It would be nice to tell you “Hey, this specific film scanner is the very best one you can buy in 2020. No doubt about it.” However, this isn’t possible. People have different needs. In order to determine the best film scanner for you, we’ve got to figure it out first.
Let’s take a journey through this buying process, all the way from “What’s the cheapest thing I can get?” to figuring out the best product that suits your needs.
👉 Note: This was originally published in 2017 but has been updated continuously. The most recent update was in May 2020.
What’s the cheapest thing I can get?
In an ideal world, the very best film scanner would also be the cheapest. But alas, our world isn’t ideal. If you want something that produces decent-looking images, you need to spend a little more.
If you must have the cheapest thing possible, the least expensive one I’ve been able to find is the 21c Film and Slide Digital Film Converter. Expect low-quality images (if you can get it work at all).
What does a few more dollars get me?
After considering the cheapest thing on the market, it’s reasonable to wonder what a little more money gets you. Sometimes just spending a little bit more gets you a product that operates decently enough to satisfy.
That isn’t the case this time. After researching the available film scanners that were just a little more expensive, I was unable to find anything that wasn’t plagued with overall bad reviews.
In order to do better than the cheapest thing out there, you need to jump up to the $50 USD price range. The best option here is the VuPoint Solutions Digital Film and Slide Converter.
The VuPoint FC-C520-VP is a device that you push slides and negatives into and press a Scan button. The scan is saved to a separately available SD Card. You then need to transfer the image files from the SD Card to a computer, or elsewhere. The resolution of the scanned image is not very high, and the edges of the slide or negative are cropped out.
If you want to capture the full image at high resolution, you need to spend a little more money. What’s nice about the VuPoint is that it’s easy to use. If you aren’t a stickler for image quality, this may be the best, low-cost option.
🧠 Want to learn more about film scanners? Check out my Film Scanner Buying Guide!
Is there something like this that gets good reviews?
So far we’ve looked at two similar film scanners. You may be wondering if there is a version of this kind of scanner that gets consistently high reviews. There is…
If you have a bunch of 35mm negatives or slides that you want to convert somewhat quickly to digital, and image quality isn’t your number one concern, check out the Wolverine F2D Titan 8-in-1.
What’s nice about this one is that it’s compatible with a large number of film types, from 35mm to 110, 127, 126 and APS formats. That’s where the “8-in-1” name comes from. It scans images either to internal memory, or onto separately available SD Cards. If you need to scan 120 Medium Format film, you cannot use the Titan 8-in-1. To scan 120 you need to get the Wolverine F2D Saturn.
The workflow isn’t lightning fast. You need to insert the film or slides into trays, slide it into the F2D Titan, select the film type button, press a scan button, and then press the OK button to make the scan happen.
If you’re going to be transferring thousands and thousands of images, you may want to opt for a higher-end machine than this. But, if you’re just capturing old family snapshots, the Wolverine F2D Titan gets many good reviews from buyers.
⚡️ Quick Tip: If you’re going to scan lots of slides with the FD2, you should strongly consider buying extra multiple-slide trays. This way you can set up a few trays at a time before you scan, in order to speed up your workflow.
What’s the best low-price, high-resolution scanner?
If you’re looking for a relatively inexpensive entry-level film scanner, yet image quality is more important to you than speed or convenience, I recommend the Epson Perfection V600.
One major difference between the Epson V600 and all of the scanners that have been covered so far is that the Epson is completely reliant on a computer to operate.
A flatbed scanner operates like a “traditional” document scanner. It connects to a computer, you run software to capture the image, you open a lid on the top of the unit and place the stuff you want to scan inside of it.
This method of film scanning isn’t simple and quick. Not only are you slowed down by the computer-tethered workflow, but the scanner itself can take a few minutes to complete a scan.
But, what you get for your time and effort are much higher quality scans, with resolutions up to 12800 x 12800 dpi and the ability to make enlargements up to 17 x 22″. Software applications for fixing up, enhancing, and restoring images from film and photos are included.
⚡️ Quick Tip: Since you’re interested in capturing higher-resolution images, be sure to clean your negatives and slides with microfiber cloths and blowers before you scan. It’s simple math: clean originals = clean scans.
It’s important to point out that the price of the Epson Perfection V600 is firmly in the range of entry-level products. To put this in perspective, the next step up from here is the Epson Perfection V800, which is considerably more expensive.
If you would like to save $50, you can get the Epson Perfection V550 instead. It’s nearly identical in functionality to the V600, the only major difference is that the V600 can apply its dust and scratch removal processing (which Epson calls Digital ICE) to both photos and film scans (the V550 can only apply Digital ICE to film scans).
