Top 5 Slide Scanners

Slide scanners, unlike regular flatbed scanners, make it easy for anyone to make digital copies of photos that are stored as negatives or slides. Anyone who has photos saved on slides would benefit from a slide scanner, as creating digital copies of them is not only providing a backup in case they get lost or ruined, but it also preserves the life of them - as, over time, slides themselves can lose quality. Slide scanners also give you a way to view and share your pictures without having to rely on a slide projector.

Plustek OpticFilm 7200 Film Scanner

The OpticFilm 7200 is capable of scanning 35mm slides and negatives at the very high optical resolution of up to 7200 dpi - amazing picture quality whether you want to store pictures on your computer or print them out or enlarge them for a variety of uses. Its USB 2.0 connection makes it easy to plug right into your computer and enable a very fast scan speed. Also provided is a nice software bundle to edit and organize scanned images, along with a carrying case for the scanner and accessories. At $200, this slide scanner offers much more than what you are paying for.

Canon CanoScan 8800F

This scanner can scan at a nice resolution of up to 4800 x 9600 dpi, providing high-quality images from your slides, using either positives or negatives. The CanoScan 8800F also features high-luminance LED lamps, enabling the device to begin scanning right away, without having to wait for it to warm up, and the USB 2.0 connection further ensures a quick scan. Its top-of-the-line retouching technology allows you to improve old photos to how they were originally, with the option to digitally remove dust and scratches. A decent software bundle (including programs like Adobe Photoshop Elements, ArcSoft PhotoStudio, and several more) is accompanied, along with 35mm film guides and a 120 roll film strip. The average price for this great scanner is $170.

Pacific Image PrimeFilm 35mm Film Scanner

At around $240, the PrimeFilm 35mm scanner provides a quick and easy transfer of your 35mm slides into digital copies. It offers an optical resolution of 3600, which allows you to enlarge photos to just about any size without destroying the quality. Several scan options are offered with this device, such as auto film loading (for negative strips and un-cut developed film rolls), one-by-one mounted slides, and batch scan, all which perform quickly and painlessly. A bundled software package is included.

Penpower Prime Film 3650u Slide/Film Scanner

For just under $300 (on average) the Penpower 3650U is great for its digital ICE technology, that performs effortlessly to remove dust, scratches and fading from your precious slide images. The 3600 dpi optical resolution gives you some great image quality, with options to blow up your 35mm film into much larger sizes without losing quality. With a USB 2.0 connection, every scan performs as speedily as you can ask for.

Epson Perfection 4490 Photo Scanner

This quick scanner offers an optical resolution of 4800 x 9600 for outstanding image quality and a 3.4 Dmax for wide dynamic range. Like the Penpower above, it also uses digital ICE technology to get rid of dust and scratches from the film, while paired with great software programs to restore color or manipulate the photos in other ways. It comes with film holders for several 35mm slides, negatives and transparencies. At $150, this is one of the best slide scanners both for its ease of use, speed, and high-quality performance.