What is the Best Slide Scanner in 2023?

David Hamrick

An illustration of a woman organizing her slide collection

Looking for the best slide scanners to help digitize your old slides? Look no further! This post provides a list of the top scanners available in 2023. Whether you’re a business or individual, you’ll find the perfect scanner for your needs.

If you have a box of old slides hidden away in a closet, it’s time to bring them out and give them new life. Slides provide a unique and interesting way to share memories with friends and family, and with the help of a good slide scanner, they can be digitized in minutes. In this article, we’ll discuss the different types of slide scanners available on the market, as well as the benefits of digitizing your slides.

It’s no secret that technology has come a long way in the last few years. With new advancements in digital scanning, it has never been easier to digitize your old slides - and there are a variety of different scanners on the market to choose from! If you’re looking for the best slide scanner for your needs, read on for our top picks for 2023.

How to Choose the Right Slide Scanner for You

A collection of kodachrome slides

The first thing you’ll need to do when choosing a slide scanner is decide which type is right for you. There are two main types of scanners on the market: flatbed scanners and dedicated slide scanners. Flatbed scanners are versatile devices that can be used for a variety of tasks, like scanning slides, film, photos, documents, and more. Flatbed scanners are a great choice for businesses or individuals who need to scan a variety of different items. If you’re looking to scan your old slides, you can’t just use any old flatbed scanner, you need to find a scanner that is specifically designed for scanning slides. This type of scanner will have a light source above the slides. However, one downside to flatbed scanners is that you have to load the slides manually-which can be time-consuming if you have a large batch of slides to scan.

Another advantage of flatbed scanners is that you can scan a variety of sizes of film and slides, including medium or large format. This makes them a versatile option who need to scan a variety of different items with a single device. Flatbed scanners are also a great choice for scanning documents, photos, and other items.

Dedicated slide scanners are designed specifically for scanning slides. These scanners often have an automatic feeder that will load your slides for you, so you don’t have to spend time loading them one by one. Dedicated slide scanners are a great choice if you’re looking for a fast and easy way to scan your slides. However, they can be more expensive than flatbed scanners.

Dust is the enemy of any photographer-it can ruin photos and affect image quality. That’s why it’s important to remove dust from your slides before scanning them. Thankfully, many slide scanners include a built-in dust removal feature that automatically cleans your slides before scanning them. This ensures that your scanned images are free of pesky dust particles. If you’re looking for a scanner with an excellent dust removal feature, we recommend checking out our software, VueScan. VueScan can use the infrared data coming from the scanner to remove any dust and interpolate the scanned image to give you a great quality image.

Now that you know the different types of slide scanners available on the market, it’s time to choose the right one for your needs. Consider how many slides you need to scan, what type of slides you’re scanning, and your budget when making your decision. Once you’ve decided which type of scanner is right for you, it’s time to start looking at specific models. Here are some of the best slide scanners on the market in 2023:

Why trust VueScan?

If you’re looking for the best slide scanner on the market, you can’t go wrong with the advice of the VueScan team. We have over 25 years of experience in the scanning industry, so we know what makes a great scanner. We test and review all of the latest scanners, so we can recommend the best ones to our customers. We’re confident that we can help you find the perfect scanner for your needs. We also have hundreds of thousands of customers of VueScan who use a variety of scanners, so we hear about all the problems that customers are having. This allows us to quickly fix any issues that might arise with a particular scanner.

The 3 Best Slide Scanners for 2023

Best flatbed slide scanner - Epson v600

Epson v600

The Epson Perfection v600 is a great slide scanner for a number of reasons. First, it has a fast scan speed, so you can quickly get through your slides. Second, it has an excellent dust removal feature that ensures your scanned images are free of pesky dust particles. Finally, it’s affordably priced, making it a great option for budget-minded shoppers. If you’re looking for a great slide scanner that won’t break the bank, the Epson Perfection v600 is definitely worth considering!

Best dedicated slide scanner - Plustek OpticFilm 8200i

Plustek OpticFilm 8200i

If you’re looking for a great dedicated slide scanner, the Plustek OpticFilm 8200i is definitely worth considering. This scanner has a number of great features, including excellent color reproduction and a built-in profile that ensures accurate scanning results. It also has a fast scan speed, so you can get through your slides quickly. Plus, it’s affordably priced, making it a great option for budget-minded shoppers. If you’re looking for a great dedicated slide scanner, the Plustek OpticFilm 8200i is a great choice.

