Scanning Negs

Messages
375
Name
Joshua Kelly
Edit My Images
Yes
Is there a way I can use a normal document scanner to get my negs onto my PC, I've been experimenting with a huge mirror and some old xenon spotlamps, but its not exactly worked out?

Failing that will somewhere like Jessops be able to scan my negatives?
 
Is there a way I can use a normal document scanner to get my negs onto my PC, I've been experimenting with a huge mirror and some old xenon spotlamps, but its not exactly worked out?

Failing that will somewhere like Jessops be able to scan my negatives?

You can do it with a light box, behind your neg, but its a bit ghetto and faffy.
what size negs, 35mm is dead simple easy easy, everybody scans 35mm.
Medium format is a sod, nobody does it really outside of a post away job.
 
Oi!

I scan my Medium Format and it's not that much of a sod!
Well the B&W stuff is easy anyway :)
 
35mm, so do I need a specific sort of light box, or could I knock one up myself out of cardboard or plywood.
 
My advice would be to either scan them yourself with a film scanner, or take them to click, boots or whatever....and pray.
When I think of all the aggro there is sorting m/f scanning, 35mm in comparison is a cake walk.
You can buy a cheap neg scanner, it'll be miles better than a hotch potch lightbox made out of a tomato box and gaffer tape.
But if you want to, it'd be exactly how you envisage it, a box with a light in it and something to diffuse the light, god knows what type of light, daylight balanced I suppose or something that matches the scan light in the scanner.

Orrrr, you could slide copy, still need the light though, and a macro lens...probably
 
The main thing with a flatbed scanner is you need to be able to switch off the underside scanning lamp so that the over head light shines through and is not swamped by it.
 
I've got an old CanoScan 8000F, which is a great scanner and I see no reason to upgrade yet. To scan film you take the white plastic cover off the inside of the lid, which reveals a light strip down the middle - you then lay a plastic 35mm or transparency holder down the middle of the glass (holders provided), put in your negs or whatever and hey presto. (You can also lay your neg strips down the middle without bothering with the holder.) Canon probably do better scanners than this now, but it depends on your needs and what you want to spend - my first stop would be eBay. I'm sure loads of other scanners work on the same principle.

It occurs to me that an older scanner might include a 120 film holder, you never know, might be worth checking (although you might lose out on resolution).
 
I have a CanoScan 8000 as well. I use it for REALLY dirty negs and trannies which might dump crud inside my neg scanner (ScanDual IV). Although it doesn't come with a 2 1/4 square tranny holder, a little inghenuity, some black board and a sharp knife can create one easily!

I THINK the 8800F is the current equivalent - around £150 (Warehouse Express price)
 
Back
Top