QUESTION

I have inherited a large number of old black and white family negatives (no prints) of various sizes (35 mm, half this size, and about twice this 35 mm size). I would like first to store them so they do not degrade, and then be able to access them in order to scan them. I can't imagine that sliding them into plastic sleeves is the best way to keep them? Are there other options for storing negatives so they are easily accessible?

I can't find anyone who can scan the non-35mm negatives. Does such a process exist? And I am afraid to just give them to the lab to scan. What do you recommend?

ANSWER

For the kind of collection you describe I nearly always recommend that you try to do it all yourself. Nobody can care for your negatives like you can. Yes there is a learning curve, but incentive makes a fast learner.

Remember that for old black and white negatives the biggest enemy is scratching. This generally comes from normal room dust or else from rubbing against other negatives. Protect them first from all dust and from any situation that would create abrasion. Clear archival plastic negative storage can actually attract dust, but overall it still seems to work best for me. After the initial prints and reprints have been made from a roll of film, I transfer them to clear archival plastic. I like this method because I can view the negatives through the plastic to pick out the one I want and in some cases I can even work with it right in the sleeve without removing it. No matter how you choose to store the negatives, remember that they will need some kind of outer archival wrapper where the dust can collect on the outside but everything inside is safe. You must also remember not to store the negatives one against the other or against anything else that will cause abrasion. They also need a controlled moisture content to protect them from things like mildew.

As far as the scanning goes, I would recommend that you invest in a negative (or transparency) scanner and do it yourself. They are getting rather inexpensive now-days, there are several on the market in the $100 price range.You should be able to find one that accommodates some kind of a carrier for your odd sized negatives.If you can't find one scanner that does it all then buy one for the 35 mm and smaller size and use a flatbed scanner for the larger negatives. Some flatbed scanners have transparency settings. Even many of those that do not can still be used by scanning the transparency with a sheet of white paper placed behind it. What you end up with is the scanned reverse image. You then find some software that will reverse the negative to a positive image.

Enjoy your collection and take good care of it. It should be around for many generations to come.

It is strongly recommended that you make digital copies of your most special photographs. Even very inexpensive scanners will preserve your images nicely.  Each time you buy a new computer, buy a much larger hard drive than you think you will ever need and copy your photo library to it.