. The camera was set as close as I could get and I was able to edit them afterwards. The results were beyond my expectations. These were for the net, not for printing, although some of them did get printed and were actually very nice. I'm talking slides beginning in the 60's here.
So, I saved my slides but the old b/w negatives, some from WW2, sit in a box with all the other old memorabelia.
There are far too many to be sent out. I would want to preview them first to determine which ones to work on.
Pity.

[victoriabears]

I have not seen the results, but a friend projected the slides onto a screen and took a digital photo and was pleased, thats what I will try first.

It is odd how some folks are pleased with results from cheap equipment and others are not, looking at the link for the wolverdine, the images are nice, almost look like paintings.

[orsetto]

The best compromise for most casual users (web, email, small prints) is a decent flatbed with negative tray like an Epson V500. Many who aren't heavy-duty hobbyist photographers find the results good enough, even if us pickier types don't.

"Dedicated" non-flatbed film scanners fall into four classes:

1. Glorified cheap point & shoot digital camera built into a box with a light source and film holder. These are lame, if you own or can borrow a DSLR you can do better yourself per slowburn's suggestion (although this is more practical for slides: negatives need special software to process their weird color casts).

2. Clamshell gizmos like the Plustek models. These are a crapshoot: some work surprisingly well, others worse than a flatbed. Wide sample variation makes them a gamble.

3. Older obsolete film scanners from about ten years ago that used to cost $2000 but now sell used for $60-125. These can be great if you have an old computer lying around, preferably an old Macintosh with SCSI interface running System 9.1. The original Polaroid SprintScan 4000 was overrated at $2000 but is a fantastic film scanner for $60-80 used. This and similar models from Acer, BenQ, Canon, Minolta and ArtixScan need an older computer with SCSI built in or on a card. The bundled software usually needs the old Windows NT2000, Windows XP or Mac OS 9.1. An excellent alternative is VueScan, downloadable software that will run almost any scanner ever made and make it work with the latest OSes and computers (as long as they have the SCSI connector required by the old scanner).

4. Big bucks for more recent film scanners that are still in demand by advanced amateurs and pros. At this point the final high-end Minoltas and Polaroids can no longer be serviced so are a risky second hand buy for the high prices asked. Basically you either find a way to make an old SCSI scanner work for about $100, or skip directly to the later Nikons which are at least still repairable, fairly reliable, and have modern USB or FireWire connections. The cheapest is the Nikon CoolScan IV at around $300 used, next would be the CoolScan 4000 at around $600, then the recently discontinued CoolScan V at $500-600 and CoolScan 5000 for $999-1299. These are all 35mm-only, if you need to scan 120 film sizes or larger its back to the Epson flatbeds unless you have $1000 for the Nikon CS8000 or $1800-2399 for the CS9000. The CS9000 is ridiculously overpriced and overrated for amateur use, the previous near-identical CS8000 gives similar results 95% of the time. The only advantage of the CS9000 is arguably faster speed for pro labs with high turnover. Ditto the 35mm CS5000: overkill for most home users, the CS IV or CS V at half price do equally well aside from speed.

[lordsmurf]

CoolScan V at $500-600

Where? These are in high demand, and I can't even find used ones last 4-5 times I looked.
Same for 5000 and 9000.

the final high-end Minoltas and Polaroids can no longer be serviced

Well, don't scare them away. I sold a gorgeous Minolta for about $250 a year or more ago.
I was the original owner, and it was perfect.

[lordsmurf]

<dupe>

[orsetto]

CoolScan V at $500-600

Where? These are in high demand, and I can't even find used ones last 4-5 times I looked.
Same for 5000 and 9000.

Agreed, I haven't looked up Nikon used prices/availability the last few months but they've always been a roller coaster especially because Nikon has spent the last 3-4 years being coy whether the damn things are actually still in production or not. When official word dropped a few months ago that the CS V and CS 5000 were discontinued and the CS9000 shifted to "build on demand for Japan home market only", photographers went bananas. Prices skyrocketed amid an eBay feeding frenzy. But the cycle comes and goes, most non-pros who blow $600 to $2300 on a scanner want to dump it after digitizing their old shots, film scanners are not an item one keeps eternally unless they still shoot a lot of film. And of course official Nikon dealers are more than happy to sell you their limited stock of new scanners for a mere 20-30% markup over list.

While LS is a pro who needs and can make use of the newer Nikon upgrades, most amateurs can get remarkable results from the older CS IV which to this day gives more bang for the buck than any other 35mm film scanner. If you're patient these sometimes pop up for $300-400, a bargain is more likely on Craig's List than eBay. The Canon FS4000 sells even cheaper due to a somewhat unfair rep for bad image quality: its actually pretty good if you do some research and learn how to operate its counterintuitive settings. Both the Nikon CS IV and Canon FS4000 have USB 1.1 connectors, slow but still compatible with modern computers.

the final high-end Minoltas and Polaroids can no longer be serviced

Well, don't scare them away. I sold a gorgeous Minolta for about $250 a year or more ago.
I was the original owner, and it was perfect.

It depends. The final Minolta 5400 and 5400II were very popular with the nitpickiest photographers, and do have some advantages over Nikon for some types of film. But they have very fragile film loading gears/motors that are easily broken by hamfisted users- sometimes the more adventurous can self-repair this, but often it kills the scanner dead because factory repair has all but evaporated. (This applies also to the final Polaroid and ArtixScan USB/FireWire models.) LordSmurf gave a fair and generous deal at $250 when he sold his Minolta, however typical asking prices hover around $600 which is too much risk for an orphaned product. The Minolta MultiPro II which competed with the Nikon CoolScan 9000 is not as fragile as the 5400 and offers notable advantages over the big Nikons. The MultiPro II is pretty sturdy, the only thing that usually goes wrong is a slipped drive belt which can be self-repaired using instructions found online. Unfortunately the Minolta MultiPro II is rare and highly sought after by high-end Hasselblad, Pentax 67 and Mamiya 7 photographers. They seldom appear on eBay, when they do bidding often goes north of $2000 and sometimes bumps $3000. (One lucky dog snagged one last year from a clueless seller who put it up as $799 Buy It Now).

[budwzr]

It is odd how some folks are pleased with results from cheap equipment and others are not...

There's a saying somewhere that "My eyes are not any better than yours, I just notice more".

One of my wife's friends mentioned visiting fisherman's wharf in SanFran, and when I asked her if she went to Alcatraz she asked me where that is.

[victoriabears]

Very good and relevant in this forum

[classfour]

I have an Epson perfection 2580 - okay for home work, takes some patience due to the negative feed. You can get good results at high resolution.

[classfour]

Only good for 35 mm negatives - not 110s, sorry.