VuPoint Solutions produces a scanner that can help save those old slides and film negatives by converting them into digital images. But users report some problems.

VuPoint Solutions has come up with a handy new unit to convert old slides and film negatives into digitized computer images. But some users report they have had serious problems with the company’s FilmScanner.

The sellers, including Hammacher Schlemmer on its website, advertise that the unit "converts old 35mm slides and film negatives into digital images, allowing you to easily preserve your memories without having to rely on a conversion service."

Unit Comes with Trays, USB Cable and Software

The FilmScanner, which is 6 and a half inches tall and weighs 1 pound, comes with:

1. 2 black plastic trays, 1 to hold 3 slides and another to hold 6 film negatives.
2. A USB cable for a personal computer
3. Software to edit slides and convert negatives into positives.
4. A cleaning brush

The unit and software require Windows XP.

The plastic trays can be difficult to open and require caution because they feel flimsy. They slide through the FilmScanner in one direction, allowing the user to copy slides one at a time with the push of a button.

Many Old Family and Travel Slides to be Preserved

The need for such a relatively inexpensive unit (about $100) can be found in the thousands of stacks, sleeves and trays of slides and negatives that are probably packed away in homes and offices across the continent.

Where else can those millions of pre-digital family and travel slides and negatives have gone now that computers, digital cameras, camcorders, cell phones and digital projectors have made slide projectors the dinosaurs of the photographic world? And how else can they be preserved?

As David Becker wrote in his December 7, 2007 Wired Blog Network article ("First Look: VuPoint Slide/Film Scanner"), "commercial scanning services are expensive, as are dedicated scanners, and attachments that allow you to copy slides via a digital SLR camera produce iffy results."

That opens the door to the VuPoint FilmScanner, which sells at a fraction of the cost of some dedicated slides scanners. It seems to work well, but apparently not for everyone all of the time.

Users Criticize Image Quality, Support Service

In less that a month during the 2007 holiday season, VuPoint owners filled the Wired Blog with nearly 5 dozen comments, most of them highly critical. This one, by "Jim" on December 9, 2007, summarized the complaints:

"I found the quality produced by the VuPoint to be unsatisfactory. The automatic exposure control (white balance) consistently overcompensates, and the images are usually blurry. It will not yield a high quality digital image."

Another user complained that the unit worked fine for about 150 scans, then stopped. Others said they had trouble installing the software. One complained about the manufacturer’s support system.

Becker said "the 5-megapixel scans are less detailed, obviously, than what you'd get from a professional scanner. But the quality consistently surpassed what I was able to get with an SLR setup, in a fraction of the time."

Once they are scanned, the images can be edited with programs such as PhotoShop.

The FilmScanner Specifications, as provided by VuPoint on is website:

• Model--FS-C1-VP
• Image Sensor--5 Mega pixels CMOS sensor
• Frame Rate (Max)--5 Mega pixels (2592x1944) 2 fps, SXGA (1280x960) 15 fps
• Lens--Fno=2.0, Half-field angle = 15°, 4 glass elements
• Focus Range --Fixed Focus
• Exposure Control --Automatic
• Color Balance--Automatic
• Scan resolution—Up to 5 Mega pixels, equal to 1829 dpi enhanced 3600 dpi
• Interface--USB 2.0
• Data conversion--10 bits per color channel
• Scan method--Single pass
• Light source --Back light (3 white LED)
• Power--USB port
• Dimensions--3.5" x 6.5" x 3.5"