KODAK Mobile Film Scanner
This is a clever product for what it does. And at a great price. I like it for that. And what you want to use it for should be aligned with what it does.
DO NOT think, however, that you are going to scan your entire negative and slide collection and turn them into photographs. While it CAN do this, it's really not for that purpose. It can do this for the odd slide or negative, no problem. But the process is a bit time consuming and depends on the quality of the picture taking capabilities of your phone - which are, no matter how new your phone is, still very limited compared to a scanner or camera. Remember, your phone is a "phone with a camera function” not a real camera. The images you take with your phone are JPGs, which can't be very well post-processed such as with RAW or TIFF images - which is an important requirement for converting negatives & slides. If you have that many slides & negatives, you really need to get either a scanner, or pay a service to do them in bulk. This is simply not the product for that kind of volume at all.
You need to download the Kodak Mobile Film Scanner app for your smartphone. It’s a basic app that has “film negative, color negative, positive film” settings for your camera so it can interpret the image it sees over the film plate. It works well enough. It has a couple of filters built in for adjusting contrast and color tint, but they are hard to precisely adjust. (BTW, remember that Kodak went bankrupt years ago, so even though this has the Kodak colors and logo, it’s NOT the “Kodak” company of yore. Just some unrelated company that bought the trademark rights for “Kodak” (just like “Polaroid” today as well.).
So here’s what it does do and what I bought it for. I do have hundreds of rolls of film (negatives) and this little baby can allow you to view your negatives as positives via the imaging of your phone. It makes it much easier to view the negatives and see what you’ve got. Your phone’s function also allows you to enlarge the image as well, to see details you’d miss just holding it up to the light. You could use a lightbox, which I also have, but you can’t enlarge the negatives and, importantly, you are still looking at a negative image, which can make it difficult for the untrained eye (or trained, for that matter.) So this system is much better. You put one end of the negative strip in, and pull it though, all the while seeing positive images on your phone’s screen.
After that, you need to make notes and make decisions: “convert #15 and #21,” or “toss the whole strip…”. In THIS way, you can go through your B&W or color negative collection. And yes, make the occasional image capture with your phone and send it to the kids with a note “Just came across this of your 2nd birthday party!… You were so cute! Remember Dougie… heard he’s getting out with good behavior in 2 years….” Something like that.
Ditto for slides. Holding them up to the light is a pain. This way you can enlarge the image and see what you’ve got and make that all important decision: “Keep this important image as it’s a critical piece of family history that my kids and descendants will value and thank me for saving” or “toss it as the kids won’t give a rip about the 6 people in this picture who they’ve never met and of whom I only remember 4 of them myself…”
At that point, after going through your “collection” you should end up with perhaps 1/5th or 1/10th of what you’ve started with, and can start scanning the remainder with a high-quality scanner (they are not very expensive) and working with image-editing software (that will usually come with the scanner if you don’t have something like Photoshop or Photoshop Elements (a much easier and less expensive version of Photoshop with all the most commonly used essentials) to make the best image possible. (Highly recommend it if you are just getting into image editing and don’t really need the full blown Photoshop.). REMEMBER: you are now dealing with ONLY those absolutely-precious family heirloom images that you and your kids will want preserved for posterity. You’ve tossed all the useless junk images. It will be worth the effort.
Once taken, the app allows you to easily save to the phone (bad idea) or email/text/airdrop/post images.
Alternatively, there are several services where you can bundle up your images and send them off to be professionally digitized with properly adjusted contrast, exposure, color balance, etc, and returned in a few months, all while you wait for a few months with no effort on your part. “A few months” you say/complain? What’s the rush NOW? These are images that have sat in the back of your closet forgotten for decades, and now you can’t stand to wait a couple of months? If that’s the case, that’s a separate personal issue beyond the scope fo this review…
So, yes, this is a good product, inexpensive, and allows you to view a large volume of negatives as positives and also color positives (slides) for easier viewing and decision making, and making the occasional image from them to send to the kids or grandkids. But it is not for volume conversion or quality conversion.
