Slide & Negative Scanners
Bring decades of film memories into the digital age. Recover the brilliant colours and detail hiding in old slides and negatives.
Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more
Rescue Your Film Memories
Boxes of slides and negatives in the cupboard contain decades of family memories that nobody sees. Film deteriorates over time - colours fade, emulsion cracks. Digitising these treasures makes them viewable, shareable, and safe.
Modern film scanners can restore faded colours and remove dust and scratches automatically, often producing results that look better than the original slides.
How to Get Professional Results
Cleaning Slides and Negatives
Use rocket blower (not compressed air - too forceful) to remove dust. For stubborn dirt, use anti-static brush. Never touch film surface - oils from fingers cause permanent damage. Clean in well-lit area to spot remaining dust.
Scan Resolution for Film
35mm slides/negatives: 2400-3000dpi captures all detail. 4000dpi for potential large prints. Higher creates massive files with marginal benefit. Medium format film: 2400dpi sufficient. Larger film needs less DPI due to larger negative size.
Colour Correction Workflow
Faded slides lose magenta first - appears too blue/green. Use scanning software's 'faded colour restoration'. Manual correction: add magenta, reduce cyan. Scan original first, then correct - allows comparison. Some prefer vintage faded look!
Digital ICE Technology
Digital ICE removes dust and scratches during scanning using infrared channel. Works brilliantly on colour film. Doesn't work on traditional B&W film (no dye layer for infrared). Saves hours of Photoshop retouching.
Our Recommended Scanners
Kodak Scanza Digital Film Scanner
~$180-250Scans 35mm negatives and slides, simple operation, includes SD card. Converts film to 14MP images. Not archival quality but perfect for viewing/sharing family slides. Incredibly popular for digitising grandparents' slide collections.
Check Price Affiliate linkPlustek OpticFilm 8200i SE
~$380-5007200dpi optical resolution, Digital ICE, colour restoration, batch scanning. True archival quality. Popular with serious film photographers transitioning to digital. Excellent software included.
Check Price Affiliate linkNikon Super Coolscan 9000 ED (used market)
~$1000-1900 usedProfessional film scanner, handles 35mm through medium format, legendary image quality. No longer manufactured - buy used from professional photographers. This is what museums use. Investment for serious archival projects.
Check Price Affiliate linkPro Tips
- Batch process slides by decade or event - maintain chronological order
- Write slide/negative details before scanning - easier than trying later
- Many slides have dates printed on mount - include in filename
- Consider professional scanning service for large collections (1000+ slides)
- Store original slides/negatives properly after scanning - they're irreplaceable