Scanning old negatives - 120 etc

[Hystericalwriter]

I expect this question has been asked before, but here goes.

I bought a box sized scanner to cope with the volume of colour slides and 35mm negatives that i have inherited from my family. I haven't got a flat bed scanner that will run on my Windows 10 desktop, got an elderly one that runs on my elderly XP laptop. That scanner will notionally scan my 120 & 220 Black & White negatives, but the programme is frankly CR*P and i cannot get a decent image from it.

Any suggestions of what i should do, I am thinking of ditching the laptop anyway, only kept it for this sort of operation.....but it drives me up the wall, I've got used to W10 and XP isn't supported.

Thanks

[philipsearching]

I expect this question has been asked before, but here goes.

I bought a box sized scanner to cope with the volume of colour slides and 35mm negatives that i have inherited from my family. I haven't got a flat bed scanner that will run on my Windows 10 desktop, got an elderly one that runs on my elderly XP laptop. That scanner will notionally scan my 120 & 220 Black & White negatives, but the programme is frankly CR*P and i cannot get a decent image from it.

Any suggestions of what i should do, I am thinking of ditching the laptop anyway, only kept it for this sort of operation.....but it drives me up the wall, I've got used to W10 and XP isn't supported.

Thanks

I use a simple multipurpose printer/scanner with a USB port to scan negatives onto a memory stick.  They're not perfect, but with a bit of tweaking they come out quite well.

Philip

[arthurk]

I haven't had to deal with the precise situation you mention, but I think there might be some possible ways forward.

First, you say the program is cr*p. Do you mean the scanning software itself, or an editing program that happened to be bundled with it? Bundled software is usually cheap and/or a cut-down version of a paid-for program, and it's often better to simply capture an image with the scanner and edit it with another program. So if that's the issue, would you be able to scan through the XP laptop, then work on the images on your W10 desktop?

Second, it's sometimes possible to get an old scanner to work on a new operating system by using generic or 3rd party software and drivers. Something I've seen mentioned here is VueScan, which claims to enable hundreds of otherwise obsolete scanners to work in W10.

You can read more about it at https://www.hamrick.com/

and I was interested to see that even HP recommend it for use in some circumstances - https://support.hp.com/au-en/document/c03479564

I haven't used VueScan myself, so I suggest you look for reviews etc to help you make a judgement on it. Also check out the mentions here - just stick VueScan in the Search page. I got a manageable 11 results.

[purlin]

I Have used Vuescan on an old Canon scanner and found it to be really useful,  certainly has given the Canon a new lease of life.  I wouldn't have a problem in recommending it.

[guest189040]

Not all scanners are equal.

The scan resolution between makes and models varies tremendously.

Work backwards from the print size you wish to use, say A3 and use 300dpi as the print resolution and scale down to the scan resolution you need to have to achieve the print size.

Depending upon how many you want to scan then Jessop or Boots have a scanning service, they may be worth a try.

[Hystericalwriter]

Thanks for all your replies so far, I'll have a look at your suggestions. Since my first message I have managed to get some fairly good scans and have transferred to sd card to edit on my W10. But it's slow, like plaiting fog too. I will look at the chances of adding my old scanner to W10.

Thanks
Anne

[Isabel H]

I also use VueScan. It has allowed me to carry on using an old Canoscan flat bed scanner and an even older Minolta slide scanner, both of which still work well but would otherwise have had to be scrapped when Win 10 came along.

[familydar]

Hystericalwriter I feel your pain.  It took me a good year to get all my Dad's assorted negs scanned, and I'm still trying to assemble and date the different films (for those of you who've not had to contend with this, 35mm films tended to have the reel of negs cut into fours or sixes for manageability but earlier films had the negs cut into singles or pairs, occasionally threes.  So unless you have a particularly interesting/unique cut edge to deal with, making sense of several hundred grainy negs is a Herculean task).

Jane :-)

[youngtug]

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/film-scanners