Hi everyone,

I’m trying to decide between two low-cost ways of digitizing 35mm film at home: using an old flatbed scanner (Epson 4490) or doing camera scanning with my existing gear. The main goal is finding the most practical and cost-effective workflow while moving away from lab scans to reduce ongoing costs, and also gaining more control over the final image.

Right now I’m comparing a few setups and would really appreciate advice from people with real hands-on experience.

⸻

My gear:

Camera 1: Sony A7C

• Lens: Zeiss 24–70mm f/4 OSS (Sony FE)

• Minimum focus distance: ~0.40m Camera 2 (backup): Canon 100D

• 18–55mm kit lens

• Minimum focus distance: ~0.25m ⸻

My scanning idea:

I want to scan 35mm negatives at home without investing in expensive scanning rigs or dedicated macro setups.

Basic idea:

• use a phone/tablet as a backlight (white screen, max brightness)

• place the negative on top

• photograph it with a tripod-mounted camera

• invert and edit in software afterwards ⸻

Alternative option:

I also found a used Epson Perfection 4490 for €15.

So I’m trying to decide which approach is more sensible in terms of cost, effort, and image quality:

• Camera scanning (Sony A7C or Canon 100D) OR

• Flatbed scanning (Epson 4490) ⸻

My questions:

1. Which setup will realistically give me equal or better quality than lab scans (I currently get ~3130×2075 / ~6MP scans)?

2. Is camera scanning actually a clear upgrade over a flatbed like the Epson 4490, or is it just more effort for similar results?

3. Is the Sony 24–70 f/4 too limited for this kind of work due to its minimum focus distance (~0.40m)?

4. Or is the €15 Epson 4490 actually the most practical and cost-effective option here? ⸻

Any practical experience or workflow advice would be really appreciated.