Scanners!

[mauly]

I'm wanting to scan all my photographs to my iMac and was wondering what are the key things to think about! Is it just a case of the bigger ****x**** the better! or is there more to it?

While we're here - recommendation's please..

What I'm looking for: A4 size : Thin : Able to store on its side : no more then £60/70

 

[Applespider]

Bear in mind that the higher the resolution, the larger the file size and depending on your HD size and number of pictures that could be an issue.

What are you planning on doing with your pics? Are you putting them into the Mac just to have a reference to them? Are you planning on only ever using them at their current size? Do you intend trying to enlarge them/edit them at any point? Reference only to look at on screen, you'll get away with a low res, at current size, you'd be looking at scanning them in around 300ppi, if you plan on enlarging them etc you might be looking higher.

Things to consider when buying a scanner - are you just planning on scanning prints or do you want to scan negatives/slides too? Do you want a feeder so that you can put a pile of prints and and leave it to it?

I'm just about to get a scanner to do this myself so will be interested in seeing suggestions. Currently, since I can't see myself scanning in ALL my photos - just the highlights and not from the negatives, I'm planning on just getting the Canon Lide-35 which is £49 at the moment. It does store on its side, doesn't have a feeder, is powered by the USB and seems to get good enough reviews that I'll be happy. After all, it's not like I plan on dumping all my current images should I decide I desperately need a higher res in the future.

 

[Artful Dodger]

Hi, Applespider, I have the Canon LiDe 50 which is about the same as the one you have listed and it works very nice for me (put on it's side for space reasons is great).
Okay as for anything else I've also had two Epson scanners but the software was a bit less than fair and the scans were okay much better with the Canon. Now when I had a PC my HP scanner worked great but stopped working with my eMac running 10.2 (no great loss anyway).
Buy what you can afford and also if you can get some sample scans from different scanners and enjoy .

 

[mauly]

What are you planning on doing with your pics?

Are you putting them into the Mac just to have a reference to them?

Yes.

Are you planning on only ever using them at their current size?

Yes and No.

Do you intend trying to enlarge them/edit them at any point?

Yes.

are you just planning on scanning prints or do you want to scan negatives/slides too?

Just prints.

Do you want a feeder so that you can put a pile of prints and and leave it to it?

Thats not necessary, but tbh that would be cool to have.

scanning in ALL my photos - just the highlights

Me too

So based on the above do you recommend the Canon Lide-35?

 

[Applespider]

So based on the above do you recommend the Canon Lide-35?

Not having used it, it's not a guarantee but it's what I'm planning on getting at that price bracket for those purposes...

 

[mauly]

Have just looked at pricerunner and compared 3 canon scanners:

Canon Lide-35: £47.00, 48bit, HOR: 1200dpi, VOR: 2400dpi
why pay £22.00 more a:
Canon Lide-50: £69.00, 48bit, HOR: 1200dpi, VOR: 2400dpi
why pay £8.68 less for a:
Canon Lide-80: £77.68, 48bit, HOR: 2400dpi, VOR: 4800dpi
when its X2 the dpi?

Does 2400dpi x 4800dpi mean its a better quality image then 1200dpi x 2400dpi? or does it mean you can just blow up an image more!!?

 

[sw1tcher]

I've used the Canon Lide 35 at work and it's a good little unit. Probably what I'd get if I was in the market for a basic scanner.

 

[itsbetteronamac]

I have a epson 1660 photo I think... and I really like it. It does everything very quickly, and also does very nice quality negatives. I personally wish it had a feeder, but it really hasn't been that much of a annoyance to make me want a different one.

 

[mauly]

Have just bought a Canon Lide-35, will let you know how I get along!!