Cheap Film Scanner

[EddieB]

This item came up on an Amazon search while looking for suppliers of Provia film. Seems like a bit of a bargain at that price, and in the event I ordered one directly from 7dayshop (usual disclaimers apply).

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/7dayshop-Portable-Resolution-Scanner-Colour/dp/B009WQXNHA/

 

It's simple to set up and use, and can be used stand-alone to scan directly to an SD card (one supplied).  Holders for 35mm film and mounted slides are supplied (and extra holders can be purchased), while I think that I can probably adapt a film holder for 126 (cropped of course).

 

A menu allows selection between colour slides (positives), colour and b&w negatives.  Resolution is either "5M" or "10M" (the latter setting results in a colour JPEG at around 2.2mb), and there are basic settings to rotate/flip and for exposure compensation.  There is no facility to crop and no facility to adjust contrast.

 

As can be seen from the attached examples, the results fall in the range "acceptable" to "quite good".  Scans from colour slides tend to be too contrasty and the green channel is poorly represented (example from a well-balanced, neutral Provia original).  Clearly, for serious work, I won't be selling off my Coolscan, just yet.  On the other hand, this new device is so much quicker in use than the Coolscan (a couple of seconds), and ideal for proofing or working remotely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SGJ]

I have this type that's over £12.00 cheaper with postage etc, although it goes directly via usb to the PC and doesn't have memory card option ( mind the pc has more memory than the supplied SD card with yours so not a problem  ). It also had come with Media Impression 2 software.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Negative-Scanner-Sensor-Digital-Windows/dp/B0041RN6L8/ref=sr_1_13?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1375716959&sr=1-13&keywords=35mm+Film+Scanner

 

I am happy with the results - which is getting my old negs onto the P.C.

 

SGJ

[EddieB]

Hi SGJ, could you please upload some of the results from your scanner?

 

I've just been experimenting with a spare film holder and old 126 negs.  The result's aren't bad - although the deep red background of the colour negatives from that era has led to a bluish cast (which can be removed by post processing) and obviously a 30mm x 30mm original negative gets chopped vertically and neehs cropping horizontally. 

 

Originals were taken in 1974 with a basic Instamatic camera - fixed focus and pre-set exposoure only for "sunny" or "overcast".

 

Examples as they came straight off the scanner (no post processing).

 

 

 

 

[rodshaw]

Do you have to take individual slides out of their mounts to scan them?

[Oldddudders]

This is horses for courses stuff. Eddie B's pics shown here are very informative, and thus would be eagerly examined by a typical RMwebber, as they provide lots of detail. If you think about the pics that Dave F published in recent months, they were old and imperfect - yet were universally greeted like manna from heaven because they were unique and from a time not well covered. These affordable scanners meet the need very well IMHO.

 

If the pics that you are scanning are of less-gricery subjects, e.g. people or landscapes, then quality is paramount, and a better scanner may be appropriate.

[SGJ]

Hi SGJ, could you please upload some of the results from your scanner?

 

I've just been experimenting with a spare film holder and old 126 negs.  The result's aren't bad - although the deep red background of the colour negatives from that era has led to a bluish cast (which can be removed by post processing) and obviously a 30mm x 30mm original negative gets chopped vertically and neehs cropping horizontally. 

 

Originals were taken in 1974 with a basic Instamatic camera - fixed focus and pre-set exposoure only for "sunny" or "overcast".

 

Examples as they came straight off the scanner (no post processing).

 

PICT0015.JPG

PICT0021.JPG

Hi,I shall put some on when i have access to the p.c

SGJ ( There is some stuff already on RM Web of older stock ) if you go via my posts most recent are the two 08`s ( 499 - 525 ) on Armley moor

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/72294-armley-moor-layout/page-2

post 33

SGJ

[EddieB]

In answer to your question, Rod - you can scan mounted slides (a holder to take four mounted slides is supplied with the unit), or as individual unmounted frames.

 

To agree with Ian, this new unit won't make my Coolscan redundant for "serious" work.  On the other hand, working from b&w negatives, I can scan a whole film in far less time than it takes the Coolscan to scan a six-frame strip.  I've just finished scanning three hundred negatives in under an hour and a half - no way could I get anywhere near that with the Coolscan.  (The advantage for slides is less clear-cut, as I have an attachment that lets me load a batch into the Coolscan and leave it to work its way through them unattended).

 

It didn't help that many of the negatives I've just scanned were a tad under-developed.  As they came off the scanner, the results were a little flat - reminiscent of a job lot of out of date paper in those good old darkroom days.  However a little post-processing works wonders (here courtesy of the RmWeb Image Editor, but a batch utility would be better) as can be seen from the attached.

 

[SGJ]

Hi SGJ, could you please upload some of the results from your scanner?

 

I've just been experimenting with a spare film holder and old 126 negs.  The result's aren't bad - although the deep red background of the colour negatives from that era has led to a bluish cast (which can be removed by post processing) and obviously a 30mm x 30mm original negative gets chopped vertically and neehs cropping horizontally. 

 

Originals were taken in 1974 with a basic Instamatic camera - fixed focus and pre-set exposoure only for "sunny" or "overcast".

 

Examples as they came straight off the scanner (no post processing).

 

PICT0015.JPG

PICT0021.JPG

 

These are a few that I have done ( my photography is not brilliant ), half the time I used point and shoot type camera or Practica MTL 50

 

 

Daughter Louise and Son Dominick ( she`s 18 now, He is 17, I have two younger kids as well who dont know what Records and Negs are ! )

 

 

 

90005

 

 

47816

 

[Alastair-I]

 

It didn't help that many of the negatives I've just scanned were a tad under-developed.  As they came off the scanner, the results were a little flat - reminiscent of a job lot of out of date paper in those good old darkroom days.  However a little post-processing works wonders (here courtesy of the RmWeb Image Editor, but a batch utility would be better) as can be seen from the attached.

 

When scanning negatives, slightly flat is good  -even when the negative is perfectly developed.  It means you've got all the image data, and you can add the contrast in afterwards.