$99 Dedicated Film Scanners at Walmart

[David Murphy]

Does anyone know anything about the dedicated slide/film scanners that are being sold at Walmart in volume? I saw several shelves full of them at two Walmarts. The box they come says they scan slides and film. They are very compact, and cost $99 (they only have PC software support - not Mac).

(also, can we stay on topic and not let this become another political Walmart-bashing thread)

[blw]

National Geographic has been selling them for a while now. I'm a Mac guy so they aren't for me anyway. I think they're basically a 3-5 MP digicam with a fancy holder attached to the business end.

That's my brief impression anyway.

[wlewisiii]

Did you know the manufacturer and what type of connector is used? Those two details would help to determine the possibilities of the gadget.

I'm not seeing anything at walmart.com...

William

[jpbob100]

Is this the same thing?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/563863-REG/VuPoint_Solutions_FS_C1_VP_35mm_DIGITAL_FILM_SCANN ER.html

http://www.adorama.com/Reviews/pwr/product-reviews/Computer-Systems/Scanners-Accessories/Film-Scanners/VuPoint-Solutions/p/VUFSC1VP-VuPoint-Solutions-FS-C1-VP-Film-Scanner-with-5-0-Mega-Pixels-CMOS-Sensor-USB-2-0-Interface-Windows-XP.html

[SteveBennett]

I suspect that this is the same hardware and software that is being marketed by a number of different companies, including Nat. Geographic. I have seen it under a number of different brandnames, including VuPoint, Veho, Broadstone, Ion and I am sure many others. I don't know who the manufacturer is.

We bought one of these "scanners" and put a review of this VuPoint / Veho / Ion / etc. scanner (http://www.pixmonix.com/reviews/vupoint-film-scanner.php) on our website.

In brief, this "scanner" isn't worth buying.

--Steve

[sooner]

I've also seen these advertised in SkyMall on airplanes, and wondered if it was any good. Sounds like it's worth skipping. Oh well.

[David Murphy]

Boy I would have to disagree -- if the scans on http://www.pixmonix.com/reviews/vupoint-film-scanner.php are any indication.

Clearly this scanner was designed to allow casual scanning of slides to email a copy to friends, it is not, of course, designed to be a dedicated film scanner. Frankly this little "scanner" does a good enough for that limited casual use. You can send a photo of your new baby to the grandparents, admittedly with the highlights completely blown.

(sorry to semi-bash Walmart) No one should be going into Walmart to buy equipment for use with semi-pro cameras, no more than I would go there to buy a high end bicycle. However if I wanted a cheap bike to leave locked on the street, it would be a great choice. (Although Walmart does sell the Epson 750 scanner online.)


When I drop photos off at CVS, I know what to expect and I am usually pleased.

As long as they keep processing and printing my 120 film there for $1.40 a roll and processing Kodachrome for $5 a roll I'll be going there.

The review above compares this $100 basic scanner with a $1500 Nikon film scanner. That's an instant loss of credibility for me.

[David Murphy]

But how do you get to the film counter without walking through the store?

Actually I went to Walmart once in Illinois, kind of like eating food out of a dumpster.Photomoof: Your comments are arrogant, elitist, and insulting.

[lorriman]

Photomoof: Your comments are arrogant, elitist, and insulting.

...and funny.

[Pompiere]

Walmart must have raised the price on the scanner. The store near me had a large stack of them going unsold for $63. I was waiting for them to drop to clearance prices to try one. They had mixed reviews for reliability.

[Pickett Wilson]

Haven't seen any of these at the local Wal-mart. Could be interesting, though. The Holga of the scanner market. ;)

I call the local Wal-mart "the center of cultural despair." It seems to be frequented by pregnant, barefoot, 15-year-olds and single mothers with eight kids, who inevitably end up in front of me in the checkout and take 20 minutes to sort out what they can and can't get with the food stamp cards.

[35mmdelux]

Actually I went to Walmart once in Illinois, kind of like eating food out of a dumpster.

Gross.

Here too, $1.50 per roll of 120 and $5 for my kodachromes keeps me rubbing elbows with the likes. Where do they get such a collection? LOL.

[back alley]

Walmart must have raised the price on the scanner. The store near me had a large stack of them going unsold for $63. I was waiting for them to drop to clearance prices to try one. They had mixed reviews for reliability.

this is an old thread...started up again.

[digitalintrigue]

Some people! - Seinfeld

[blw]

haha...is it time to file this thread under:

"can't have nuthin' nice"?

