[brj]

Has anyone used a negative scanning service to worthwhile results?  If so, do you have any specific recommendations?

I had a coworker suggest ScanCafe, though that suggestion was derived from online research rather than personal experience.  Looking at their offerings, it appears that jumping from the standard 3000 DPI scan resolution and lossy JPG storage format to the 4000 DPI scan resolution and lossless TIFF storage format puts one at $0.57 per 35 mm negative scanned, plus shipping.

That can start to add up if you want to digitize your entire film archive, but then again, I don't relish spending the amount of time it would take to go through years of film and cherry pick the best ones.

Either way, I'd like to have at least a portion of my film negatives scanned into a digital format in as high a quality and resolution as feasible, and would appreciate any recommendations.

Thanks!

[gsm18439]

I use a local company called Dodge Chrome. But I do relatively low resolution scans of entire rolls of film and cherry pick the negatives for high resolution scans and retouching as needed. I find their service of high quality. Their website is www.dodgechrome.com.

[john_schmitt]

ScanCafe isn't bad.  It's a legit company, but all scanning is done in India, so it takes ~2-3 months.

As for DPI & TIFF:  You'd need to have really good, professional-level images to notice any difference between 2000 dpi jpg & 4000 dpi TIFF.  Going higher resolution & lossless otherwise just "preserves" the original negative's problems (blur, color fade, water damage, etc).

I'm actually the CEO of GoPhoto.com.  We scan negatives for thousands of customers by mail, and do it all in the US.  You can find lots of reviews of us online, like here GoPhoto Reviews.  My staff & I are always ready to answer Q's too 888.873-0712.

Best Regards,
John