7 Top Film Scanners

Colorful lady! To test each scanner's overall image quality when scanning color negative film, we chose this colorful image with a fairly wide dynamic range. We then adjusted each scanner's controls to achieve the best possible scan, and if supplied, we used color presets and profiles to get the best color and contrast. Color neg scanning really puts these units to the test, since they must first remove the orange film mask.

However, whether you're a film or digital fan, we've got great news: The prices for high-resolution desktop film scanners have fallen dramatically in the last few years. For a few hundred to several thousand dollars, you can get film scanners that handle film sizes from APS up to medium format (6x9). Scan times and other performance parameters have improved significantly, and so has output quality.

When we did our last film scanner roundup two years ago, the top 35mm units cost about $2,000, and delivered up to 2820 pixels-per-inch (ppi) resolution, 36-bit color, and density ranges up to 3.0. One of the scanners also featured a new technology called Digital ICE (developed by Applied Science Fiction) that automatically removes dust and scratches from a negative or slide during scanning. In the current scanner roundup, the lowest-priced unit (only $799) features 2900 ppi res, 36-bit color, a 3.4 density range, and Digital ICE3 (appropriately called Digital ICE cubed—see sidebar on page 225). For a mere $1,799 you can now get a 35mm scanner that features 4000 ppi res; and for about $3,000, you can pick up a 35mm/medium-format scanner with 4,000 ppi res, 48-bit color, a density range of 4.2, and both SCSI and IEEE 1394 connections. Two years ago that kind of scanning power would have set you back ten grand!

FILM OR FLATBED?
Readers often ask us, "Which is better, a flatbed scanner with a transparency unit (TPU), or a dedicated film scanner?" The answer really depends on what you'll be scanning. A film scanner's resolution, light source, and focusing system are optimized for relatively small APS, 35mm, or medium-format film originals. If you want to scan prints or even 3-D art most of the time, you should get a high-res flatbed scanner with a TPU for occasional film scans. Until recently, affordable flatbed scanners had relatively low scanning resolution (600-800 ppi) that was inadequate for film. Plus, few could focus sharply on film placed on the scanning bed. Epson's new Expression 1680 (about $1,000 with a TPU) ups the quality ante by featuring up to 1,600x3,200 ppi optical res, 36-bit color, and a 3.4 density range. At maximum res, this unit captures a 6,400x16,000-pixel file—a whopping 307 MB of data-from a 4x5-inch film original.