[David Murphy]

Haven't seen any of these at the local Wal-mart. Could be interesting, though. The Holga of the scanner market. ;)

I call the local Wal-mart "the center of cultural despair." It seems to be frequented by pregnant, barefoot, 15-year-olds and single mothers with eight kids, who inevitably end up in front of me in the checkout and take 20 minutes to sort out what they can and can't get with the food stamp cards.
Well they have to shop somewhere and feed their kids somehow. I don't know where you live exactly, but most of the Walmart's I've been to are frequented by neatly dressed working class families, living on a budget. They are, to a large extent, what the democrats like to call "working families" - and good for them. It turns out that vast numbers of Americans cannot afford to shop at the mall, Nordstroms, Macy's, JC Penny's, Whole Foods Market, etc. (or even Target). I don't mind rubbing elbows with them. To me they are good people.

[shadowfox]

David, I just picked up my latest Kodachrome roll from wal-mart yesterday.

And guess what, they actually called me a few hours prior to let me know that my slides had came in and apologized for being a bit late than usual.

I call it good customer service.

[shadowfox]

I call the local Wal-mart "the center of cultural despair." It seems to be frequented by pregnant, barefoot, 15-year-olds and single mothers with eight kids, who inevitably end up in front of me in the checkout and take 20 minutes to sort out what they can and can't get with the food stamp cards.

You just described the world nowadays. Where have you been? Mars? :eek:

[visiondr]

If we'd only stop buying 90% of our goods Made in China and buy American (or therabouts) there'd be a whole lot more Americans employed with living wage jobs. As it is, the people who shop Wal*Mart and other low end retailers for goods made in low wage countries are cutting off their noses...

[hjfischer]

I recently stopped in a Wally's while carrying my cased Leica over my shoulder, not wanting to leave it in the car. The "greeter" said to me 'now you know you can't take pictures inside the store'. I wasn't looking for one of their film scanners or wanting to take any photos, but it's hard to beat their prices!

[Al Kaplan]

My lady friend dragged me into the local WallyWorld last week to buy some kitchen stuff. She then found some mens' athletic shoes ("You NEED some new sneakers Dear. The ones you're wearing look as bad as your Leica cameras!") on clearance for $10 a pair. The girl at the check-out remarked that I should buy a couple of more pair at this price. It seems that they don't bother changing the price tags on final clearance items but the scanner read the tag as $3. It was the only pair they had in my size.

I had my Bessa L with the 15mm Heliar and shot some pix in the store, as I usually do, no problem. Maybe a cased (Luigi?) Leica is too upscale for Walmart.

Now that $99 scanner would be worth buying at $9.99 no matter how crummy the output. They have a great return policy too, just in case.

[David Murphy]

David, I just picked up my latest Kodachrome roll from wal-mart yesterday.

And guess what, they actually called me a few hours prior to let me know that my slides had came in and apologized for being a bit late than usual.

I call it good customer service.Yeah they do the same for me. They call me at home and they are always super polite and service oriented. It's a surprisingly "old-school" experience.

[David Murphy]

If we'd only stop buying 90% of our goods Made in China and buy American (or therabouts) there'd be a whole lot more Americans employed with living wage jobs. As it is, the people who shop Wal*Mart and other low end retailers for goods made in low wage countries are cutting off their noses...I understand your sentiments completely, but trade works both ways and the US is a globally engaged nation (and always has been). The Chinese (and other emerging markets) take our money and buy our T-bills, Boeing jets, Apple computers, agricultural products, and lately real-estate. Protectionism and the collapse of world trade is one factor that led to the Great Depression. The idea behind free trade and free markets is that it elevates everyone and makes the world a better place (eventually).

[Dogman]

The "idea" is understood and appreciated. In practice, it's killing the US economy to bolster overseas economies. While Americans can now enjoy low-priced foreign-made products, when home-based industries close or move off-shore and take their jobs with them, everyone suffers. The unemployed worker suffers due to financial pressures, the overseas manufacturer whose market shrinks suffers due to decreased demand and the government's revenues suffer due to loss of taxes. Protectionism may have led to the Great Depression of the 20th Century but free trade as it is being practiced today is doing a number on the economy of the 21st Century.

[LeicaTom]

Gee some people should be greatful for Walmart.......we lost our 120, Kodachrome and black and white film service here in Florida 8 months ago, and things have never been the same :(
*I have to "sneak" my crossprocessing though the machine at Walgreen`s when the manager`s not working....pain in the a***

Who`s still got this service at Walmart and in what parts of the states do they live??http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/images/icons/icon5.gif

Tom

[Al Kaplan]

The "exporting" of manufacturing jobs has been going on for decades. What's changed recently is the type of jobs being exported. With modern instantaneous communications you can check the balance your bank account from your laptop halfway around the planet without anybody looking it up for you. You can get tech support for your new computer, or whatever, from somebody halfway around the planet that isn't working at New York wages. Companies outsource all kinds of things to low wage countries. Think about all those out of work Germans when Leitz moved some production to Portugal.

