In article ,
newshound wrote:

I realise that this question doesn't have a simple answer, but it is
time I started scanning some of my old 35 mm slides and negatives
(mostly b&w).

I would really welcome some comments or experience on hardware in the
"keen amateur" price bracket.

I know I can also "farm it out" but I'm interested in doing some myself
at least to get a feel for what results to inspect. Is there anything
which stands out towards the budget end in terms of value for money or
ease of use?

buy a used nikon coolscan, scan all of your film, then sell it when
you're done, as you won't be needing it anymore.

quality scanners hold their value, so you'll be able to sell it for
roughly what you paid for it (possibly even a bit more), making the
effective cost for the hardware close to zero (possibly a small
profit).