A film scanner is a specialist peripheral device used to scan photographic film - including negatives and transparencies (slides) - and convert them into high resolution digital image files. Unlike flatbed scanners, which are primarily designed to scan reflective materials such as prints and documents, film scanners are specifically engineered to work with transmissive media, shining a light source through the film and capturing the resulting image with a high resolution sensor.
Film scanners are available in a range of formats to accommodate different film sizes, from 35mm strips and mounted slides through to medium format and large format sheet film. The quality of the scan is determined by several factors, including the optical resolution of the scanner - measured in dots per inch (DPI) - the dynamic range of the sensor, and the quality of the optics used. A high dynamic range is particularly important when scanning film, as it determines the scanner's ability to capture detail in both the densest shadows and the brightest highlights of the original image.
Film scanning has become an essential part of many photographers' workflows, allowing them to digitise archives of existing film work for editing, sharing, printing, and long term digital storage. Professional film scanning services are also widely available for those requiring the highest possible quality from their film originals. As interest in analogue photography has grown in recent years, film scanners have seen a resurgence in popularity among both amateur enthusiasts and professional photographers working with film.