How to Scan Film Negatives?

[Leonardo]

This next winter (I apologize for saying that word) I intend to work what will be a massive project. I wish to convert literally thousands of 35mm film negative frames to digital images. How is this done? Excuse my ignorance, but are there scanners available for this outside of the commercial arena? Do they cost a fortune?

Whatever advice about the process, the hardware, and the software you might have would interest me. Thanks in advance.

I've been able to answer some of my own questions by poking around a bit on the Internet. But I'd still enjoy hearing some words of advice from S-M members.

Has anyone used this scanner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16838108112)?

[GrayFox]

Just scan them then invert them :).

[edcentric]

My Dad owns a scanner ment for 35mm slides and negitives.
The software will fix the color balance, you tell it what kind of film it is and how old.
He has scanned a few thousand slides so far.
I'll find out what it is.

[Hawk]

Leo, Here's a decent one that scans negatives--- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16838104028&CMP=OTC-pr1c3watch&ATT=38-104-028
I tend to use HP almost exclusively, ease of setup, easy to use ,etc. very reliable.
Just so you know certain scanners have a slot for negatives to be scanned.
Hope this helps. And if your looking for something better-- HP has better ones. I was just trying to give you one that does what you want and not be too expensive.
Features;
Remove dust and scratches and restore faded color from scanned images
Remove red eye and brighten dark areas of your images using HP's adaptive lighting technology
Convert 35 mm slides and negatives into easy-to-store digital files
Organize, edit, share, and save your scans (plus do fun photo projects!) with the included HP Image Zone software
E-mail photos without large file attachments or downloads using the HP Instant Share functionality
Edit scanned text using the included optical character recognition (OCR) software, then save in a variety of file types
Scan 3-D objects such as jewelry and mementos, fitting large or bulky items under the adjustable lid.

[Leonardo]

Thanks, guys. I've been researching this. There are conflicting opinions on flim-capable flatbed scanners versus "slide" (slide and film negative) scanners. From what I've read, I'd tend to agree with the pro-slide scan crowd. Also, the scratch and dust software correction applications are a must for old negatives. I have negatives dating back to the 70's that I wish to digitize.

Oh my goodness, this will be a real beast of a project should I chose to do it! Even the lowest resolution, no-correction scans are 30 seconds per single negative. I have thousands of film negatives.

I've got a lot of research to do yet, but I'm pretty sure I'll do some conversions over the winter. I just can't be bothered to open boxes, pull out positive prints, or spend hours arranging cute little photo albums. Those days are GONE. A large flat screen monitor is simply superior for viewing.

[profdlp]

Leo, when I can afford it I intend to pursue a similar project. Like you, I have thousands of negatives I wish to scan.

After experimenting with numerous flatbed scanners with slide/negative capability, I have decided that I'm going to spring for a dedicated machine to do the job. I just couldn't get the results I'm after with the "oh, yeah, it does that, too" flatbed models.

The ones I've looked at cost 2-3 times the ~$200 one you linked to, but when you pro-rate that expense over thousands of negatives it comes to pennies per picture. After I'm done scanning my own negatives, I'm going to try and recoup some of the investment by offering it as a service to others.

[Leonardo]

I read an account of someone who purchased an expensive, professional grade Nikon slide scanner on eBay, spent months digitizing his negatives, then resold the scanner on eBay for what he had paid. That actually sounds doable.

[profdlp]

Excellent idea! Even if you only could get half of what you paid for it you would be dropping the price-per-scan to next to nothing. :D

[Mt_Goat]

I too am embarking on a similar task. I have thousands of slides to copy. And I have already eliminated close to 1/3 by viewing on my projector! Only the best of the best are going to make it. Let us know what scanner you get.

[Leonardo]

Let us know what scanner you get. If I don't weasel out of the project! If it's so time consuming that I have to pick between skiing and film conversions, the negatives will just have to stay in there boxes!

[Private_Snoball]

My mother was out of Work for 6 months and between her Katrina Red Cross efforts she did the same type of project. She used a simple 200$ HP scanner with the "it does this too" type functionality. It really worked out wonderfully for her and shes not exactly "all there" when it comes to computers and periphials. She then put them on a DVD did a neat slide show of a timeline of the family. Mailed the DVD to everyone in the family. It was like a kick ass photoalbum with music looped in the background and everything.

She did a couple thousdand photos, scanned, cropped, sorted blah blah blah in about 3 months of off and on work. So it don't get discouraged about the work involved, its totally worth it!