Note: Plustek has recently released a new model with the same model name (Plustek OpticFilm 8200i) that is currently incompatible with VueScan so it’s hard to know whether you have the Plustek 8200i that is compatible with VueScan or the one that isn’t.

Best used slide scanner - Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 ED with SF-210 Slide Feeder

Nikon Coolscan 5000

If you’re looking for a great slide scanner, the Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 ED is definitely worth considering. For years, it has been the gold standard of slide scanners. Unfortunately, Nikon no longer sells this scanner, but it’s still available on eBay and second hand in other places. If you’re able to get your hands on one you should absolutely get one. It’s by far the best slide scanner on the market. But by far the biggest advantage of this scanner is the SF-210 slide feeder. This allows you to scan 50 slides without needing to reload. This is a huge time savings over other methods.

The Advantages of Digitizing Your Slides

Digitizing your slides is a great way to preserve them for future generations. Not only does it make them easier to view, but it also ensures that they won’t be damaged over time.

Unlike photos, slides need to be viewed in a slide viewer or digitized. This is because slides are much smaller than photos, and they need to be magnified in order to be seen properly. If you try to view them by themselves you’ll only get a small preview of the image and you won’t be able to see all the details.

Slides can be be damaged over time. Water damage or fire damage are the two most common types of damage that slides can experience. Water damage is a particularly common problem for slides. If they get wet, the water can cause the images to fade and the colors to bleed. In some cases, the water can even cause the slide to become moldy. Fire damage is another common problem for slides. If a fire occurs in your home, your slides may be affected by the heat and smoke. In some cases, the images on the slides may be completely destroyed.

Dust can be a major problem for slides. Over time, the dust can accumulate on the surface of the slide and it can become difficult to see the image properly. In some cases, the dust can even obscure the image entirely. One way to combat this is to use a scanner with software like VueScan. This software includes an infrared cleaning feature that can remove the dust from the surface of the slide. This ensures that your scanned images are free of pesky dust particles.

Another main problems with slides is that they can fade over time. The dyes that are used to create the images on the slides can deteriorate at different rates, which can cause the image to become less clear over time. In some cases, the image may even disappear altogether. One way to combat this is to use a scanner with software like VueScan. This software includes an infrared cleaning feature that can remove the dust from the surface of the slide. This ensures that your scanned images are free of pesky dust particles. This ensures that your scanned images look as good as possible, regardless of how much the slide has faded over time.

It’s important to remember that slides in a box are as good as lost. Slides that are digitized can be shared with your family and friends. Digitizing your slides is the best way to preserve them for future generations. So if you have a box of old slides, be sure to digitize them as soon as possible!

Why use VueScan to Scan Your Slides?

One of the main advantages of using VueScan is its compatibility with a wide range of scanners. VueScan supports over 6000 scanners from 42 manufacturers, making it one of the most compatible scanning software on the market. This means that no matter what type or brand of scanner you have, VueScan will likely work with it. This compatibility allows for a more seamless scanning experience without worrying about whether the software will work with your specific scanner. Additionally, VueScan also allows you to customize your scanning settings, giving you more control over the final output, and allowing you to achieve professional-level results.

Another reason to use VueScan to scan your slides is its advanced dust removal feature. VueScan uses infrared data from the scanner to remove dust and other particles from your slides, resulting in clearer, higher-quality images. This feature ensures that your scanned images are free of pesky dust particles, which can be a major problem when scanning slides.

A scanned slide by VueScan Scanner Software before being corrected for fading A scanned slide by VueScan Scanner Software after being corrected for fading

A scanned slide before and after fading correction performed by VueScan

VueScan is also great at correcting faded slides. Slides that have been stored for an extended period of time can often suffer from color fading and deterioration due to exposure to light and heat. Furthermore, certain types of slide film like Ektachrome and Agfa have a shorter lifespan and are more prone to this issue. However, with the help of specialized software like VueScan, restoring these faded slides to their original appearance is possible. This software is equipped with advanced color correction algorithms that can detect and fix issues like fading and color casts, allowing you to bring back the memories captured in these slides.