Digitizing Film Prints

[soupy1957]

Is it about buying a scanner, (been there/done that) or should I ask my local development establishment to digitize them for me (the ones I really want to be electronic)?

"Cost" is relative to size, and number of copies and stuff like that, but is it astronomical?

-Soupy1957

[blumesan]

Cost of a scan is mostly related to quality and resolution of the scan. Your local lab can usually provide scans of adequate quality for web display and 8x10" prints at a very reasonable price for 35mm negs. For larger negs, ask.

[zemlin]

What do you plan to do with the images?
For archiving family photos, I've just been shooting them with my DSLR. I setup a copy stand arrangements with two speedlights with umbrellas at about 30 degrees up on each side of the print. Camera on a tripod good and square to the table. 50mm lens at f/8 or so for a good, crisp image.
Works like a champ! Far faster than any scanner. I can often zoom in on a shot from a small print and see detail that was not apparent in the original.

If you are working from prints that are in tip-top shape and from medium or large format film and want to extract every last teeny detail, then scanning is probably a better solution.

[soupy1957]

Zemlin: I get requests for some of my pics from family that are not nearby, so I figured I'd get them digitized for ease of sending thru the e-mail system.

I also am considering doing a video for YouTube (I already have a number of videos there for other things), in which I focus the video camera on a spot on the kitchen table, and simply hand shuffle the pics one after the other, in the video. THAT would be the fastest and cheapest way, I suppose.

-Soupy1957

[tomrit]

Originally Posted by soupy1957

Is it about buying a scanner, (been there/done that) or should I ask my local development establishment to digitize them for me (the ones I really want to be electronic)?

"Cost" is relative to size, and number of copies and stuff like that, but is it astronomical?

-Soupy1957

In the best of worlds, cost is relative to quality.

The best being "Tango" drum scans at up to 11,000ppi & 4.8dmax done by a very highly paid (and worth every cent) expert. ($100-200)

The worst being done on a cheap flatbed scanner by a minimum wage "I don't care" drone. ($5 or less)

Most are somewhere inbetween. I do my own, up to 4x5, on an old Epson flatbed, good enough for the web and mediocre prints up to 11x14 or so. I like to think mine are better than that drone's, but maybe not.

Unfortunately, we don't all live in the best of worlds and you can well get Tango scans that are worthless, and flatbed scans that are pretty good. You may also get bulk scans (35mm, 100 or more at a time, for $0.50each) that are pretty good. Everything being equal (personal and maintence wise) you can not get scans from a $1000 scanner that will match those from a quarter million dollar scanner ($25K used these days, but it still costs you several hundred bucks every time a tech comes out to look at it).

[soupy1957]

tomrit said, "In the best of worlds, cost is relative to quality."

-Obviously you "get what you pay for." I'll hold off investing in another scanner (had one years ago) and hope.........

-Soupy1957