Photo Scanner Reviews Australia
Егор Ульянов
Before you select a photo scanner for yourself, you'll want to assess some factors to find the best product. To start with, do you want just a photo scanner or an all-in-one that does more than scanning?
You'll want to look at what size pictures or documents you plan to scan. Are they small 4-by-6-inch pictures or much larger ones? Your options will also vary if you want to scan negatives or scan pictures in batches.
Then, you'll want to evaluate the scanning resolution. If you're going to enlarge the scans for decorating your home, you'll want to go for 1200 to 3200 dpi, but otherwise, 300 dpi should be sufficient for most purposes. Don't forget to check whether the scanner enhances the pictures during its scanning and the scanning speed and price.
This is where photo scanners come in. They let you digitize your precious photo collection, and allow you to save them on a hard drive - either one installed in your PC or laptop, or ideally on an external hard drive or NAS device. This means if the original photos are lost or damaged, you still have a digital copy.
Unlike normal scanners, the best photo scanners are designed specifically for use with photographs, which means they offer extremely high resolutions and capture every detail, and will offer a simple and straightforward way of turning your traditional photos into digital ones, without over-complicating things.
We've compared these photo scanners across various points, from their size and scanning speed to their scanning resolution and photo enhancements. We also checked whether they could scan pictures in batches and their pricing, among other aspects.
If you are using one of our picks of the best photo scanners to back up your photo collection, then we recommend you visit our best external hard drive, best NAS device and best cloud storage guides too.
FastFoto FF-680W's scan quality is quite impressive, and along with converting prints into digital formats, it also enhances the images for better visibility. The scanner's Optical Character Recognition (OCR) performance is decent with commonly used fonts, so document scanning should be convenient too. The FastFoto FF-680W is best suited for home use.
While the Epson FastFoto FF-680W above is the best all-round photo scanner, if you have the budget and want the very best results, then the Canoscan 9000F Mark II ticks all the right boxes. This is because the 9000F offers a scanning resolution of up to 9600x9600 dpi for film/slides and a quarter of that for photo and documents, all at 48-bit. It can handle negatives and filmstrips thanks to a built-in adaptor.
The Epson Perfection V600 is another flatbed scanner that specialises in scanning photos, and with a high 6400dpi, you can scan your photos in the knowledge that you're getting excellent digital representations of your original photographs. It comes with holders that allow you to easily scan in negatives and slides as well, and the Digital ICE technology, automatically removes dust and scratches from older photos, which is a fantastic feature that ensures your photo collection looks better than ever.
Unlike the other scanners on this list, the HP Officejet 7612 isn't a dedicated photo scanner, and while that means it lacks some of the photo-centric features of other photo scanners on this list, it also means it's more flexible as well, and it's not only a great scanner for documents as well as photos, but it can double as a printer, photocopier, and fax machine as well.
This means you can easily create physical copies of your photos, or you can use the Wi-Fi connection to send photos you scan to people around the world via email. Plus, the high 1200dpi means scan quality is excellent, and it's very reasonably priced as well.
The Epson Perfection V850 Pro is the best photo scanner for professional photographers, or enthusiasts. Not only does it boast very high resolutions, it can handle pretty much any photo, film or negative, and its dual lens system automatically selects the optimal lens, with up to 4800 DPI optical resolution for reflective photo scanning and 6400 DPI when scanning using film holders.
To test the best photo scanners, we looked at what type of users they'd be best suited for. We checked whether they offered just photo scanning capabilities or if they had other functionalities too, like printing and photocopying. We considered what sizes they'd scan, the scanning speed, and the scanning resolution.
We evaluated whether the scanner would enhance the digitized images or convert them as close to the original as possible. We also checked whether the scanners could scan photos in batches and if they could scan negatives, among other things.
A lot of film scanners will come with some scanning software included, this might be first-party scanning software from the company that makes the scanner, or they might lean on third-party software that has the benefit of working on any supported scanner from multiple brands.
Two of the best choices for third-party scanning software are SilverFast by LaserSoft Imaging or VueScan from Hamrick. Silverfast is often bundled with more advanced scanners, it is very powerful although its dated interface isn't for everyone. Vuescan offers a cleaner interface and similar advanced features but must be bought as a separate purchase from the scanner.
If you already have a mirrorless or DSLR digital camera and a high-quality 1:1 macro lens, then you can also \"scan\" your film using your camera, this is useful as you can scan any film format, and also very quickly.
However, this method takes a fair amount of careful setup, calibration, and technique, so is not for everyone, but with the right film scanning tools to flatten your film and a high CRI (color rendering index) backlight, you can get film \"scans\" that are indistinguishable to any of the best dedicated film scanning machines.
The best film scanners can take your film into the digital realm. Whether you've got an attic full of old negatives, or you're taking new photos with one of the best film cameras, a film scanner will quickly become the easiest way for sharing your shots online.
So what is the best scanner right now? For 35mm, I think it's the OpticFilm 8100 SE from the film scanning pros at Plustek; it extracts phenomenal levels of detail from your film, is backed up by excellent scanning software, and is sensibly priced. If you're after something that'll scan larger film or in large batches, then Epson's Perfection V600 Photo flatbed scanner is a great choice.
Gareth is the Reviews Editor at Digital Camera World and the person in charge of approving all the latest camera-related tech. A passionate film photographer and perfectionist, he scans all his own films in search of that perfect quality and is always on the lookout for cleaner and faster scanning."}), " -0-10/js/person.js"); } else console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); Gareth BevanSocial Links NavigationReviews EditorGareth is the Reviews Editor at Digital Camera World and the person in charge of approving all the latest camera-related tech. A passionate film photographer and perfectionist, he scans all his own films in search of that perfect quality and is always on the lookout for cleaner and faster scanning.
The OpticFilm 8200i SE could be mistaken for its baby 8100 sibling, however here you get a max 7200dpi scanning resolution and infrared dust removal. If you only shoot 35mm film, this is the best scan quality you can get.
This scanner cuts out a few things from its more expensive Plustek siblings like infrared scanning for dust removal, but this makes it a much more wallet-friendly option that still gives the best scan quality for 35mm film.
The V600 is designed to cater to film photographers who shoot multiple sizes and includes holders for 35mm film, 35mm slides, and 120/220 medium format film. Quality is exceptional and even challenges the much pricier V850 Pro below.
A huge monolith of a scanner, but this is the ultimate flatbed scanner for professionals who want to scan large film formats. The V850 Pro offers speed and some of the best quality you will find in any film scanner.
This scanner offers a fully automated scanning process that takes the effort out of scanning 35mm frames or mounted slides. Its only downside is the bundled software is not as advanced as other Plustek models.
Simple to use, no computer required, and won't break the bank. If you want to digitize your Super8 film, then your choices are limited, but thankfully the Kodak Reels does a decent job at preserving precious memories.
Digital scanning methods like the Kodak Scanza might not be the best you can get in image quality, but if you just want to secure some memories without spending a lot of time and money then it's a great option.
This is the easiest scanner on this list to use, with a big easy-to-see screen and lots of quick manual controls on the scanner base. But as another digital scanner, the quality can't compete with proper scanners.
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