Scanner Advice.

[K C]

Hi all,

I have never owned a scanner, didn't really have the need too but am
planning on scanning a large number of photographs over the next few
weeks and thought it might be worth getting one as opposed to going to
a store and paying for them to scan it in.

My digital camera is a 5MP Dimage 7hi... is there a scanner that I
can get that will scan regular photographs and produce digital images
similar to the 5MP camera? I don't know much about scanners at all,
ie. DPI etc.

Thanks in advance for any help with this!

Kevin

 

[Charlie]

Hi all,

I have never owned a scanner, didn't really have the need too but am
planning on scanning a large number of photographs over the next few
weeks and thought it might be worth getting one as opposed to going to
a store and paying for them to scan it in.

My digital camera is a 5MP Dimage 7hi... is there a scanner that I
can get that will scan regular photographs and produce digital images
similar to the 5MP camera? I don't know much about scanners at all,
ie. DPI etc.

Thanks in advance for any help with this!

Kevin

Kevin,

Similar, as in size, but probably not of the same quality.

A color photograph contains image detail of about 300 ppi. That is,
for most color photographs, if you scan at 300 ppi you will capture
all the detail that is in the photograph. This is just a general "rule
of thumb". So if you scan an 8 x 10 print at 300 ppi, you will capture
7.2 million pixels, or 7.2 megapixels. However, most people would
agree that this would not compare, quality wise, with a 5 MP camera
image.

Just about any flatbed color scanner will do a decent job of capturing
all the detail in any photograph that you need to scan. For lots of
great information on scanning, visit Wayne Fulton's web site at
www.scantips.com.
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

 

[Happy Traveler]

Though just about any scanner will produce the resolution of a 5MP camera by
scanning a print, the quality won't be anywhere near. The reason is not in
the scanner, but in the limitations of photofinishing. Compare a slide to a
print and you will see the difference.
If you have the negatives from which your photographs were printed, you will
be much better off scanning those (with a decent film scanner).

 

[K C]

Though just about any scanner will produce the resolution of a 5MP camera by
scanning a print, the quality won't be anywhere near. The reason is not in
the scanner, but in the limitations of photofinishing. Compare a slide to a
print and you will see the difference.
If you have the negatives from which your photographs were printed, you will
be much better off scanning those (with a decent film scanner).

That was going to be my next question

I was looking at getting the Epson 2400 or something similiar. It is
relatively cheap, however I should be able to scan negatives with it
at a much higher dpi. Scanners that are strictly meant for film are
quite pricey and since I'm not doing this as a business I don't think
it's worth the money.

Do you know if there are any places out there that will scan negatives
and what they charge (approx), either a photography place or a kinkos
or Staples.

Thanks,

Kevin