Some think that to get a digital photo one needs a digital camera.
Well, yes and no........
Yes because digicam are now in the mainstream and affordable for a 2Mp optical zoom model and are plenty good enough for photographing objects for the web or e-mail.
Please see my other post:
Some General Digital Camera Advice
However a quicker and even cheaper way to get a digital image especially for smaller sized objects is to use a flatbed scanner.
Flatbed scanners are now cheap with many under $50, and I have heard of some going on sale for as low as $28!
It obviously goes without saying that they are the thing to use to scan in pages from catalogs, manuals, books, magazines etc., and of course photographic prints.
So what's adequate?
Well, the good news is almost any modern flatbed scanner will be fine...
But here's some simple general advice on what to look for:
Optical resolution - 600dpi - most scanners will do this and higher. 600dpi optical resolution is at the low/budget end of the market. Higher may be "better" but the most severe test is how much information can one extract for a good sharp photo. It is estimated to be somewhere between 300-600dpi - so 600 dpi is more than adequate for the most demanding. Higher dpi is used for transparency/film scanning - but dedicated film scanners are a lot better at this than a flatbed scanner - so don't pay a lot more for higher resolution - it will not make your scans "sharper" just a lot bigger.....
Colors - 36-bit - digital images destined for the computer screen (and the output from digicams) are only 24-bit (8-bits per color) but a scanner should have some "headroom" for better color gamut - however this is almost a given, 36-bit is at the low/budget end - with many doing 42-bit or even 48-bit color. Although more is "better" - it probably is not worth paying much more for this......
That's about it... except for one possible SNAFU - depth of field - most scanners I have known seemed to have pretty good depth of field - but some have posted that there have been some that seem to have very narrow dof. So it may be worthwhile taking along a typical object one wants to scan and try it out first before purchase - or buy from a place where there is a no-fuss/no charge return.
Here are some scanned images to show how well a cheapo scanner can do - a HP ScanJet 2100C - which was under $40 from Offica Max on sale - 600dpi optical res, 36-bit color - all scans were at a mere 150dpi, and the full sized images had to be reduced for web usage.
Some typical small objects we might scan.....
[left to right: Victorinox SwissChamp customized handles; David Boye 2" dropped edge w. Francine Martin etch; Swiss Army Brands "Victorinox" watch; CMG Ultra-G single AA white LED flashlight; Bud Nealy "exhibition" tanto with sheath]
From the same scan - a detail:
Same scan - another detail:
About as large an object as the scanner can accomodate:
(late) Bob Engnath finished tanto - 13" total length - differential tempered blade - in bloodwood saya (sheath)
Comments - the strange lighting is a side-effect of scanning with the top cover lifted, it's an overhead light that's resulted in the slightly surreal (but attractive) lighting - turning the light off obviously would give an all black background with the scanner lid lifted........
Well, yes and no........
Yes because digicam are now in the mainstream and affordable for a 2Mp optical zoom model and are plenty good enough for photographing objects for the web or e-mail.
Please see my other post:
Some General Digital Camera Advice
However a quicker and even cheaper way to get a digital image especially for smaller sized objects is to use a flatbed scanner.
Flatbed scanners are now cheap with many under $50, and I have heard of some going on sale for as low as $28!
It obviously goes without saying that they are the thing to use to scan in pages from catalogs, manuals, books, magazines etc., and of course photographic prints.
So what's adequate?
Well, the good news is almost any modern flatbed scanner will be fine...
But here's some simple general advice on what to look for:
Optical resolution - 600dpi - most scanners will do this and higher. 600dpi optical resolution is at the low/budget end of the market. Higher may be "better" but the most severe test is how much information can one extract for a good sharp photo. It is estimated to be somewhere between 300-600dpi - so 600 dpi is more than adequate for the most demanding. Higher dpi is used for transparency/film scanning - but dedicated film scanners are a lot better at this than a flatbed scanner - so don't pay a lot more for higher resolution - it will not make your scans "sharper" just a lot bigger.....
Colors - 36-bit - digital images destined for the computer screen (and the output from digicams) are only 24-bit (8-bits per color) but a scanner should have some "headroom" for better color gamut - however this is almost a given, 36-bit is at the low/budget end - with many doing 42-bit or even 48-bit color. Although more is "better" - it probably is not worth paying much more for this......
That's about it... except for one possible SNAFU - depth of field - most scanners I have known seemed to have pretty good depth of field - but some have posted that there have been some that seem to have very narrow dof. So it may be worthwhile taking along a typical object one wants to scan and try it out first before purchase - or buy from a place where there is a no-fuss/no charge return.
Here are some scanned images to show how well a cheapo scanner can do - a HP ScanJet 2100C - which was under $40 from Offica Max on sale - 600dpi optical res, 36-bit color - all scans were at a mere 150dpi, and the full sized images had to be reduced for web usage.
Some typical small objects we might scan.....
[left to right: Victorinox SwissChamp customized handles; David Boye 2" dropped edge w. Francine Martin etch; Swiss Army Brands "Victorinox" watch; CMG Ultra-G single AA white LED flashlight; Bud Nealy "exhibition" tanto with sheath]
From the same scan - a detail:
Same scan - another detail:
About as large an object as the scanner can accomodate:
(late) Bob Engnath finished tanto - 13" total length - differential tempered blade - in bloodwood saya (sheath)
Comments - the strange lighting is a side-effect of scanning with the top cover lifted, it's an overhead light that's resulted in the slightly surreal (but attractive) lighting - turning the light off obviously would give an all black background with the scanner lid lifted........
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