Film Scanners for Under $100

Film scanners scan the actual film rather than prints, which is better since you're using the original image and there's less graininess. You can use these digitally just like you would with a photo scanner where you can download your images, place them on your web pages and e-mail them. Most are customized for 35 mm film.

If you want to buy a new film scanner for under $100, good luck, they're heard to find at that price. The best place to find film scanners under $100 that are normally in the $300-$500 range is on E-Bay, where you can consistently find used scanners for under $100 or even as low as $15 - $20 dollars for a starting bid that might normally go for over $500 or even $1000 brand new.

If you want a brand new scanner, most on line customer reviews indicated that the Epson Perfection V100 Photo scanner is the best general use low-cost scanner for text, photos, slides and negatives. It's a bit slow, but its 3600-dpi maximum resolution and 48-bit color depth ensures quality results. An adapter is included for scanning film and slides. It also comes with an Epson Easy Photo Fix for repairing scratched or dusty originals. It's very bear bones in functionality, but is easy to use and is compatible with both Macs and PCs. It will do the job and it's great for your first film scanner.

The Vupoint FS-C1-VP Film Scanner Sports a 5 mega pixel CMOS sensor. It scans your photos at a high resolution (5 mega pixels equaling, 1829 dpi enhanced 3600 dpi). It converts data at 10 bits per color channel and has a USB interface to covert your films slides and negatives to quality digital images. It also has a built in back light and is capable of scanning color or monochrome film and mounted slides. It retails at $95.57 and can be purchased brand new at ANTonline.com. It is one of the few, in not only film scanners you can purchase brand new for under $100.

The Stratford Labs film and slide scanner sneaks in at $99.99 brand new at HeartlandAmerican.com. This is a good scanner and is perfect if you have large quantities of memories captured on photographs. It can reproduce them into digital format and you can email and post your photos to your heart's content. Also, if you don't like complicated extra features that you don't need, the simplicity of the system is its beauty. It's much faster than the plodding Epson and is no more complicated than turning on your bathroom light. Its main highlights are a five mega pixel CMOS image sensor with 48-bit 3500 optical resolution, four-element glass lens, automatic exposure control and color balance and USB 2.0 high speed scan and preview. It's compatible with Vista and Windows XP systems and also offers a 1 year warranty.

Canon, which always produces a fine product, offers a scanner for $95.99 brand new at Dell.com which is capable of producing scans of both photos and films, as well as documents, and even 35 mm film and slides. Little resolution is lost and most of the customer reviews are in the four star range. Also, a set of seven buttons automates the entire process of scanning, copying and producing e-mails and Adobe Acrobat PDF files. So, if you are not an artist and want convenience, this is a good product for you. The color resolution has a dpi resolution of 4800 x 9600 which produces impresses results and the machine comes with photo altering software that allows you to touch up any flaws.

If you want one of the more high end scanners such as a Nikon, you will not find them new for under $100. Typically, theses can retail for well over $1000. However, on E-Bay you can start bidding on such products used for as low as $15. Frequently, business owners and manufacturers with overstock items like to liquidate such high end products on E-Bay as they get newer models.

The Nikon Super CoolScan 5000 ED Film Scanner with SF 210 Slide Feeder kit which retails for over a $1000 but I have seen them used on E-Bay with starting bids as low as $15! This is one of the Cadillacs of film scanners which possess speed, ease of use, and the ability to produce the highest quality reproductions of your film. If you are a professional or wish to be, you should shop for this type of product on E-Bay.com. so there's a better than average chance you will get one of these used for under $100 if you're an E-Bay bidder.

Sources -
Nextag.com
ConsumerSearch.com
Ebay.com