Converting negative film to digital

[obcbeatle]

Is anyone having any success converting old film negatives to digital without buying an expensive scanner? I tried the smartphone app Filmory using an old laptop display as a backlight, plus a piece of glass over the negative to keep the curled negative flat, but I'm not satisfied with the results (too grainy). Perhaps there are other apps and/or methods I could be using? Thank you.

[D. Bergin]

You can get a scanner for 35mm film and slides for pretty cheap.

If it's anything that's a larger format, I'm pretty sure you'll have to get a flatbed scanner with a backlight and the appropriate software.

[obcbeatle]

Thank you Dave, I have quite a few 70mm slides cut from an old film roll, and that is all I need to scan, maybe 50 negatives. I'm now reading about using a DSLR camera, but I'd have to borrow one. I may go that route. Apparently it's a popular way if you don't want to buy a flatbed scanner. Or I could just give the negatives to a professional, which I may end up doing if the DSLR quality is not good enough. Thank you for the reply!

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by obcbeatle

Thank you Dave, I have quite a few 70mm slides cut from an old film roll, and that is all I need to scan, maybe 50 negatives. I'm now reading about using a DSLR camera, but I'd have to borrow one. I may go that route. Apparently it's a popular way if you don't want to buy a flatbed scanner. Or I could just give the negatives to a professional, which I may end up doing if the DSLR quality is not good enough. Thank you for the reply!

You may want to explore this: https://legacybox.com/collections/film-transfer-service. They do slides and 35mm negatives. They may be able to do yours as they do all sizes of reel film (8mm, 16mm etc.). They currently have a special for $30 for one item. I used them to convert some 16mm films from the 1948 and 1964 Olympics and they came out pretty good.

[ocjack]

My local library has what they call a "memory lab." They provide all the equipment you need to convert almost everything from 8mm film, vhs tapes, negatives/slides into a digital format. They provide all of this free. You might check with your local libraries to see if any of them offer this service.

Side note: There are so many people signing up to use the lab, it's hard to get an appointment. lol

[obcbeatle]

Thanks for the replies, Legacybox is sounding pretty good at this point, I used my iPhone camera using an old laptop monitor for backlight, then imported into an old version of Photoshop I forgot I had, inverted in PS, and the result is better than Filmory. I'm still not sure if I'm ok with the clarity after inverting in PS though. The negative photos using the iPhone look surprisingly good. Not sure if it can be improved in PS after inverting. I don't know PS very well. Seems like the inverting process in PS is taking away some of the clarity. I did check with my local library to see if they have a DSLR camera (Internet things service), and they currently don't. I'm beginning to wonder if I can improve the clarity with a proper backlight too. But I'm loath to purchase a backlight I only use for these auto racing negatives. I've been told that 70mm film from the 1950's/60's is pretty darn good. So I'd like to improve the quality. So after all this, Legacybox IS sounding like a pretty good option. Thanks!

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by obcbeatle

Thanks for the replies, Legacybox is sounding pretty good at this point, I used my iPhone camera using an old laptop monitor for backlight, then imported into an old version of Photoshop I forgot I had, inverted in PS, and the result is better than Filmory. I'm still not sure if I'm ok with the clarity after inverting in PS though. The negative photos using the iPhone look surprisingly good. Not sure if it can be improved in PS after inverting. I don't know PS very well. Seems like the inverting process in PS is taking away some of the clarity. I did check with my local library to see if they have a DSLR camera (Internet things service), and they currently don't. I'm beginning to wonder if I can improve the clarity with a proper backlight too. But I'm loath to purchase a backlight I only use for these auto racing negatives. I've been told that 70mm film from the 1950's/60's is pretty darn good. So I'd like to improve the quality. So after all this, Legacybox IS sounding like a pretty good option. Thanks!

IPhone might give you a decent contact sized print from the negative, but if you're looking to make nice enlargements, either a suitable scanner or Legacybox making Hi-Res scans for you is probably the way to go.

[obcbeatle]

Thanks Dave. I may well send all these to Legacybox. I just posted a few more in my other Auto Racing thread. I'll include one here. Anyway, if anyone cares to know, the best results I had was:

-making a negative holder to keep the negatives flat (these negatives were all cut from a 1961 70mm film roll, before I got them)
-used my laptop display for a backlight
-used my iPhone camera
-held the negative about 2" from backlight and 2" from iPhone, a bit of zoom
-opened photos in an old version of Photoshop, and inverted, cropped

This process worked better than Filmory's AI inverter, for me. I really think a good DSLR camera and a proper backlight, or a good scanner would work best. Or send to a professional! Happy Holiday!

[obcbeatle]

forgot the photo