RichardE Loc: California

Thanks for everyone's replys.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

I only had 120 slides I needed scanned so I had them done professionally. It cost me a little over $100. If I had more than that to do I would have invested in the V600 scanner and done it myself and then sold the scanner on Craigslist or eBay.

RichardE Loc: California

@burkphoto: Thanks for the info. I will try the 'take a photo of the slide' suggestion and see how it works. Yes, I have had a devil of a time getting negs clean from the 1940's.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Sometimes, re-fixing the film in a fixer with hardener, running it through hypo clearing agent, and re-washing the film can help, if all are done gently, at 68°F. Drying should be in a dust free location with no heat. However, I'd copy the negs FIRST... just in case.

I wish there were Digital ICE available as a software application, but alas, it requires hardware in the scanner.

I have a box with every B&W negative I've ever exposed in it. Even as a teenager, I took care to wash my film to archival specifications, and sleeve it in archival materials. My 47-year old Tri-X negs are as good as when first processed. The prints I make now are BETTER than the ones I made then. I liked film, but I LOVE what digital tools can do with it.

aellman Loc: Boston MA

My Epson V500 Photo flatbed scanner has excellent quality, very high resolution, and comes with holders for 35mm negs, 35mm slides, and 120 negs. It will also scan prints up to 9x12. There is a V600 later model. I highly recommend this solution for under $250. Using a $2000 scanner for your project is the equivalent to hiring a $500 an hour lawyer to write up a one paragraph model release. Best of luck with the project! >Alan

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Not an uncommon question.

The answer is pretty simple... get the very best scanner you can justify, and when you have completed the project sell it off on eBay or some other way.

You'll see lots of scanners available used, for just this reason. Once the project is done, there might no longer be any reason to keep the scanner... so pass it along to the next person with a similar project and pocket the money.

I bought a dedicated film scanner, which is more specialized than your flatbed Epson. You might have some future use for that scanner... documents or prints or whatever. At least it's more likely to find future use, than one that can only scan 35mm film (though at a higher quality level).

I do use ICE, as well as do full 16-bit scans. Each one takes a long time (10 or 15 minutes) which is why I bought a scanner that can accommodate an automatic feeder. I got a slide feeder for it that takes between 40 and 50 slides... and when I have a batch to be scanned I just load it up, start it before going to bed, let it run and get up to find it all completed in the morning. It will also handle an uncut roll of film or film strips.

But a flatbed such as your Epson is more versatile than a dedicated film scanner. And, AFAIK the only ones able to do batch scanning are 35m. You mention doing some medium format and other film types, which aren't possible with my scanner. There are medium format film scanners and they can do smaller formats, too... but only single scans, AFAIK.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Here's what I intend to do: buy a high-end scanner either new or like new. Scan my slides:
120 + 35mm. Offer to some friends to scan theirs at a reasonable price. When I run out of jobs, I'll sell. In the long run, it'll be cheaper. That's my retirement plan....

GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

Quite an undertaking, especially if you have a lot of film to digitize. I was in the market for a scanner that would scan a 12 x 12 page, but a scanner that size is several thousand dollars. This digitizing method with a camera and a macro lens may work better.

GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

Interesting topic as it turns out!

I, too have scanned 100's of old photos and a few negatives. Currently I just have an all-in-one that I scan with. It's mostly for office use, but does a decent job on photos, too. A dedicated scanner does a better job and it is no surprise that Canon and Epson top the list. Looks like you got some great feedback which is typical on this site!

In addition to scanning the photos, I made copies and burned them to gold CD's for distribution to family. So, make sure you make backups of your scanned images.

therwol Loc: USA

I cringed when I read this question. I never throw away the originals of anything. I'm in the process of scanning thousands of negatives and some slides for distribution to several family members. If I ever want to go back and make prints or enlargements from these old photos, I'll have them done professionally from the originals for the best image quality. Keeping the originals also makes it possible to duplicate this effort in the future on better equipment for better results.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I hate spending all of my time scanning so I use a Pakon 135 plus. It will scan an entire roll of 35mm film in about 2 minutes.
It was a mini-lab scanner from the 80's. It's fast and the results are great. You can buy the non-plus version for about $350.00

http://youtu.be/1tzXKij8xF0?t=420

aellman Loc: Boston MA

Yes, it's very versatile. I bought this one that had the 120 neg feature for my Diana toy camera film. The quality is amazing for the price. I purchased it from the Epson Store (online). The special sale price was $169. They were no doubt clearing them out for the new model. When it arrived the receipt said $105. I checked my credit card statement, and it was billed at $105, less than half the original retail price. They must have dropped the price just after I ordered it. I stumbled into a great deal; as they say, timing is everything. >Alan

GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

I agree. Even though I've scanned 100's (maybe 1000's) of pictures, slides etc; I still keep the slides. Even today I can take old slides to Walgreens and get beautiful pictures. I'm OK with throwing out pictures beginning with the digital age because I can always reprint those and even improve them.

However, I couldn't bring myself to throw out old pictures, so I made scrapbooks from them and gave them to family members. Also, I don't glue the pictures down, but use "corners" instead. I will probably take Jerry's suggestion and send some out for restoration at this site:

http://www.diyphotograpgy.net/photo-retoucher-gives-new-life-even-damaged-photos