I need a flatbed scanner that will scan 35mm to 4x5 negatives. Can I get a fairly good one for around $150? Your advice and recommendations would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

Hi Don,

I got a Mustek, that does all the way up to 8 x 10 both sheet, film and transparancies, for about $100.00 at Office Max about 6 months ago, and we have used it for publication purposes.. There are a few around that will meet your requirements.

Dave

Thanks Dave. I visited the Mustek website and found that they have a lot of scanners!
Please let me know the model # of the one that you are using. Thanks again!

Don

I need a flatbed scanner that will scan 35mm to 4x5 negatives. Can I get a fairly good one for around $150? Your advice and recommendations would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

You may be able to buy an Epson 3200 on ebay for around $150. If so, that would be an excellent scanner for medium format and 4X5 negatives, though a bit marginal for 35mm.

Best,

Sandy

How does scanning differ for negatives vs. prints. Would it be better to scan the prints or to scan the negatives and manipulate them with Photoshop 7, which I have but not yet used?

I would like to contribute to the galleries and possibly have my own gallery in the near future (after I get a scanner of course).

Alan

Thanks Sandy. I heard that the Epson 3200 was a great scanner, but I felt that it was too expensive. I'll keep an eye on ebay.

Don

Not much difference between the two. To scan negatives you need a light source behind the negative as an accessory, or a scanner that has that function built in. Either one works as long as you have the scanner calibrated.

Not much difference between the two. To scan negatives you need a light source behind the negative as an accessory, or a scanner that has that function built in. Either one works as long as you have the scanner calibrated.
Surely you jest Joe? "Not much difference ..." - there is a world of difference between scanning film and paper.

Surely you jest Joe? "Not much difference ..." - there is a world of difference between scanning film and paper.

Ok Graeme, you're on. What is this "world of difference"? If I just wanted to scan a print (assuming this would be the most straight forward method) to post in the gallery on APUG, how much money would I need to spend? Any recommendations as to make and model?

Alan

Alan,

If you only want to scan a print, any cheap flatbed will do. They can all handle the information contained on a print. Less than $100 will get you a scanner which can cope with a print, and spending $1000 won't make the resulting file any better for posting on APUG.

Scanning a film allows the computer to access much more information from the original capture medium - there is a lot of information on the film that never makes it to the paper. When you spend more on a film scanner, you can access this information more efficiently and do much more with the digital file - well beyond anything required for posting on APUG.

The "world of difference" I was referring to was the information contained in the file which results from scanning film. Unless you are planning to print from the digital file, the cheapest of flat bed scanners will be adequate. From your earlier post, I would definitely recommend getting the cheapest flat bed, since PS is a whole new world with a steep learning curve. Visit www.scantips.com when you do get a scanner to pick up some tips on basic scanning.

Cheers,

Graeme,

Thank you soooo much.

Alan

A pleasure Alan.