Good Scanner For Photos?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gary Brown
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G

Gary Brown

Hi,

Searching for a good flatbed scanner for archiving our family photos has
proven
to be difficult. I have the resolution issue understood but there is a more
nebulous issue of optics. How do I select good optics?

Reviews are inconsistent as to image quality for the scanners considered
so far - ordinary HPs, Cannons, etc, that you find at the big discounters.
One source (didn't record the URL) suggested good optics can't be found
on scanners below $230.

Most of these pictures will be scanned while mounted in old photo
scrapbooks -
it is too risky to remove them. This means the mounting tabs will keep them
from being exactly flat on the glass. Will this be a problem with focus?

Recommendations are welcome.

Thanks,
Gary
 
Hi,

Searching for a good flatbed scanner for archiving our family photos has
proven
to be difficult. I have the resolution issue understood but there is a more
nebulous issue of optics. How do I select good optics?

Reviews are inconsistent as to image quality for the scanners considered
so far - ordinary HPs, Cannons, etc, that you find at the big discounters.
One source (didn't record the URL) suggested good optics can't be found
on scanners below $230.

Most of these pictures will be scanned while mounted in old photo
scrapbooks -
it is too risky to remove them. This means the mounting tabs will keep them
from being exactly flat on the glass. Will this be a problem with focus?

Recommendations are welcome.
Click to expand...

I have 50 euro Mustek Bearpaw scaner and I'm pretty statisfied with it.
I guess if you pay 200 $ for any scaner you'll be statisfied with quality
of it's scans too
 
Gary said:
Hi,

Searching for a good flatbed scanner for archiving our family photos
has proven
to be difficult. I have the resolution issue understood but there is
a more nebulous issue of optics. How do I select good optics?

Reviews are inconsistent as to image quality for the scanners
considered so far - ordinary HPs, Cannons, etc, that you find at the big
discounters. One source (didn't record the URL) suggested good optics
can't be found on scanners below $230.

Most of these pictures will be scanned while mounted in old photo
scrapbooks -
it is too risky to remove them. This means the mounting tabs will
keep them from being exactly flat on the glass. Will this be a
problem with focus?
Recommendations are welcome.

Thanks,
Gary
Click to expand...


1) I recommend posting in comp.periphs.scanners, you're likely to receive
better (as in more expert) responses.

2) I have an Epson Perfection 4870 (now superceded by the 4990) which I
bought about nine months ago for around £320.

3) $230 is around £125 - for that sort of money I'd strongly recommend
looking at the Perfection 3170 or the Perfection 2480, I think you'd be
seriously impressed with the performance of either.

4) I have to say I don't really understand what you mean by "optics" -
you do know how a scanner works, don't you? It's merely a photocopier
without the 'copy' facility; it scans using what is, technically a lightbulb
connected to a sensor that encodes the image into a format the computer can
recognise (see http://computer.howstuffworks.com/scanner.htm). Resolution is
all you have to worry about and 48-bit is nonsensical, you don't need it -
even TIFs (which are uncompressed and you should always store images in this
format to minimise data loss - every time a JPEG is decompressed a little
more image data is irretrievably lost.

5) The other thing you have to think about is the thickness of the
books - unless you have thousands to spend all scanners are A4 (letter) and
you may find you have to arrange your book at some odd angles (or even fold
it) to get the best scanning position and you may end up damaging your
photos. I would recommend that, if they are that precious, you use a
specialist scanning service who will scan the photos for you and place them
on CD. I know you don't want to entrust your precious memories to such a
service, but they are experts and will take expert care of your photos. They
will also have industry sized scanners which will allow your book(s) to be
laid perfectly flat without damage. They will probably offer touch up
services, usually inclusive.

6) I'm not sure what you mean by 'focus' - lenses focus, and a scanner
isn't a camera. The lid holds the book flat so that they are in constant
contact with the plate. How are they mounted, by the way? If they have
corner mounts, then these will, obviously, obscure the part of the picture
they cover (unless they're transparent, which some are).

Hope that helps a little.
 
2) I have an Epson Perfection 4870 (now superceded by the 4990)
which I bought about nine months ago for around œ320.
Click to expand...

I have a Perfection 1240U... the reviews were quite good, except it also
had higher price (I forget what it was). The size is relatively compact as
far as flatbed scanners go if space is a problem. Dont know what models
have superceeded this one either but its about 4 years old by now.

I also have an HP that I got primarily for photocopying and printing. Since
its already a copier, the scanner was a bonus. The quality isnt as good and
the damn thing needs all kinds of HP drivers just to use it for a simple
scan.

Having both does take up a bit of space that I wish I had for other things.
 
Kev said:
I have a Perfection 1240U... the reviews were quite good, except it
also had higher price (I forget what it was). The size is relatively
compact as far as flatbed scanners go if space is a problem. Dont
know what models have superceeded this one either but its about 4
years old by now.

I also have an HP that I got primarily for photocopying and printing.
Since its already a copier, the scanner was a bonus. The quality isnt
as good and the damn thing needs all kinds of HP drivers just to use
it for a simple scan.

Having both does take up a bit of space that I wish I had for other
things.
Click to expand...


IMNSHO, Epson make the best flatbeds. No contest. They win awards (both
industry and consumer) consistently.
 
Hi,

Searching for a good flatbed scanner for archiving our family photos has
proven
to be difficult. I have the resolution issue understood but there is a more
nebulous issue of optics. How do I select good optics?

Reviews are inconsistent as to image quality for the scanners considered
so far - ordinary HPs, Cannons, etc, that you find at the big discounters.
One source (didn't record the URL) suggested good optics can't be found
on scanners below $230.

Most of these pictures will be scanned while mounted in old photo
scrapbooks -
it is too risky to remove them. This means the mounting tabs will keep them
from being exactly flat on the glass. Will this be a problem with focus?

Recommendations are welcome.

Thanks,
Gary
Click to expand...

Don't know whose is the best but the slight depth isn't
necessarily a problem, it wouldn't be focused as well but
that might make it less grainy and overall as good. More
problematic might be the semi-shiney surface of the
scrapbook sleeves, and I'm not sure what you can do about
that. You might take a less valuable photo and see if it
comes out of the album ok and proceed from there. IF they
come out ok it could be very nice to have the best digital
reproduction possible... I think the issue of whether in the
scrapbook or not will matter more than which scanner,
assuming you get a normal fluorescent lamp type instead of
those ultra-thin LED types.
 
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