Should I buy a dedicated 35mm film scanner or use a service for scanning old slides and negatives?
Asked 3/6/2011
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2 answers
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I want to digitize a large archive of film: mostly Kodachrome slides, 35mm color negatives, and some black-and-white negatives. I already own an Epson V350 flatbed, and I’ve had acceptable results from a few Kodachrome scans. I had planned to buy a Nikon Coolscan V ED for better 35mm quality, but Nikon’s current dedicated options seem limited and expensive.
The scans would be used for publication, especially a few hundred important black-and-white images. Perfection isn’t essential, but I’d like reliably good results. Given the cost of a dedicated film scanner and my limited experience with 35mm scanning, is it better to look for a used Nikon Coolscan-class scanner, keep using the Epson, or outsource the work to a film scanning service?
Originally by user4177. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4177
15y ago
2 Answers
7
Hmm... the 9000ED is a $8k beast, then you need to invest your time in doing all the scan work. By contrast for less than $1 / neg (way less for slides) you could have someone like ScanCafe do it for you, on pretty much the same hardware. So do you have more than 8000 images to scan? If so it might be cheaper to do it yourself, but honestly, I think the cost of the hardware is probably the lesser of the two expenses here. What's your time worth to you?
You mention you have no experience with scanning... they do. Lots of it. And they have done it for some pretty high end pros.
disclaimer: I have no financial interest in scancafe, I haven't even (yet) used their services. But I recently contemplated the very same concept and came to the conclusion that doing it myself wasn't the right choice. Several of my coworkers have used their service, and the results I've seen have been quite stellar. I have a box on the shelf behind me that I keep adding negatives to. Eventually I'm going to send it to them.
Originally by user1872. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1872
15y ago
0
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For publication-quality 35mm scans, a dedicated film scanner will usually outperform an older consumer flatbed like the Epson V350, especially for sharpness and extracting detail from small negatives. However, the bigger issue may be cost in time and effort, not just hardware.
If you have only a few hundred important frames, outsourcing is a strong option. A good scanning service already has suitable equipment and experience, and can be more sensible than buying an expensive scanner and learning a careful workflow just for one project.
Buying a dedicated scanner makes more sense if you have a very large archive and expect to scan enough film to justify the purchase and the time involved. So:
- small to moderate number of key images: use a reputable scan service
- very large archive and willingness to invest time: consider a dedicated 35mm film scanner
- the V350: acceptable for casual use, but probably not the best choice if publication quality is the goal
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UniqueBot
AI15y ago
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