Economics of Scanning: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The economics of film digitization are about more than just the cost of the equipment. You should consider the value of your time and effort, the quantity of photos you need to digitize, the longevity and maintainability of your equipment, and the satisfaction you get from DIY versus professional services. After all digitizing film is tedious and monotonous job - especially scanning part of it.

The initial cost of digitization includes purchasing a suitable camera, lens, and other necessary equipment like a scanning rig or light table. Ongoing costs include software subscriptions (if applicable), maintenance of your equipment, and storage for your digital files.

Consider this: the most powerful and popular software to convert color negatives scans into positive images - Negative Lab Pro perpetual license not only cost US$100 (which is very decent price given the quality of it output), but it runs on top of Adobe Lightroom Classic which requires  subscription for around US$20 / month.

Of course there is some decent free software like RawTherapy, but speed of processing is not the strong side of it.

If you have a large number of photos, doing it yourself could be less expensive in the long run. However, if you only have a small batch of photos, the cost of equipment and the time investment might not be worthwhile.

Film scanners can range from inexpensive to very costly. Similarly, a camera setup for digitizing can have a wide cost range depending on the camera, lens, and scanning rig. In general, camera setups offer more flexibility and better quality, but may have a higher upfront cost, especially if you don't have camera body suitable for scanning. Let's consider some possible scenarios:

Camera Digitizing Costs: The essential equipment you need for camera digitizing include a digital camera, a macro lens, a copy stand or a similar setup to hold your camera and film steady, a light pad, and a film holder.

• If you already own a digital camera and a macro lens, the cost could be as low as $100 to $300 for a good quality copy stand, light pad, and film holder.

• If you need to purchase a camera and lens, costs can increase significantly. An entry-level digital SLR camera and a macro lens could cost between $500 and $1500, depending on the brand and model.

Film Scanner Costs: Dedicated film scanners come at various price points:

• Entry-level film scanners (like Kodak Slide N SCAN Film Scanner) can start around $100 to $200, but these often offer limited resolution and may not produce the image quality you seek.

• Mid-range film scanners (Plustek OpticFilm 8200i SE or AI, Plustek Opticfilm 8100, Canon Canoscan 9000F Mark II, Epson Perfection V600,Epson Perfection V850 Pro Photo Scanner, Pacific Image PowerFilm) can cost between $200 and $1200. These typically offer better resolution and more advanced features.

• Professional-grade film scanners (Imacon Flextight for example)  can run into thousand and thousands dollars. These scanners provide the highest level of image quality and are often used by professionals and institutions.

It's important to note that while the upfront costs are an important consideration, you should also factor in the desired quality of the results you want to achieve, the time you're willing to invest in the process, and the potential for future upgrades or changes in your setup. BTW, most of the pieces of scanning equipment typically retain good resell value.

A lot! Outsourcing can save a significant amount of time, especially if you have a large volume of film to digitize. However, you will also lose some control over the process and the final results. If you enjoy the process of digitizing and have the time to spare, doing it yourself can be rewarding.

For large volumes, consider investing in a high-quality camera setup and solid scanning rig, which can speed up the process. Outsourcing is also an option, but costs can add up quickly for large quantities of film. Run your numbers expecting cost to be US$2 per slide or negative. There is number of cheaper scanning offering on Etsy.com, but you really need to do you diligence in re of end result. There are companies on the web offering digitizing services, but they give price quote by the box - rather funny method of hiding exuberant costs. Finally you can find companies which send your originals overseas - where labor is much cheaper then in USA or Europe.  This scenario truly requires cost/risk/benefit analysis. 

Software costs can vary greatly. There are free options like Darktable and DigiKam while professional software like Adobe Lightroom or Capture One can be pricier. 

Consider this: the most powerful and popular software to convert color negatives scans into positive images - Negative Lab Pro perpetual license not only cost US$100 (which is very decent price given the quality of it output), but it runs on top of Adobe Lightroom Classic which requires  subscription for around US$20 / month.

A high-end scanning rig can provide a smoother workflow, faster scanning, and better image quality, particularly for large volumes of film. However, for casual digitization or smaller quantities of film, a basic setup may be sufficient. Negative Supply is considered luxury brand anh has offering for almost any film format. 

Just for the reference here is the curated list of well known scanning rigs for camera digitizing as of Aug 2023. List is sorted by price from low to high.

• (vintage) Nikon ES1 Slide Copy Adapter

• JJC Slide and Film Digitizing Adapter

• Pixl-Latr

• Essential Film Holder 

• (vintage) Nikon ES2 film and slide adapter

• VALOI 360 in all its variations

• VALOI easy35

• Skier Sunray Copy Box

• Negative Supply in all its variations

When digitizing film, both the camera and the lens play crucial roles. However, if you're working with a limited budget and have to prioritize one over the other, investing in a good lens, specifically a fixed focal length "true" macro lens, could be more beneficial.

Why? Here are a few reasons:

1. Image Quality: The lens has a major influence on image quality across the frame. A high-quality lens can deliver sharp, clear images with good contrast, even when used with a modestly priced camera.

2. Magnification: A good macro lens, capable of 1:1 magnification, allows you to capture the full detail of your film negatives or slides. This is especially important when digitizing film.

3. Long-term Use: Lenses tend to hold their value and remain useful over a longer period of time compared to cameras. Cameras often get upgraded every few years as technology advances, but a good lens can last decades.

4. Versatility: Investing in a good lens opens up opportunities not just for digitizing film, but for general photography as well.

Of course, this advice assumes that you have a functioning camera that is compatible with the lens you're considering and capable of producing high-resolution images. If your camera is very old or has a low-resolution sensor, you might see more improvement by investing in a better camera.

If you're ready to invest up to $1000 in your film digitizing process, you have a few options that can significantly improve the efficiency and quality of your results:

1. Upgrade Your Camera Scanning Rig: With this budget, you can upgrade to a more advanced scanning rig that is stable, vibration-free, and resistant to disturbances. These features are paramount in ensuring the consistency, quality, sharpness of your scans, especially over longer scanning sessions.

2. Upgrade Your Lens: Consider investing in a higher-quality macro lens, particularly one that offers flat-field focus. Such a lens will provide sharper, more uniform images across the entire frame, reducing the amount of post-processing required to correct for field curvature. Good macro lenses like APO Rodagon also typically deliver better color accuracy.

3. Invest in Better Software: There are high-end software options like Adobe Lightroom, Capture One, or Negative Lab Pro that can substantially streamline your post-processing. These programs offer sophisticated tools for batch-processing, A more advanced software package will not only speed up your workflow but also often results in better quality digitized images.

4. Outsource Your Scanning: If you're open to outsourcing, a $1000 budget could cover a significant amount of professional digitizing services. Although you would have less control over the process, professional services can deliver high-quality results without requiring your time.

Remember to think of your investment not just in terms of cost but also in terms of the potential to save you time and improve your results. Conducting some research on the specific options available in your price range and reading reviews or getting advice from others who have undertaken similar projects can be very helpful.

If you have a large volume of film to digitize, the cost per photo can become very reasonable over time. Additionally, some photographers have been able to monetize their setup by offering digitization services to others. Certainly all equipment, especially high-quality lens, retain a good resell value. It is not uncommon that folks finish their scanning projects and sell all their equipment as a set.  This is a good opportunity to buy - given that all pieces are known to work together. Similarly after project is complete one may sell it pretty much for the same money.