Archive Your Valuable Negatives with Best Digital Film Scanner and Converter

Last Updated on July 9, 2019

Put down your smartphone and listen: Cameras – yes, real cameras – still exist and are worth trying. More people claim that they forego owning a digital camera mainly because they already have a smartphone, which can get their job done. If you do not want to cherish your photos with best home photo scanner, a digital camera is not important. That is untrue. Actually, most people are forcing washed out, horrible, terribly lit and noisy photos of what could be stunningly beautiful photos.

Darkrooms are now scarce but film photography is regaining popularity. So, the best photo scanner should be among your top options if you need to convert film originals to digital files for sharing, printing and archiving. Whether you have been active for long in the film photography world or you have archived some slides and negatives from the past, film scanners and convertors are incredible and dedicated tools that will definitely breathe a new life into your original films.

Starting with the basic models that can help you produce web-shareable images to high-class versions that will allow you to make large-scale printable files, all the available film scanners in their basic form, perform one function – they rely on a light sources to illuminate your films and image sensors to record the image details. However, best photo scanners start to vary from each other in the sophistication and precision of the process part in addition to the recording technology.

Best Photo Scanners and Converter

Apart from increasing the resolution, quality scanners also provide longer dynamic ranges, accurate colour balance, better sharpness and more realistic results. The scanner should get as must information as possible from the original to provide the user with latitude for retouching, further editing and printing.

Digital film scanners and converters are devices made to scan 35mm negatives and slides. They connect to a personal computer and enable scanning of slides and their upload with the help of a software program. The devices also save any resulting file automatically. That is where it gets interesting because you can treat all your old slides just like the digital files on your laptop. A quick example, you can remove the red eyes if your original image had the problem. If you want to crop out a person or something out of your picture, you can do that easily. Here are the top digital film scanners and converters in the market today.

KODAK SCANZA Digital Film & Slide Scanner

Kodak announced the new budget film scanner, Scanza, earlier in 2017. The manufacturer has designed the scanner for consumers and it can digitize several film formats ranging from 35mm still images to 8mm picture films. The Kodak Scanza, is best Digital Film & Slide Scanner is available in three different adapter trays that works with three different film sizes, 126, 135, 110, 8 and 8mm.

The product scans each film into 14-megapixels JPEG files. And if you require higher resolutions, it can interpolate an image up to 22MP. Also, you can store each digitized photo on your SD card using the inbuilt card slot, save it to your personal computer and play back using the HDMI port.

On its front, the device features a 3.5-inch tilting LCD screen, which provides photo preview before the scanning process. Depending on the preview, you can adjust some features such as the exposure and colour.

Ivation 22MP Digital Film Scanner and Converter

Ivation 22MP best scanner for photos, features speed load adaptors for 35mm, 126 and 110 negative, slides and super 8 films. The other features include inbuilt editing software and 2.4 LCD screen. In addition to the primary scanner/convertor unit, the complete kit features interchangeable adapters that help faster feed of various types of films such as 35mm,, 110 and 126KPK slides and negatives and 8 film.

After the adapter is in place, you only need to insert the slide or film, press the scan button and the built in technology will convert your images to JPEG format instantly. In other words, there will be no more reloading; the scanning action will be continuous.

The scanner’s strong 14MP sensor will scan each film with punctilious detail, rendering the old blurry images in beautiful higher definition – up to 22MP. For fast performance, consider the standardised 14MP scan.

Jumbl 22MP All-In-1 Film & Slide Scanner

The Jumbl 22MP All-In-One Slide Scanner is among the most effective film and slide scanners in the market. If you already have a collection of old slides and films you would like to digitize, the product should be among your top choices. Due to its ease of use, extensive format compatibility, unbeatable resolution output, the convertor does not only form a smart option but also an affordable one.

The product measures 3.4 x 3.4 x 4.4 inches and weighs over half pound. In other words, it is a small and lighter best film scanner. You can use the 2.4-inch colour screen to preview your images and to navigate the simple menu or play back the saved photos. It handles SD cards with 32GB storage. What’s more, the all-in-1 film and slide scanner comes with 1-year warranty and an instruction manual.

ClearClick 14 MP QuickConvert 2.0 Photo, Slide, and Negative Scanner

The ClearClick QuickConvert comes with a one-year manufacturer’s warranty. Even though the information on the producer’s website is insufficient, you can easily reach the support team through the offered contact details – the email address or live chat option. This best negatives scanner weigh 3 pounds and measures 9.5 x 8.5 x 5.5 inches.

However, the product cannot process or digitize 110 and 126 negatives and slides as well as the Super 8. Therefore, if your collection features those formats, you will have to consider another slide and negative to digital converter.  The product comes with various accessories that will make the conversion process easier. The manufacturer also includes a cleaning brush that will help you remove smudges and dust on the old slides. The image editing software allows application of in-depth polishing and editing of images.

Epson Perfection V600 Image, Film, Negative & Document Scanner

With the Epson Perfection V600 Photo, you will change your images, color photos, documents, and negatives to outstanding high quality digital images. With its 6400 x 9600 dpi resolution, the best picture scanner ensures precision negatives scanning for sharper vivid reproductions up to 17 x 22 inches Featuring DIGITAL ICE ® for prints and film. ArcSoft and one-touch colour restorations allows the scanner to offer full photo restoration solution. Most of photographer’s choice to convert their image into digital format. The manufacturer’s warranty covers the electrical and mechanical failures.

