I need to obtain a high-quality negative scanner in the next few months. I have done some research on the net and come up with a few good transparency only scanners (they can’t scan reflective material like photos, books and documents) such as the Nikon Coolscans and the Polaroid SprintScans. I may end up buying one of these, but I’m interested in the idea of buying a flatbed scanner that will scan my negatives as well. I’ve seen scanners that do this, but it doesn’t seem that their resolution is as good as the neg-strip scanners.
Are there any photography dopers who could make a recommendation to me?
I’ve also been looking around for a good photography message board where I could talk/ask about these and other photography issues.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
The Nikons and Polaroid units are very good, Minolta also makes a film scanner, the Dimage IV, which gets very good reviews. (It’s also relatively cheap.)
DO NOT buy a flatbed that also scans film. They are NOT worth it, unless you need the flatbed scanner as well. While they make an decent scan of negatives and slides, loading and unloading filmstrips is tedious, and the scans themselves are very slow.
Bottom line, if you’re doing a lot of negs and trannies, get a dedicated film scanner.
And a couple of good photography boards can be found here:
Popular Photography Message Boards. Go to the ‘Digital Photography’ forum
Rob Galbraith Digital Photography Forums Scroll down for the ‘Film Scanner’ forum.
Both are great resources, with the Pop Photo site aimed at amatuers and pros, while Galbraith is more for professionals.
Use the search functions and you’ll find a wealth of disscussion.