KODAK Mobile Film Scanner - Fun Novelty Scanner Lets You Scan and Play with Old 35mm Films & Slides Using Your Smartphone Cam
3.7
| 3,545 ratingsPrice: 34.99
Last update: 01-07-2025
About this item
SEE YOUR OLD MEMORIES COME TO LIFE | Cool Tabletop Film Scanner Lets You View Old Negatives & Slide Positives with Your Smartphone | Just Scan & Save to Share with Friends! | Includes Collapsible Cardboard Platform/Film Tray & Battery- Powered LED Backlight for Subtle Illumination & Eco-Friendly Functionality
ALL YOUR OLD PHOTO TYPES | No More Complicated Scanning Devices or Expensive Digitization Services! | Fun, Cutesie Little Box Lets You Play Around for Hours Without the Headache of Professional Conversion | Compatible with 35mm Color Film Negatives, 35mm Black & White Film Negatives & 35mm Color Slides
GREAT FOR EXPERIMENTATION | Thinking About Converting Your Old Photos for Real? | Our Affordable Scanner is Mostly for Play, But Has Lots of Working Features You Can Use to Practice | Includes Free Android App for Scanning, Editing & Sharing, Internal LED Backlight, Tray for Slides/Films & Scan Platform for Smartphone - CONVENIENT COLLAPSING DESIGN | Platform & Tray Fold Out & Break Down Into
CONVENIENT COLLAPSING DESIGN | Platform & Tray Fold Out & Break Down Into the Size of a Small Box for Effortless Storage & Travel | Perfect Portable Companion for a Fun Afternoon with Mom, Grandma or Kids| Cardboard Construction Keeps Things Light—a Great Nostalgic Gift for People of All Ages, No Tech Savvy Required
SUPER EASY TO OPERATE | Load Film Onto the Tray, Place Your Lens Over the Hole & Tap the Screen to Focus & Capture | Note: Resolution Will Vary Depending on Slide & Camera Quality | If Images Come Out Blurry, Remember to Tap the Screen to Auto-Focus—and Keep Trying! This is Just a Toy, But Great Pics are Possible!
ALL YOUR OLD PHOTO TYPES | No More Complicated Scanning Devices or Expensive Digitization Services! | Fun, Cutesie Little Box Lets You Play Around for Hours Without the Headache of Professional Conversion | Compatible with 35mm Color Film Negatives, 35mm Black & White Film Negatives & 35mm Color Slides
GREAT FOR EXPERIMENTATION | Thinking About Converting Your Old Photos for Real? | Our Affordable Scanner is Mostly for Play, But Has Lots of Working Features You Can Use to Practice | Includes Free Android App for Scanning, Editing & Sharing, Internal LED Backlight, Tray for Slides/Films & Scan Platform for Smartphone - CONVENIENT COLLAPSING DESIGN | Platform & Tray Fold Out & Break Down Into
CONVENIENT COLLAPSING DESIGN | Platform & Tray Fold Out & Break Down Into the Size of a Small Box for Effortless Storage & Travel | Perfect Portable Companion for a Fun Afternoon with Mom, Grandma or Kids| Cardboard Construction Keeps Things Light—a Great Nostalgic Gift for People of All Ages, No Tech Savvy Required
SUPER EASY TO OPERATE | Load Film Onto the Tray, Place Your Lens Over the Hole & Tap the Screen to Focus & Capture | Note: Resolution Will Vary Depending on Slide & Camera Quality | If Images Come Out Blurry, Remember to Tap the Screen to Auto-Focus—and Keep Trying! This is Just a Toy, But Great Pics are Possible!
Product information
Product Dimensions | 0.61 x 0.43 x 0.16 inches |
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Item Weight | 8.8 ounces |
ASIN | B07MTKNTPK |
Item model number | RODMFS50 |
Customer Reviews |
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars
3,483 ratings
3.7 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #36,422 in Office Products (See Top 100 in Office Products) #23 in Slide & Negative Scanners |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | January 15, 2019 |
Manufacturer | KODAK |