lmdavid

With the new year comes another project. I have numerous prints from my parents, grandparents, and other family photographs that I would like to convert to a digital file. This way I can save them and share them with my two siblings and three children. I am looking for quality where I could make some photograph albums and print them. So not looking at printing large pics but reasonable to max of maybe 11x14.

My local camera dealer runs specials where they will convert prints to digital from time to time but I was thinking of purchasing a nice scanner and maybe break even or even save some money.

Do any fellow members have suggestions. Want to spend between $400 to 800 if even possible. thanks

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

You don’t need to spend that much. The Epson v600 will do an excellent job - B&H has it for $229.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I’ll second that. For home use, spending more would be only marginally better.

The V800 has more dynamic range but it is over $1000.

Another alternative is to copy photos with a macro lens and dSLR or MILC, mounted on a copy stand and lit evenly.

ClarkJohnson Loc: Fort Myers, FL and Cohasset, MA

The Epson v600 works for me. What i need is the time to do all the scanning!

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

--Bob

BebuLamar

I bought an HP Scanjet 4C which is only 600dpi and can only run under XP and SCSI for $3. I have a computer with the right OS and interface so it works fine.

lmdavid

Thanks

fetzler Loc: North West PA

The Epson V600 will be excellent for copying paper prints. I am now digitizing some 19th century photos that are from my family. A number go to my great-grandparents generation (they were born about 1850). Scanning at 600dpi appears to be more than adequate for the vast majority. This will allow one to make a print about 2x in size. Many photos will show a lack of detail if you increase the size too much even if you scan with more than 600 dpi (e.g. 1200 dpi) There is no harm in scanning with more pixels as one can later reduce the number of pixels you just won't get more detail. You can also use a camera with macro lens on a copy stand. Just remember your image only contains so much detail. The 19th and early 20th century photos often have very high quality and are indeed better than photos taken today.

There are some old photos that have faded to yellow. Much of the invisible information can be recovered by using the channel mixer in post. The blue channel will contain most of the information. The print may look better if you include a bit of the green channel. Typically I use: Blue - 100 -70% , Green 0-30% and Red 0% I recommend scanning in color and converting to B&W using the Channel Mixer.

If you use a camera and a copy stand. You can use a 47B filter. This filter passes only blue light. I suspect that you will need a camera with a optical viewfinder as this filter is very dark. I did this with amazing results using film cameras. I had had to use a dark cloth over the head to focus and compose. Use a gray card to determine exposure. I have a number of photos where the copies show more detail than the original.

lmdavid

Thanks for the insights. I thought it would be fun to use my macro lens and take some pics
Not looking forward to scanning though. Another local photographer told me about Scan Cafe as an option. But your insights were helpful.

Hip Coyote

I have the epson v600. Am amazing scanner.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

OMG, I had one of those setups in 1998 at work!

Yeah, just keep WinXP off the Internet, to avoid malware/virus/ransomeware infestation.

Geegee Loc: Peterborough, Ont.

It seems everybody is recommending the Epsom V600. I have a V550 and I wonder if it is good enough or should I replace it with a V600?

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

https://www.secretasianman.com/epson-v550-vs-v600/

The Digital ICE feature of the V600 removes dust and scratches from slide film, negative film, and prints. The Digital ICE feature of the V550 is limited to films only.

If you have a LOT of prints to scan, Digital ICE can reduce the time you spend spotting out scratches, dust spots, and other marks.

The key to great scanning is learning how to use the controls in the scanner driver software. There is a LOT of power there that can get you a great 16-bit TIFF file — something you can edit very easily in the ACR filter of Photoshop (or Bridge or Lightroom or Lightroom Classic...).

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

I’ve never used an Epsom scanner, but I have soaked my feet in a warm bath made with their salts. 😜🤪

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

That typo is one of the milder ones sent to damnyouautocorrect.com

Cannon = big gun (as opposed to a 'biggun', which is redneck for "big one").
Canon = law, or musical round, or set of religious documents or scrolls, or a brand of camera

Epsom = Magnesium Sulfate
Epson = A division of Seiko, known for printers, scanners, projectors, and related supplies and components

Trivia: Epson is an abbreviation for "son of electronic printer" in Japanese!