6 Film Scanners For Digitizing Your Negatives

Have you ever wondered how you can turn your film negatives into stunning, digital images? Maybe you have a box of old negatives sitting around, waiting to be dusted off and viewed. Or you’re finding that the costs of scanning with a photo lab is burning a whole in your pocket. So, what’s a film enthusiast to do?

Luckily for you, scanning your own negatives at home is simple and easy with today’s film scanners. These products come in a range of options – from most affordable to the high end technology – and they can help you quickly turn your film negatives into digital images.

Photo by Caleb Minear on Unsplash

Scanning your own images comes with several benefits. In fact, with at home scanning you have full control over the final look for your image. You can adjust for exposure, contrast and even add a color curve to your photos. With film scanners, the power is in your hands for producing a captivating digitized, film photograph.

Plus, using a film scanner is easy. With film holders and step by step guides, you slide your negatives into the sockets, adjust your settings for the desired film format and start scanning. Yet, although this process takes some time, it is worth the effort to create images that reflect your creative vision.

So, if you are a film photographer who is ready to start scanning at home, this list is for you. We have compiled a comprehensive list of film scanners you can buy right now to digitize your images. Let’s have a look at our list below.

Film Scanners To Digitize Your Negatives

Epson Perfection V600 Color Photo, Image, Film, Negative & Document Scanner

The first film scanner on our list is the Epson Perfection V600. This scanner creates high quality enlargements from film – 6400 x 9600 dpi for enlargement up to 17″ x 22″. It has the functionality to scan slides, negatives and medium format panoramic film. It has a built in transparency unit and a maximum resolution of 12,800 x 12,800 dpi.

This scanner can remove the appearance of tears and creases from images as well as dust and scratches from film. It is compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems. It is a very affordable option, costing less than $200.

Epson Perfection V370 Color Photo, Image, Film, Negative & Document Scanner

The second film scanner on our list is the Epson Perfection V370. This scanner can process 35mm slides and negatives, it has a built in TPU for enlargements sized up to 13″ x 19″. With capture pro and cloud integration, you can access your documents from mobile devices.

The scanner has clarity and detail, with a resolution of 4800 x 9600. It operates with both Windows and Mac compatibility. This is the least expensive film scanner on our list, pricing out at a little over $100.

Epson Perfection V550 Color Photo, Image, Film, Negative & Document Scanner

The third film scanner on our list is the Epson Perfection V550. Another affordable option at around $160, this scanner yields high quality, vivid reproduction. It has a 6400 dpi optical resolution that can create enlargements up to 17″ x 22″.

It can scan 35mm slides, negatives and film and has a built in Transparency Unit. The scanner also removes the appearance of dust and scratches on film. And can bring photos back to their original quality with its restoration technique. The scanner is fast and effective for digitizing your images.

Plustek OpticFilm 8200i Ai High Resolution Film and Slide Scanner, 7200 dpi Optical Resolution, 48-bit Color Depth, Dust and Scratch Removal

The fourth film scanner on our list is the Plustek OpticFilm. This scanner offers professional quality for negatives and slides. It has a 7200 dpi resolution and 48 bit color depth. It has hardware and software that allows you to remove dust and scratches.

The scanner is also bundled with the Professional Silver Fast Ai Studio 8 software. And the scanner’s IT-8 calibration side is used for color accuracy. This scanner is sold at a mid-range level price and is popular among professional photographers.

Pacific Image PrimeFilm XEs 35mm Film & Slide Scanner

The fifth film scanner on our list is the Pacific Image PrimeFilm Xes. It is a mid-level priced scanner for under $400. This scanner is for 35mm and slides. It has a 3-line RGB Linear CCD sensor, 10,000 x 10,000 dpi resolution and a 48 bit color range.

The scanner comes equipped with new color enhancement software that aids in sharpness, details and color improvements. It has 40% faster scan speeds. And, offers multi pass exposure / multi sampling which produces the highest quality of images. The scanner also allows for enlargements up to 48″ x 32″ at 300 dpi. It is compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems.

Canon CanoScan 9000F MKII Photo, Film and Negative Scanner, Flatbed

The sixth and final film scanner on our list is the Canon CanoScan 9000F. This is the most expensive scanner on our list, but is one of the highest quality flatbed scanners on the market for consumers. It has a 9600 x 9600 maximum color dpi.

It has the software, My Image Garden, which handles photo and document scanning and organizes your files in a simple and friendly way. It has retouching technology which offers automatic correction to photos and film, removing scratch and dust all while restoring the color.

It has zero warm up time and is power saving with efficient LED screens. Plus, it has an auto scan mode to detect what you are scanning and is compatible with Windows and Mac systems.

So, as you can see, turning your film negatives into digital images is a seamless process. Plus, with high quality scanners, both affordable and high performance options, you can effectively digitize your images from the comfort of your own home or office. Using one of the scanners listed above is an easy way to turn your film images into captivating, high quality digital files.