Wolverine F2D Mighty 20MP 7-in-1 Film to Digital Converter

Wolverine F2D Mighty 20MP 7-in-1 Film to Digital Converter is among the tools that can help you convert your negatives to digital images. The product converts 35mm and 110 millimetres films to digital images. Also, the F2D Mighty has higher resolution and substantial integrated memory and therefore you might understand why it is among the best digital converter selling in the market today.

Even though the process of converting negatives into digital images can be time-consuming, most people see it as cheaper than professional services or flatbed scanners. The product combines several features and functionality, which makes it a leader in the market.

Some important factors to consider

Dust reduction technology

The technology reduces the additional cleaning time of the photos after scanning. However, that does not mean that you should not clean your negatives with a blower, cloth or compressed air before scanning – regardless of how efficacious the dust-reduction features claim to be.

The scanning resolution

You should start by noting how the manufacturers report the scanning resolution of their products.  The commonest variants are optical resolution and hardware resolution. Even though there is no standardization, on what each of the terms means, people assume that hardware resolutions involve some type of interpolation to achieve the high resolution a scanner should provide. Optical resolutions on the other hand tend to represent the un-interpolated products and truer measurements of scanning capabilities.

Colour depth

Also known as, bit depth, colour depth is the numbers you should consider when comparing negative scanners and convertors. Stated simply, manufacturers measure colour depth in bits and present it as summation of three colour channels of every image – blue, green and red. Therefore, 16 bits per every channel would be 48 –bit. If the number is greater per every channel, the colour gamuts possible for making more nuanced images and smoother gradations will be wider.

Dmax

Dmax is the measurement of the scanner’s optical density and the details a scanner can record in the thin parts of a film – highlights in positives and shadows in negatives. Higher numbers represent greater abilities of reproducing details in the deep shadows.

Almost everything is now in fingertips – you can access it through your personal computer in seconds. However, that is not possible with your old negatives and photos. Some of your film rolls might feature damaged prints and might be undeveloped. Each time you need to make copies, you have to squint at the negatives against a light source. That will help you guess what and who is in the shots.

With negatives to digital photo scanners and converters, you can convert all your negatives into good-looking digital images and store them in your computer, email them or share them through the popular social media sites.

How scanners and converters digitize negatives or slides

Best best image scanners are a better way of digitizing negatives or slides. After illuminating your negatives from behind, the scanners capture all the reflected light from the document.

Therefore, you should expect inherent limitations in resolution, lighting and quality, most likely requiring photo software or Photoshop to crop the photos and correct the contrast and brightness.

If you would like to improve the scan quality, use a cardboard adapter that will reflect light from the negative scanner and back through the negative or slide.  Most image processing programs have invert functions that reverse negatives to positives.

How to use a best photo scanners

You should choose best film scanner depending on how you are planning to use it. From the entry-level options that support basic scanning of filmstrips (35mm) to quality variants that scan multiple mounted photo slides in batches, the least expensive to the most expensive model might not be the right for you. You have to consider the film formats you will be scanning regularly in addition to the volumes you will be processing. In addition, the image quality you need should be another top consideration.

A quick example: for the medium formats, ensure that the scanner can easily accommodate 120 films. In addition, if you need to archive a closet holding thousands of 35mm slides, go for the models that allow batch scanning of various originals with a single command to save effort and time.

Consider what you want to achieve.  If you just want to make digital versions of some old photos to start sharing on social media, you should not go for the expensive scanners. However, if you are a large scale photographer working to produce fine art prints in large-scale, a high quality scanner is a better choice.

Apart from the scanner itself, you have to consider the software you will use to control the scanner. Most manufacturers supply scanners with robust applications that can reap every benefit the hardware affords. Some other scanners support the optional third-party programs, which improve the quality of photographs. If you happen to choose an entry-level model or a top-quality scanner, you might need additional editing software – it will help you fine-tune the results.

Now, what is a digital camera?

Digital cameras have given another meaning to the ideas of painting by numbers. Unlike the old-style film cameras, digital cameras can capture and record quality images of the world around you using digital technology. Put differently, they store photographs and not patterns of light and darkness – they store them as long number strings. That technology has many benefits such as providing instant photographs allowing editing of pictures and use of mobile devices and computers to share photos.

Megapixels are more important in many aspect

Every firmware and hardware specification, including megapixels, matters. Interchangeable and large lenses, large and powerful sensors, wide-angle capability and optical zoom… the list goes on. Most digital cameras highlight every spec available on smartphones in a better way.

People highly value their pictures. Digital cameras offer options like flash depth control and strength in addition to high res images. Forget about printing the large pictures. Consumers are tempted to shoot almost everything with their phone cameras, considering the convenience and capabilities. Our tests have already shown that even the smartphones that produce great images cannot substitute for the shooting versatility and image quality of dedicated standalone devices. That might be why Kodak released the Kodak Scanner.

Buy a quality digital scanner and converter