Scanner for old negatives?

[elliottsurf2]

I'm working on a (big) project of scanning in all the old family negatives and am looking for a scanner that can handle the 35mm as well as the older film...I think it is a medium format 120/220, the negatives measure about 2.5" x 1.75" and some negatives are really large like 3" x 4". I don't know any of the technical terms for the film size! I've done a bunch of research online and it looks like you can get a scanner with negative capacities for as little as $150 all the way up to $550. This is like camera lenses to me! Too much information can be confusing! Do any of you have experience with the following scanners: These scanners had great reviews
Epson v700, top of the line says it can do anything you need and has trays for all the different kinds of negatives. Do I really need to spend $550 to get good quality scans?
Epson v600, about half the price the the v700.
Epson 4490 about $150 and can accomodate 35mm to 120/220
CanoScan 9950F (PC mag editor choice for negative scanning!)

Any suggestions, comments or information would be greatly appreciated. Since I am just starting this project, I'd like to start out with good quality from the beginning! I don't want to spend $550 on a scanner, but if it makes a big difference, I'd give it a go!

Thanks you for your input!

[DonnaNJ]

The V600 will do what you need. I have the older version and it's great. The one priced below it won't handle those larger negatives.

The V700 has dual lenses and will give you the best scan but I doubt whether most people would be able to tell the difference. In either case, probably the most important thing is to scan them at the proper resolution and they'll be fine. Epson's software allows you to set the target size which is a whole lot easier than calculating the resolution.

Good luck with your project. I scanned in 80 years worth of negatives last year and it was a tedious job but a rewarding one in the end. DonnaNJ

[Myra]

I am very interested in this! I would love to know that good quality negative scanners are finally affordable. I will definitely look into these. Thanks for the input.

[Chris]

I think you should look seriously at the size of negatives the scanner will take. I bought the Canon Pixma960 that had the best reviews at that time, and purchasing it with my iMac gave me a discount of $100 - that was sweet!
I like it except for the lack of different size holders. Most of my negatives are in the old format like yours, and it's useless for them.
I might look into the The V600 for my next one!

[THAT-GIRL]

Hi Dawn !
I just happened to see the other day on QVC very affordable and looks good scanner, that does it all photos, slides and negatives... here is the link and there is a video you can watch too...
PanDigital Portable Photo, Slide, & FilmScannerw/512 MB SDCard - QVC.com

[carollee]

You won't regret it, I have no idea what my brother's scanner was, but I scanned all our old negatives and they turned out a treat.

[esther_a]

I've been using a canoscan 8800F for scanning a variety of negative sizes - including older, larger negs and old ultrasounds!

[marnie]

I have an Epson Perfection V700 and I LOVE it! Fabulous scans!