You can save even more money by buying a used CanoScan 9000F Mark II on eBay. This model was my pick as the best film scanner to get in the past, but it was recently discontinued. It’s very similar to the Epson V600, and when it was available it always got lots of positive reviews.
If you decide to get a used ConoScan, check out my How to start using the Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II post. Learning how to use this machine and load its software is awkward, but that post will save you the headaches and get you up and running quickly. 😀
You can also read my hands-on review of the Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II. Before it was discontinued, I bought one for my own scanning needs, and I share what it’s like to start using the thing. The fact that it’s no longer made is making me feel old. 👴
Want a non-flatbed style scanner with high-resolution?
Borrowing the dimensions of a loaf of bread, the Plustek OpticFilm 8100 offers a significantly higher 7200-dpi resolution and 48-bit color depth. This is the entry-level model offered by Plustek, but even though it’s not their top-of-the-line machine it offers truly impressive looking scans.
When you scan at full resolution with the OpticFilm 8100, the process takes a couple of minutes. But, if you’re not doing demanding scans, you can run the machine at lower resolutions and the scans will only take 30 seconds or so.
The OpticFilm 8100 was designed to be used with a computer. It comes with software for Mac and Windows PCs called SilverFast SE Plus 8. What’s nice about it is that you do a quick pre-scan and the software lets you tweak the image more to your liking, kind of like doing a couple of simple Photoshop enhancements or adjustments to a RAW file before you commit to the full, high-resolution scan.
A nice little carrying case is included, as are film trays for 35mm negatives and mounted slides. You can speed up your workflow with this machine by purchasing additional film trays separately. This way as one set is being scanned, you can set up the next round. If you don’t mind being tethered to a computer, the OpticFilm 8100 is one of the best ways to scan film and get excellent results. This is a winner.
Screw it: what’s the highest-quality scanner I can get?
For some photographers and archivists, scanning is an extremely important matter, and only the highest-quality equipment will do. There used to be an impressive pair of scanners to please these types of users, but again, they have been sadly discontinued. I’m talking about the Hasselblad Flextight X1 and the even higher-resolution Flextight X5.
These two scanners from Hasselblad are in another stratosphere of price and performance, compared to everything else in this article. They use a completely different scanning technology, which involves loading the film into flexible trays that are wrapped around a drum when scanned, to ensure perfect flatness.
The main different between the two units (besides the eye-popping prices) is resolution. The X1 has a resolution of 6300-dpi, while the X5 goes up to 8000. Hassleblad scanners aren’t always available used, but they do occasionally turn up on eBay.
So wait… What’s the best film scanner in 2020?
In my opinion, the best film scanner you can buy right now is the Plustek OpticFilm 8100. It isn’t inexpensive at $350 USD, but you can’t argue with the quality of the scans it provides. Its beautiful scanning performance blows away the flatbed scanners, and it makes the entry-level scanners at the beginning of this article look like a joke.
If you’re going to go through the trouble of archiving an image from analog to digital, you may as well make it look its best. The not terribly unreasonable price of the OpticFilm 8100 provides you with a machine that yields high resolution results. That’s a winner, in my book.
Thanks for checking out this post! 👍
If this was helpful, you can help me by clicking on the links below before you shop for stuff at Amazon, B&H Photo, or eBay. When you do that, I get a tiny commission that helps me keep making this website. I appreciate it!
— Purchase Links —
21c Film and Slide Digital Converter – Amazon USA
VuPoint Solutions Digital Film and Slide Converter – Amazon USA, Amazon.uk, Amazon.de
Wolverine F2D Titan 8-in-1 – Amazon USA, B&H Photo
Epson Perfection V600 – B&H Photo, Amazon USA
Epson Perfection V550 – B&H Photo, Amazon USA
Canon CanoScan 9000F MKII – eBay
Plustek OpticFilm 8100 – Amazon USA, Amazon.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr
Microfiber Film Cleaning Cloth – Amazon USA, Amazon.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr
Film Blower – Amazon USA, Amazon.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr
I have a Canoscan 9000F MKII. It’s convenient, flexible, and does a nice job on scanning prints, but for high quality scans of negatives and slides it’s nowhere near the actual resolution of the dedicated film scanners. Yes, it can produce big files, but those big files don’t have a lot of detail. Something like a Plustek or a Pacific will pull easily double the actual resolution of our a negative. It will take a lot more time, too… but if you want to scan negatives to get files that can hold their own against modern digital cameras, a Primefilm can do that, and the 9000F cannot.