FilmLab: Negative Film Scanner 4+

Does Not Work Consistently

I got this to try and scan large format negatives, but my results have been more miss than hit.

The problem is, the negative has to be backlit and the obvious tool for the job would be a tablet with an empty blank document open providing a bright white background.

However, a tablet screen does not provide the same light as a proper light box used in photography. Therefore, when the app captures a negative it does so with strange background noise in the image. I can only assume this is due to the refresh rate of a tablet screen.

The app’s demo video shows a very expensive light box being used and I suspect this is what is needed to get results. For the price of a professional light box, it would be better to spend a bit more and get a scanner which can deal with larger format film. Epson produce a scanner which can handle large format film which is better value than buying a light box which is what’s needed to use this app.

Excellent, but takes a while to get used to.

A few weeks ago, I misread the instructions and thought I had been locked out before I had even started.

Please, please ignore my cynical one star review if you come across it.

This app is actually the one I have been hoping for for years. I have a collection of medium format negatives which are too large to fit in my film scanner which is 35mm. The only option for me would have been to purchase a medium format negative scanner, which are expensive and bulky; plus are difficult to source online these days.

This app works almost perfectly, but just takes a bit of getting used to. At the moment I use a plain white laptop screen as a backdrop to taking the photos with an iphone11.

This does cause some interference with the screen refresh rate, but moving the phone a little back from the screen does make a difference. It is just a case of trial and error. Also the exposure of the negative can affect the interference. Again, patience will bring rewards.

I am going to purchase a negative light box, which I believe will improve the results, but until then 90% of the laptop screen results are quite acceptable. I can see the images at last, many of which are from the 1950s. Wonderful.

Thanks to Abe and all at FilmLab for developing this app. I can’t thank you enough, and sorry for my earlier review rant.

Developer Response ,

Hi, I’m the lead developer of FilmLab and I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble. Let me see if I can help.

You don’t need to create a new account to use FilmLab or buy a subscription. You would purchase a subscription via the App Store using your Apple ID and password. If you’re having trouble logging in to your Apple account, they provide instructions to reset it here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201487

If you’re having another problem using FilmLab, please get in touch with us at support@filmlabapp.com and we’ll be happy to help you. We’re a small team of real people I promise we are not trying to scam you :)

Best,

-Abe

Worth every penny

I never write reviews. I have spent my entire life without reviewing any app I’ve ever downloaded. But this app is faultless. Yes, I was hesitant at first as it only had two reviews that were both rated low. But these people were trying to use an iPad to illuminate their negatives. With a proper light box/light pad, the app performs exactly as expected and out classes any of the free apps on the store.
The level of adjustments you get, especially for black and white negatives is perfect, and all of my images have come out better than expected. It has truly spurred me on to keep pursuing film photography.

Thank you app maker!