Using the Kodak Slide N Scan Digital Film Scanner

Why did I buy the Kodak Slide N Scan digital film scanner? I am the family historian. It’s my job to build the family tree, preserve documents, and organize photos. And I don’t mean digital photos. I mean decades’ worth of physical photos and everything that goes with them: film negatives and slides. Once upon a time, taking photos meant buying rolls of film and then paying to get those rolls developed. You could get your photos printed on glossy paper, on color slides or both. When you got your photos or slides from the lab, the film negative would be included in the envelope.

It’s easy to scan physical photos and make digital copies. But what can you do with film negatives and slides? Negatives need to be colorized and slides are so small that it can be difficult to get a clear image. And both of these things can be too delicate for the heat of a flatbed scanner.

There are many businesses that will digitize your physical photos, negatives, and even home videos. But that usually means sending them through the mail, and the risk of losing these irreplaceable things.

You could make reprints from the old negatives the old fashioned way, but that would mean making your own darkroom and buying chemicals. As for slides, you could find a vintage slide projector, but how would you make copies of the pictures? Fortunately, there is a solution: digital film scanners, small devices that can display images from negatives in color, magnify the photos from slides, and make digital copies.

I decided to get the Kodak Slide N Scan. It’s small enough to handle film negatives of different sizes and slides as well.

It’s very easy to use, but there is one part that you need to buy separately: a SD card to store the photos. The scanner needs a SD card that’s no larger than 32GB. Then you can connect the scanner to a computer or to a TV with an HDMI port. You don’t have to install any apps to make it work, just plug it in and go.

The scanner comes with a tray that is used to pull the negatives through. The tray is made for standard size 35 mm film, but also has adapters for two different film sizes and one adapter for slides. Placing the negative in the tray was tricky at first, then I was able to pull it through.

In order to view the images correctly, you have to go to the film settings menu. First, you will be given the options to view slides, color film negatives, or black and white film negatives. When you choose your option, then you must select the correct film size. This will affect how the image is displayed onscreen and what it will look like when it is saved on the SD card.

Now you can view the pictures on the negative. The great thing about this scanner is that it displays the images in color and it also has the ability to edit the color temperature and brightness of each image. The scanner can’t move the negatives through automatically, so you will have to pull them through by hand. When the image is lined up on screen, you press the camera button on top to make a copy.

To transfer any scanned images to your computer, select the USB Upload option. Then press the OK button to complete the connection. After you’ve pressed the button, the scanner will appear as a removable disk on your computer. Now you can copy the images from the SD card to your computer.

Gallery Mode will display all scanned photos in a slide show. In this mode, the scanner can be used as a digital photo frame, but you will need to buy a power adapter to connect it to an electrical outlet. When connected to a tv, all the photos will be displayed on the tv instead.

I’m very glad I got this digital film scanner. If I could change anything about it, I would have included a plug to connect it to an outlet. It doesn’t have a rechargeable battery inside, so in order to use the Gallery Mode feature you have to connect the scanner to a computer or tv. But it is very easy to use and a great help when it comes to organizing photos and film negatives.