New Scanners

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bruno2
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Bruno2

Hi, I have a 2400x2400 dpi scanner. Now there's new scanners that can scan
at 3200 x 6400 dpi like the CanoScan 9900F. The question Is my scanner good
enough to scan photos and negatives into the computer? I mean, do i need
this new scanner to get identical results when i print those photos later
on? What can i do with this dpi stuff? The more dpi means you can enlarger
your photo more when scanning? Please help. Any help would be much
appecriated.

B.
 
The 9900f is a flatbed scanner. It can yield good results from 35mm
originals but not as good as a dedicated film scanner at a lower resolution.
If you want the best results from film you need to use a dedicated film
scanner. My experience with using flatbed scanners with 35mm film is that a
higher optical dpi rated flatbed scanner will yield better results but I
would still rather use a dedicated film scanner. The Canoscan FS400 is
available now for around $500 and will yield better results than any flatbed
scanner with 35mm film.
 
Resolution is hardly your problem with a 2400 DPI scanner. A rule of thumb
for printing is that you need 250 - 300 DPI at the final print size. A 35mm
negative is about 1" on its short side. If you are going to print an 8x11,
for example, you will need about 8x300 = 2400 DPI from the scanner. The
wisdom of printing an 8x11 from a flatbed scan is another issue - the
quality probably won't be there to support such a large print, regardless of
resolution. As the previous poster mentioned, you will be much better off
with a film scanner.
Because printed photograph are certainly larger than negatives, just about
any scanner will have enough resolution for those. The above rule sort of
works in reverse, and 300 DPI is probably all you need to collect all the
information from the photograph. If it's an exceptionally good print, there
may be some slight benefit from going up to 600. Turning this scan back into
a good quality print is another matter - books have been written about photo
retouching and restoration.

Good Luck
 
Although many flatbed scanners have high sample densities, few will actually
resolve more than about 1000 dpi. The reason usually given is the
factory-fixed focus, counting on the depth of field to give acceptable
results. I also suspect that the mechanical rigidity of the scan mechanism
allows too much jitter.

I have an Epson 1640SU with a slide adapter, which includes a replacement
lid with backlighting for slides. It purports to have 1600 dpi optical
resolution, but in fact on its best day it can't do better than 800-1000
dpi, high contrast. It actually gives pretty good results with up to 5x7
prints, but is definitely inferior to scans made on a slide scanner, both in
resolution and in noise.

Don
 
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