Lightweight and sturdy, the Hammacher Schlemmer Slide and Negative to Digital Picture Converter can easily digitize your old slides and negatives into JPEG files. It has a solid 14 MP sensor, which, although it’s not the highest resolution of the Wolverine F2D Mighty and Wolverine Titan, is good enough to produce solid final images. Your captured images can be viewed on the built-in 2.5-inch TFT color display screen. This unit has no internal memory, so you do need to obtain an SD card in order to save pictures. Images are easily transferred to a PC or Mac using the included USB cable. If you don’t want to use a computer, you can view your images directly on your television.
With a 14 MP image sensor, this device boasts a resolution on the high end of the slides to digital converters we reviewed. Most modern smartphones take pictures with sensors between 8 and 16 megapixels; the 14 MP sensor on this converter churns out digitized photos with enough fidelity to capture fine details in old photographs, like the grain on a fencepost or tiny faces in a big family picture. Since this compact converter has automatic exposure and balance controls, the results are rarely blown out or tinted odd colors.
Unlike many film to digital converters, this one includes photo editing software. Although being able to alter your own photos is a bonus, the software can be complicated – it requires an understanding of Photoshop-style image editing tools or at least a willingness to learn the basics of colorizing and spot repair. If you are new to photo editing, you may be initially overwhelmed.
This slide converter is easy to use and like the Wolverine F2D Mighty, the buttons are conveniently located on the top of the unit. Its rechargeable battery provides up to three hours of operation and takes three and a half hours to charge, giving you the option to move the device around and not be tethered to a plug. The included frame trays hold 35 mm film and slides as well as 126 and 100 negatives. However, there is no mechanism for converting printed photos or the archaic Super 8 film.
One of Hammacher Schlemmer's biggest appeals is its lifetime warranty. Where every other slide scanner we reviewed offers a one-year warranty at best, this unit's support lets you get the device serviced should it ever stop performing, as long as the company is still in business.
Although this unit does not convert photos, the Hammacher Schlemmer Slide and Negative to Digital Picture Converter is a good device for digitizing slides and film. It has impressive features that include a 14 MP resolution image sensor and photo editing software. This speedy converter is a good device if you want to edit your photos on your computer. However, since there is no integrated memory in the unit, you do need an SD card in order to store and transfer the digital images.
