HP launches FilmScan 5” touch screen film scanner for negatives and slide film ^↺

HP FilmScan 5” touch screen film scanner is the rather descriptive name given to the HPFS500, a new launch from C+A Global (which licenses the HP Devices brand name). It's a compact device measuring at 4.6" W x 5.7" L x 3.5" H, and comes with 50 mm slide adapters and loading trays for film strips, so you can conveniently scan your negatives or slide films in 135 (i.e. 35 mm), 126 and 110 format.

The HP FilmScan uses a 13 MP 1/3.06” CMOS sensor, which is the native resolution your scans will come out in. You can also use the built-in digital interpolation feature to boost them to 22 MP, but it's not known how much better those results would be. There's a microSD slot, so you can store the digitised images on a card, or you can transfer them directly via USB-C to your computer.

The 5" LCD has a wide viewing angle for previewing and editing the scanned photos. Settings like auto/manual cropping, exposure (±2 EV), contrast and white-balance adjustment are available. We can see this being highly useful if you have a lot of negatives or slides of old family photos lying around that you'd like to bring back to life.

Of course, film photography has witnessed a massive resurgence in recent years, thanks to cameras like the Pentax 17 (available on Amazon), the Kodak Ektar H35 half-frame point-and shoot and the disposable and cheap Kodak Funsaver. If you've joined this trend and are enjoying the old-school look and charm of film, this might be the perfect way to bring your favourite photos into the digital domain without having to get prints of your developed film.

The HP FilmScan is now available on Amazon for $229. But here's a handy tip: C+A Global also licenses the Kodak brand and is the maker of the Kodak Slide N Scan, which is for all practical purposes the exact same device with a different design on the outer body. We checked the specs—both use the same sensor, lens, LCD, and come with the same features and in-the-box accessories. However, the Kodak Slide N Scan is just $189 on Amazon and has a 4.4 star rating with over 11k reviews.

If your scanning needs are more professional-oriented, you can look at the more expensive but also more capable Plustek OpticFilm 8200i SE.