Film scanners are made for the sole and express purpose of scanning film directly into your computer. Unlike their flatbed counterparts, which may be able to handle media of various sizes and thicknesses and can even scan film if a transparency adapter is installed, film scanners scan only one thing: film. But because the image to be scanned is taken directly from the original material - from the film, and not from a print - film scanners allow more direct control over image elements such as cropping and aspect ratio. In addition, film has more detail and dynamic range compared to prints - which invariably lose tonal range and color data during the printmaking process. These are real concerns to photographers and graphic artists, who rely on original slides and film - and film scanners - to ensure the integrity of scanned images in professional and commercial applications. So, if your work relies on scanning negatives, slides, and other types of film, a film scanner is the right choice for you. This buying guide tackles some of the more important things that you need to know when looking for a film scanner.
Style and Type Some flatbed scanners include either an external or built-in transparency adapter that is used to scan film. Other flatbeds are of a dual-bed design; i.e., with one bed - the glass flatbed part of the scanner -for scanning prints; and another bed - a transparency bay that looks like a pull-out drawer - for scanning film. If you intend to scan only the occasional slide or stray piece of film, and don't mind the lower resolution as well, a flatbed scanner that can accommodate film may well serve your purpose. Be aware, however, that the resulting film scans will not be suitable for commercial or professional use. To obtain the best results, nothing less than a dedicated film scanner will do.
Bit Depth
A scanner's bit depth determines the number of bits captured per pixel, which is related to the number of possible colors. The higher the bit depth is, the greater the number of colors that can be shown. Bit depth for film scanners on the market today can be 30-bits, 36-bits, 42-bits, or 48-bits. Always aim for higher bit depth when possible, as this allows the scanner to work with and retain a greater amount of color information. A 48-bit scanner, for instance, produces 65,536 levels or shades of color per R,G,B (red, green, blue) channel, resulting in a mind-blowing possible combination of about 250 trillion colors. In contrast, a 36-bit scanner produces 4,096 levels of information, or a paltry 68.7 billion colors.
Resolution
For scanners, the optical, or "true", resolution is what matters, as this is the actual number of pixels being read by the scanner's optics. Film scanners have much higher resolution figures compared to flatbeds, with optical resolution in film scanners ranging from 2700 dpi to 5400 dpi, and 4000 dpi being the most common. The high resolution in film scanners allows you to enlarge small images, creating enough pixels in the process to print in full-page size.
