Introduction
If you have been a photographer for several years, chances are that you have several film negative strips or slides from yonder years. For most people, these slides or film negatives have been stored or kept away. However, that need not be the case. Today, you can easily choose to digitize your slides and have digital copies of them which you can then share with family, friends, and the world in general.
While scanning developed film prints is an option that you can consider, if you want to convert your film to digital, the best option is to scan the original negatives or slides. You can simply do this by using a standard flatbed scanner that gives you the option to scan both slides and negatives as long as it has the needed holders.
Alternatively, you can consider getting a dedicated slide scanner. While cheaper options available in the market can scan pretty quickly, most of them do this at the expense of the image quality. On the other hand, high-end models may take a bit of time, but the scanned slides will be very clear, and the scanner will rectify every single grain that was in the original photo.
And because choosing a good slide scanner can be a hard task, we’ve selected and reviewed some of the best slide scanners that you can get in the market today. All the scanners in our review will scan slide positives that are 35mm as well as black and white and colored negatives of a similar size.
1. Kodak Scanza Film & Slide Scanner
Intro
The Kodak Scanza is a small scanner that is all about delivering convenience to its users. You can use the scanner to scan both slides and film negatives that are 35mm. Although the final scan quality may not be the best compared to other scanners in our review, it’s still worth your attention.
Pros
- It’s a fast and easy scanner to use
- Offers you the ability to scan many slides and film sizes – 35mm, 126, 110, Super 8 and 8mm
- It’s a pretty small scanner that still delivers despite the size
- Boasts of a tilting LCD color monitor that is 3.5-inches for previewing images
- Your scans are automatically and directly saved to an SD card hence no additional software or computer is needed
- It has a pretty decent dynamic range and doesn’t crop frames heavily
- Compatible with both Mac and PCs
- Comes with various accessories such as an HDMI cable, USB power cable, a film cleaning brush, etc.
Cons
- The scanned slides aren’t the best when it comes to image quality
- Has only one frame cutout which means you have to feed the slides via the holder which increases your chances of staining them with your fingerprints or dust
2. Plustek OpticFilm 135 Scanner
Intro
Plustek is a well-known brand when it comes to scanners. The Plustel OpticFilm 135 scanner is no exception as it has some features that make it a top-tier slide scanner worth your consideration.
Pros
- Eliminates the need for you to stick around the scanner and manually load every single frame of film or slide
- Its motorized film transport feature allows you to automatically scan four slides of 35mm and six film frames of 35mm
- Offers one of the highest resolutions you can get from a slide scanner at 3,600 dpi
- Get your slides scanned in about 200 seconds
- Unlike Plustek’s OpticFilm 8100 that uses a third-party scanning software, this Plustek OpticFilm 135 scanner comes bundled with the QuickScan Plus program which is Plustek’s own software
- The Plustek software is modern and has an easy to setup interface
- Ability to share your scanned slides to social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Picasa, etc.
- Easy scanning with just the touch of a button
- Compatible with both Mac and PCs
Cons
- Your scanned slides won’t have the fine detail that’s important when scanning
- The pre-scan customization options are limited in the new software options compared to the older software
3. Magnasonic All-in-One Slide Scanner
Intro
While Magnasonic might not be a brand that is as famous as other brands such as Epson or HP, the Magnasonic All-in-One Slide scanner is a good choice for those looking to scan their slides with a lot of ease.
Pros
- It’s reasonably priced
- The scanner gives you the freedom to scan slides and films of different sizes – 35mm, Super 8, 110 film, 135, 110
- Offers a high resolution of 22 megapixel that allows you to seamlessly convert your slides to JPEG files and is really impressive
- It works with the old Super 8 films and doesn’t require any special features for that
- Available in two different sizes
- The scanner’s interface is a plug-and-play which means you get to instantly edit your photos immediately you unpack the scanner
- It doesn’t need any driver installation or complex computer software
- It has an inbuilt LCD screen that is 2.4-inches to enable you to view each and every slide that you scan
- The scanner has an inbuilt memory of 128MB that makes viewing your slide scans pretty simple and easy
Cons
- The output quality of the scanner is a bit low
- Some users reported that the small screen size pixelates images which can be deceiving when it comes to the quality of the final scans
4. Wolverine Titan 8-in-1 Digital Converter
Intro
The Wolverine Titan 8-in-1 digital converter has a large screen that lets you view your images in a comprehensive way as well as zoom in to see your scanned slides.
Pros
- This Wolverine digital converter has a large screen that measures 4.3-inches giving you the ability to zoom in so that you can view every detail of your image
- With the HDMI port, you can reminisce about the good old days by connecting the scanner to your HDTV
- Connecting the HDMI to your HDTV is a very easy and seamless process that doesn’t require any adaptors or wireless connections
- Enjoy the ability to smoothly load any 35mm film regardless of how old it is which ensures that you don’t run the risk of wrecking your original slides
- You don’t need any software or computer to use it
- Scan your slide in just 3 seconds
Cons
- The scanner does not come with an HDMI cable which is an extra expense for users who opt to buy it
- Some users have reported that the sensor used to capture images is of poor quality
5. Pyle Media Instant Scanner
Intro
The Pyle Media Instant scanner is among the best slide scanner that you can get in the market today. It gives you the ability to transfer and save files as well as fast scanning speeds. The best part is that it has some great features that you can rely on to get the best slides scans.
Pros
- The best slide scanner for people on the go given the size which makes it an excellent portable solution
- Easily set up the scanner in a matter of seconds
- It doesn’t require a computer to function
- Easily review your scanned images thanks to the 2.4-inch LCD color screen
- Ability to scan different sizes of slides and film such as the 35mm
- Enjoy fast scanning capabilities with this Pyle Media scanner
- You can easily transfer and save files them to an SD card
- Compatible with both Mac and PCs
- This scanner is a 3-in-1 that lets you manage your files, an image adjustment processor and a slide, film and photo holder that secures your slides and film in place when scanning
- Ability to adjust the light and color balance of your photo
Cons
- The light and color balance have to be manually set when they have been changed. Otherwise, they remain at the same setting
- Some users have complained of blurry images and of poor quality
6. Pacific Image PowerSlide Slide Scanner
Intro
The Pacific Image PowerSlide scanner, albeit costly, happens to be an automated slide scanner that has the ability to scan slides in batches. It also has some excellent features and is a good buy for those who are not on a budget.
Pros
- Ability to automatically scan close to 50 slides of 35mm in batches
- Boats of an optical resolution of 10,000 dpi and a 48-bit color depth
- Perfect for heavy-duty scanning
- Features the Magic Touch Technology that removes both dust marks and scratches from your scans eliminating the need for you to edit your images once they have been scanned
- Relax knowing that all the information on your slides will be extracted thanks to the Multipass Xposure technology that scans your image three times
- The Multiple Sampling technology scans each image a couple of times to ensure both sharpness and accuracy
- Compatible with both PCs and Macs via a USB cable
- Comes with a one-year limited warranty
Cons
- Very expensive – the most expensive slide scanner in our list
- Quite heavy
Final Thoughts
Scanning your slides is one of the best ways to digitize your old memories. And because digital scanners have made it possible to do so, the only issue may be choosing a good slide scanner given the different brands of scanners available in the market today. Ensure that you consider your scanning needs before making a decision.