subject: Digital Film Scanners [print this page] Digital film scanners are great for scanning old slides and film negatives and then converting them into a digital format where they can be preserved, stored, and archived for future viewing perhaps for example in a form of a digital scrapbook.
In comparison to a basic flatbed scanner, it does have advantages, the photographer has control over the aspect ratio and cropping from the original unaltered film as well as it's own specialized software to help rid the image of scratches, film grain, and improve color reproduction from negatives.
The function works in such a manner where it has a carrier which acts as a "caddy" or "tray" for the scanned item of which can hold a certain amount of slides or film strips. The user would then take the item to be scanned and place it in the carrier to be inserted into the device and can either be operated by the scan button on the front of the product or via the software application which can be installed on the users computer.
Some features of the device can include an auto load function, the choice to accept media types of either slides or film media, and the ability to accept 35 mm film format. Depending on the name brand and the price you're willing to pay, the features for a digital film scanner can vary, because some resolutions are different per the name brand and model of the system. They can have a optical DPI resolution of 2700 x 2700 to 7200 x 7200 and some select few can have their own hard drive space as well.
Benq (Formerly ACER), Plustek, and Canon are some companies that sell this product and can be purchased at many of the online computer retailers.
For example, the Benq ScanWit 2720S has users claiming that it produces excellent quality slide scans that show deep color and satisfactory grain, however, when scanning film negatives it does adequate work, but the slide holders seem to have issues breaking or problems holding the slides steadfast.
The higher end Konica Minolta Dimage Scan Elite 5400 II produces rather quick scans at all resolutions at high resolution. I would say this is a good choice for hobbyist or professional photographers who want to manufacture high quality digital pictures from 35 mm slides and negatives.
Then there is the budgetary Konica Minolta Dimage Scan Elite 5400 which just produces basic high resolution scan quality, but application interface can be difficult to use with this device and be considered a great scanner for the amateur but not the pros.
When you're shopping around for these products, just make sure to do your research if you are particular about what you're looking for and have budgetary concerns.