[David Murphy]

The "exporting" of manufacturing jobs has been going on for decades. What's changed recently is the type of jobs being exported. With modern instantaneous communications you can check the balance your bank account from your laptop halfway around the planet without anybody looking it up for you. You can get tech support for your new computer, or whatever, from somebody halfway around the planet that isn't working at New York wages. Companies outsource all kinds of things to low wage countries. Think about all those out of work Germans when Leitz moved some production to Portugal.Yes and think about all those Portuguese working in the Leica factory who can now afford to buy a multitude of German products. My point is that trade is a very complex business and there's really no going back from where we are. I think instead of focusing on how to control it and shut it down we should focus on sharpening our ability to compete, and we can.

[Al Kaplan]

The U.S. got to the point where we were not only exporting production but research and development as well. Many countries have better health care, more university graduates per capita, etc. The railroad made it economical to move coal, grain, lumber as well as finished goods and people across the continent. The interstate highway system replaced roads running through the center of every town. The pony express was replaced by first railroad trains and then the telegraph. You can't move back and you can't be complacent and not move forward. Trade is complex and it depends on infrastructure, everything from financial to transportation and communication. Life ain't simple.

[rovnguy]

I saw these scanners advertised in a Sky Mall catalog and didn't give it a second thought. Then I saw it again on the Adorama web site and read the reviews. No one seemed to be happy with it, so I put it out of my mind. Then walking thru Wal-Mart last week I saw a large stack of them going for $63. What the heck... I got one. It is definatley not a Nikon, but the results are not bad. I scan all my grandchildrens negatives so they can have their prints at home, and so far everyone is pleased. So far I feel that I received a fair valued item for the price I paid.

[shadowfox]

The U.S. got to the point where we were not only exporting production but research and development as well. Many countries have better health care, more university graduates per capita, etc. The railroad made it economical to move coal, grain, lumber as well as finished goods and people across the continent. The interstate highway system replaced roads running through the center of every town. The pony express was replaced by first railroad trains and then the telegraph. You can't move back and you can't be complacent and not move forward. Trade is complex and it depends on infrastructure, everything from financial to transportation and communication. Life ain't simple.

Mr. Kaplan, my respect for you, sir, just increased.

To think that the negative impacts of global trading can be reversed simply on where you shop for paper towel is willfully ignorant of both history, and the inherent complexity of societal human behavior.

[visiondr]

That's a classic straw man argument. No one on this thread has suggested that a single individual buying locally would have an impact on the global marketplace. Nor did anyone suggest that those purchasing decisions could or should derail global trade as it is.

However, thousands of individuals buying American made screwdrivers, for example, would make a huge difference to the fortunes of an American tool manufacturer, its materials suppliers and the company's employees and families. Some people are just naive enough to be willing to pay a premium to buy an American made screwdriver from a local hardware store than a similar tool made in a low wage country and sold through a big box retailer. In the end, the former transaction supports living wage jobs here while the latter does much less. It's a big part of the reason why personal income tax cuts don't stimulate the US economy as much as they used to. People today buy stuff with those tax savings, yes, but they spend that money on stuff that does little for their domestic economy.

[Al Kaplan]

The little neighborhood hardware store was replaced by Home Depot a mile away. Howard's drugs up the street, owned by the pharmacist himself, gave way to a Walgreens a block away, so Walgreens also put the independant One-Hour lab out of business. 7-11 did in the neighborhood independant grocers. A significant amount of things I used to get at K-Mart can be bought for less at a "Dollar Store", and K-Mart had already put lots of small businesses out of business.

But go back to the period between WW-I and WW-II, The Great Depression, that strangled the world economy. Companies like S.S. Kresge and Woolworth came up with the concept variously refered to as the Five & Ten or Five and Dime. Figuring for inflation, they were the "dollar stores" of their day. They didn't sell cheap Chinese merchandise either. They sold inexpensive items marked "Made In Japan". Yup, Japanese goods at one time carried the same stigma of shoddy quality as Chinese poroducts do today.

In the end it's a chicken and egg conundrum. Which is better? The availability of low priced goods? The availability of good paying jobs? You can have both for awhile, but at some point you gotta pay the piper. That's called a recession when the landlord throws you out. They call it a depression when the bank takes posession of your house.

[Justin Smith]

In the end it's a chicken and egg conundrum. Which is better? The availability of low priced goods? The availability of good paying jobs? You can have both for awhile, but at some point you gotta pay the piper.

Exactly. Global trade is much more complicated than many would let on, and emotion also comes into play. I want to support small business when I can, but on a national level my household is probably lower-middle class in terms of income. I don't feel deprived, but I have a lot of necessities competing for my dollar. If I can save a significant amount on something at Wal-Mart, I'm going to buy it there.

And, it's not all about saving a buck. My local Wal-Mart lab gives me consistently better scans than the ones I used to get from the local 1 Hour place (which were covered with dust).

