Most of this decision comes down to questions the cheap options would rather you did not ask. None of these are trick questions and any good lab will answer them without hesitating.
The questions worth asking
- Are you billing per reel, per item, or per foot, and what is the rate as of today?
- Is there a service minimum, and what is the line item called if I fall under it?
- Does the scanning happen in your building, or is it sent out?
- Is it frame by frame capture, where each frame is a separate image?
- What resolution is included at the base rate, rather than as an upsell?
- Is every item logged at intake and tracked under chain of custody?
- Do originals return in the same shipment as the files?
- What is the rush fee, and is it quoted per order or as a percentage?
People skip the “sent out” question, and it is the one that matters most. A service that forwards your film to a third party cannot tell you where it is, cannot quote a real queue, and has added handoffs to the one thing you cannot replace.
When a cheaper option is genuinely fine
If you have three reels of unknown content and simply want to see what is on them, a mail-in box service will do that, and it will cost less than we will. Where it stops being fine is when the material matters, the film is fragile, or you want a scan you will not need to redo.
We would rather tell you that than take an order you regret.
Want a straight answer?
Send a photo of one reel and a rough count. We will give you a realistic range. If the honest answer is that you should wait, or do it yourself, we will say so.