I am looking for a low-cost film (35mm negative) scanner. My main
requirement is that it be able to scan an entire uncut negative with
no user interaction - i.e., it must have some sort of motor drive that
pulls the negative through and scans each frame.

I would recommend the Nikon Coolscan 4000. It has all the features you
are looking for and is a professional film scanner with amazing
quality.

From a review including scan sample pictures:
"The Coolscan 4000 is a nondescript gray metal box with a power switch
and LED on the front panel. A sliding dust cover door on the front
panel opens to reveal a large opening where you can insert one of
several film holders. Nikon includes a motorized strip film holder and
a single-frame slide holder with the scanner. The strip film holder
takes strips of up to 6 frames of film. Film handling couldn't be
simpler; you simply insert the strip of film partway into the film
holder and a small motor gently pulls the film the rest of the way in.
When you're finished scanning or after 15 minutes of inactivity, the
scanner ejects the film most of the way; a gentle pull on the film
frees it from the scanner.

An optional roll film accessory attaches to a port on the rear panel
of the scanner and allows the Coolscan 4000 to scan an entire
36-exposure roll of film at one time. Nikon also offers an APS film
adapter and a 50- slide automatic slide stacker as options."

The Coolscan 4000 itself can be found for roughly $1100, and the film
adapter can be found for about $450 so if you want to cut the total
price by a third, you can take your roll of developed film and cut it
into 6 frame strips. If this is possible for you to do, then you may
wish to consider less expensive scanners which can scan film strips
out of the box which can be found on a table (linked below).


Additional Links:

Pricewatch page for prices of Nikon Coolscan 4000 & Roll Adapter:
http://queen.pricewatch.com/search/search.idq?qc=%22COOLSCAN%22*+AND+%224000%22*

Review of Nikon Coolscan 4000 & Scan Samples:
http://www.extremetech.com/print_article/0,3428,a%253D18586,00.asp

Table of other possible scanners you'd be interested in:
http://www.scantips.com/basic13f.html


Search Strategy:

film negative scanner motorized:
://www.google.com/search?q=film+negative+scanner+motorized

film negative scanner motorized comparison:
://www.google.com/search?q=film+negative+scanner+motorized+comparison


Hope this information sets you on the right path to finding your new
scanner.
skermit-ga

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Clarification of Answer by skermit-ga on 20 May 2002 17:37 PDT

One more thing, the reason I didn't suggest one of the lower priced
models on the comparison table is because they do not have an optional
full roll scanner.

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Request for Answer Clarification by placain-ga on 20 May 2002 18:13 PDT

Are you sure there's nothing cheaper? I was hoping for something in the $300 range.

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Clarification of Answer by skermit-ga on 20 May 2002 18:39 PDT

Yes, the cheapest scanner on the list, the Acer Scanwit 2720S can be
found for just under $300 as found on pricewatch (link below). But the
deciding factor on which scanners are available to you as options is
the motorized automated feeder which can accept an ENTIRE roll of
pictures. The Acer Scanwit which boasts impressive sample scans (link
below) will only do batches of 6 (as many of the other ones on the
list do too). So you're back to what I suggested in the first answer,
cut up your rolls of negatives into frames of 6, or consider the much
more expensive Nikon.


Additional Links:

Current pricing on Acer Scanwit 2720S:
http://queen.pricewatch.com/search/search.idq?qc=%22ACER%22*+AND+%22SCANWIT%22*+AND+%222720S%22*

Review of Acer Scanwit 2720S:
http://www.photoscientia.co.uk/Review.htm

Sample scans of Acer Scanwit 2720S:
http://www.photoscientia.co.uk/Review.htm#scans


Hope that my clarification was to your liking.
skermit-ga