[chippy]

Here too, $1.50 per roll of 120 and $5 for my kodachromes keeps me rubbing elbows with the likes. Where do they get such a collection? LOL.

WOW, thats incredible! for colour? i think it would be more economical for me to send my film over there! do they offer a postal service :D

we pay about A$10 just for the processing, no proofs or scans etc, with the exchange rate ATM thats around $7-$7.50US....E6 is about A$11-12

[cklammer]

The way this thread's post subjects are varying it is probably time for a forum administrator to move into the "General Discussion" or "Off Topic" forums.

This thread has nothing to do with fixed lens RFs at all ...

cklammer

[Al Kaplan]

Maybe it has nothing to do with fixed lens rangefinders because the thread is about scanners and scanning.

[reagan]

... I went to Walmart once in Illinois, kind of like eating food out of a dumpster. I call the local Wal-mart "the center of cultural despair." It seems to be frequented by pregnant, barefoot, 15-year-olds and single mothers with eight kids, who inevitably end up in front of me in the checkout and take 20 minutes to sort out what they can and can't get with the food stamp cards.
Maybe I'll see if these little scanners are still available when visit my wife at work and pick up a few groceries. She has been employed at Wal-Mart for well over a decade providing her with an income and both of us with health insurance. She is very good at anything she does, works hard every day and treats every customer with kindness and respect whether they are struggling single parents or boorish, self-absorbed, lifeless pretenders.

[pachuco]

How small are these scanners? Would they be good for travel?

[shadowfox]

That's a classic straw man argument. No one on this thread has suggested that a single individual buying locally would have an impact on the global marketplace. Nor did anyone suggest that those purchasing decisions could or should derail global trade as it is.

However, thousands of individuals buying American made screwdrivers, for example, would make a huge difference to the fortunes of an American tool manufacturer, its materials suppliers and the company's employees and families. Some people are just naive enough to be willing to pay a premium to buy an American made screwdriver from a local hardware store than a similar tool made in a low wage country and sold through a big box retailer. In the end, the former transaction supports living wage jobs here while the latter does much less. It's a big part of the reason why personal income tax cuts don't stimulate the US economy as much as they used to. People today buy stuff with those tax savings, yes, but they spend that money on stuff that does little for their domestic economy.

No straw-man here, I am simply pointing out that a rhetoric statements about reversing a global trend that is fueled by one of the most basic human nature (greed) is not realistic nor helpful.

Especially if you count on the said human (people) to achieve it.

[cklammer]

Maybe it has nothing to do with fixed lens rangefinders because the thread is about scanners and scanning.

Then why it was started in the "fixed lens rf" forum in the first place:confused: ?

As to the thread subjects: it started with el cheapo wallie scanners and then meandered to subjects like made in china, international trade balances, forum thread subjects assignements ... :p

cklammer

[cklammer]

.... boorish, self-absorbed, lifeless pretenders.

Well said - but you are too nice, reagan. Here are my 0.02$: Arrogant pricks! :(

cklammer

[Al Kaplan]

Be nice or we'll all switch to ethanol and folks in the UAE won't be able to afford Chinese made goods.

[Solinar]

I'm not familiar with the Walmart unit, but a slide duplicator used to look like - this (http://cgi.ebay.com/Bowens-Illumitran-3-Slide-Duplicator_W0QQitemZ270356895706QQcmdZViewItemQQpt ZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ef286d7da&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 18|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50).

The idea would be to use your digital SLR. I also noticed that B&H has some less expensive set ups that look like - this (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/shop/715/Duping_Equipment_Slide_Duplicating_Equipment.html) .

I need to check whether we still have our older Beseler unit at work.

[David Murphy]

Actually the US is still a very competitive tool maker in the quality market. They compete with other high-end tool manufacturers: in Japan and Germany for instance. I buy US tools when I can at work (someone else is paying the bill). Starrett, Proto, Craftsman, Allen, Hass, Browne and Sharpe, and many others -- it's a long and glorious list.

That's a classic straw man argument. No one on this thread has suggested that a single individual buying locally would have an impact on the global marketplace. Nor did anyone suggest that those purchasing decisions could or should derail global trade as it is.

However, thousands of individuals buying American made screwdrivers, for example, would make a huge difference to the fortunes of an American tool manufacturer, its materials suppliers and the company's employees and families. Some people are just naive enough to be willing to pay a premium to buy an American made screwdriver from a local hardware store than a similar tool made in a low wage country and sold through a big box retailer. In the end, the former transaction supports living wage jobs here while the latter does much less. It's a big part of the reason why personal income tax cuts don't stimulate the US economy as much as they used to. People today buy stuff with those tax savings, yes, but they spend that money on stuff that does little for their domestic economy.