I used Vuescan to digitize my pictures several years ago, but i had only a couple hundred slides. Most of my pictures were/are on negatives or prints (10,000+). I used Vuescan or the flatbed scanner on my HP printer to scan them. I set up an old laptop, organized my scanning devices and scanned during my spare time. It took months, but since my pictures date back to the 1970's, I figured a few more days would not matter.
I saved them on two separate cloud based archives as well as an external hd locally and several DVDs.

Thank you. This is a most interesting lesson. Well done!

Please STOP THIS! I had planned on doing some work today. You put this King Curtis and Champion Jack Dupree stuff up, now it's four hours later and I haven't done a thing except watch their videos. Shame on you :-)

Thank you very much for the advice. I did read the manual, but I relied on YouTube for more depth in learning the features. I still go back just to see if there's anything I'm missing.

Another option might be to take the Cave of the Winds tour before going on the boat ride. The Cave of the Winds is a walking tour to the base of the Bridal Veil Falls. You can choose your exposure to cascading water from zero to forty or fifty percent along the self-guided pathway. If you can shoot from the most exposed platform, you will be able to use your camera on the boat tour. The difference is that you are only a few steps away from the falling water and the boats never get quite as close to the falling water as the walking tours. You will be able the determine the worst conditions you will be willing to shoot. This picture is from The Cave of the Winds tour.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10207193527381305&set=a.10207193526421281

First post. I live about 90 minutes from Niagara Falls. My wife and I visited the Falls at least twice each year prior to the pandemic. We've been on both American and Canadian boat rides. They are essentially the same except they originate from different sides of the border. My observations are: (1) YOU WILL GET WET. Anything outside the ponchos will be saturated. (2) The views are not very spectacular. The cascading water is the most exciting part of the boat rides. It makes for great video but does not translate very well for stills. (3) You will get a unique perspective of the overlooks, skyline and Peace Bridge. It's good to have pictures from many perspectives. (4) The boats are crowded, therefore your shoulf expect several heads to be in many of your pictures. (5) As the boat approaches the base of the Falls, the ride gets a bit choppy. They don't get too close, but you will be aware of the power of the forces coming at you and visibility can become a problem. (6) I've never taken my Nikon D3400 out of it's case while on the boats. I always used my Coolpix camera and gotten good shots.
Having said that, if you can protect you camera from the driving water...go for it! I highly recommend taking the boat trip. It is an iconic ride at Niagara Falls. Just do everything you can to protect your equipment from water if you choose to use it.

Tank you all for the warm welcome. I look forward to paricipating.

I mostly enjoy taking pictures of my family and places we visit. We ride our motorcycle during the summer and a cage when it's raining and other times. I currently have a Nikon D3400 that completely suits my needs as it is compact, lightweight and is versatile.

My name is Brennon. I have a Nikon compact point and shoot camera. I am interested in getting the most out of it.