If you’re sitting on a treasure trove of negatives and you’re not sure what to do with them, the answer is easy: digitize them!
Negatives are actually amazing little pieces of film, and they have tons of uses that you might not know about. For example, you can take them to the pharmacy to get copies of your favorite pictures and gift them to friends or create art projects like these photo centerpieces.
We’re not going to tell you how to use your negatives. It’s your life to live, and you’ve got to make your own decisions about what to do with your film stuff.
But…
You should absolutely get your negatives digitized. Your old photo negatives are like fragile time capsules, holding your most cherished memories—but they’re not invincible! Over time, they can easily get scratched, bent, or damaged by heat, humidity, or even just sitting in that dusty old box.
Worse yet, if they’re exposed to water or mold, your memories could fade away for good. Digitizing negatives is like putting your memories in a protective bubble, safe from life’s mishaps. You took the pictures for a reason, and digitizing them is a great way to save them for future generations to enjoy.
Now that I’ve convinced you how important it is to get your negatives digitized, the next question that you probably have is, “Ok, I get it, but how much does digitizing negatives cost?” The answer depends on a couple of factors, such as how you digitize your negatives, if you use a conversion service or DIY, and the format of the digital files.
Option 1: At-Home Film Scanning (>$150 + Time)
To digitize your negatives at home, you will need to buy some fancy equipment. Amazon has a ton of options that you can purchase to digitize your negatives, and the prices are all over the place. Starting at $150 and up, you can get a little machine that can process your negatives and turn them into digital photos. You can also get the equipment to transfer other formats like photo prints, Super 8, and VHS tapes if you really want, but that is going to cost more.
However, while DIY sounds cool, that minimum $150 cost doesn’t even come close to measuring the time cost that you’ll spend processing all of your negatives. If you’re digitizing hundreds of photos, that’s a lot of time you could spend doing something different. Sure, $150 might not be much to some people, but the time cost is where this method really gets you. For most people, the cost of high-quality equipment and the time involved make the DIY method a less-than-ideal choice for many.
Option 2: Using a Scanning Service ($0.25 per negative)
Want to skip the hassle and let the pros handle it? Let Southtree Digitize the negatives for you! Our list price is about $.25 per negative to digitize. That means you’d have to digitize 187 negatives before you break even on the out-of-pocket costs, not including your time! We have specials sometimes that can drop the per-negative cost even more. Sign up for our email list to be the first to know about these special discounts.
Our scanning service allows you to get your negatives in convenient digital formats including digital download, flash drive, or disc set. For an additional charge, you can also include print photo scanning, slide scanning, film transfer, and more.
What I’m trying to say is, unless you’re a technology buff who loves buying single-use machines that are bad for the environment, then by all means, digitize your negatives yourself. It’s not really cost-effective, time-efficient, or particularly fun, but you do you.
But if you’re into saving money and taking the easier path to success, let Southtree digitize your negatives. You’ll be happy that you did!
