Give Film-era Photos A New Lease Of Life

Got an attic-full of old negatives and slides from the film days? Adam Waring shows you how to incorporate them into your digital library with a scanner

- Adam Waring

Ah, the good old days of film. Being restricted to shooting 36 frames at a time, then trudging down to the chemist and waiting a couple of days before seeing the pictures you’ve taken (or converting the under-the-stairs cupboard into a makeshift darkroom stuffed with developing trays, chemicals and red-hued light bulbs). Having to shoot through an entire roll before changing ISO. And not having a clue what settings you used for any given shot… we don’t miss them one bit.

Film may seem like the archaic format of yesteryear, but digital SLR photography has only really been with us for around 15 years, with the launch of affordable consumer-level DSLRs, such as the Nikon D70 in 2004. But if you were bitten by the photography bug back in the days of film, chances are that there are dusty boxes filled with your old prints, negatives and slides tucked away in the back of the attic.