Scanner with ADF for photo prints, or a photo scanning service recommendation

cgarvey

Right, I've spent the best part of an hour researching this, and am confused as to the lack of options.

I'm looking for a decent scanner that has an ADF (automatic document feeder) that supports photo prints. After reading reviews, I'm looking at an Epson Perfection v500 with the optional ADF (despite the ADF documentation saying not to use it for photos, because of the risk of damage if they get jammed). That's 400 quid ex VAT from Elara, so it's no small purchase! I have just short of 1000 photos to scan, and doing that on my current slow flatbed isn't much fun.

So is there an other, or better, option than the v500?

Alternatively, is there a service (preferably Dublin based) that will take your many photos and scan them to DVD (there are a few in the states, both online and offline, but Google ain't showing any in Ireland).

Surely someone has had the need to scan an old collection of photos without having to lift the lid, carefully place, close lid, scan/wait, crop/straighten, repeat many, many times!!

Cheers for any pointers!

DonkeyStyle \o/

cgarvey wrote: »

Surely someone has had the need to scan an old collection of photos without having to lift the lid, carefully place, close lid, scan/wait, crop/straighten, repeat many, many times!!

Oh it's not that bad... all you have to do is make a game of it... see how many lids you can lift in an hour... then try to break that record. </principal skinner>

You can do it, you just need to break the task into smaller chunks... scan 10 a day, every other day and it'll all get done eventually.
I'm doing much the same thing with my old family photos, I'm up to 3,271 scanned jpgs with possibly as many still to go.
Most of them I'm scanning from negative, so I can put 16 in the tray/holder at once and leave them going.
It's taken me many months, but watching the collection grow is pretty cool.
Looking at the giant bag of unscanned negatives I have here makes me a bit nauseous, but I take it one roll at a time.

/scoffs at your paltry 1,000 photos
sissy :pac:

cgarvey

LOL! So I timed myself for a test run there. I did 3 batches of 4 photos. To place them in the flatbed (it has an ADF but only for thinner paper of larger size). I did 3 runs to get an average time it takes for 4 photos @600dpi (overkill perhaps, but I don't want to ever have to re-do this). It takes 8m30s ish including scan time.

Allowing for time at half my rate (as this is really a personal project, rather than work), it'd still cost me less to fly to the states, stay for a week, and pay to have them batch scanned (although most services seem to be only 300dpi).

I'll keep going I think, in the hope that there'll be a better solution along shortly!!

DonkeyStyle \o/

cgarvey wrote: »

(overkill perhaps, but I don't want to ever have to re-do this)

Mmm, I know the feeling. :eek:
Be sure to make plenty of backups if you do decide to go the long and boring route.

cgarvey wrote: »

(although most services seem to be only 300dpi)

Well the theory is; that's the dpi photos are printed at... so that's all the detail you're gonna get.
I don't notice a difference above 300dpi except for being able to see dirt/scratches/mold better... which I find comes in handy if I'm restoring a photo manually.
But yeah, there's no harm in scanning at a higher dpi, especially if it does a better job than manually scaling them up later on in photoshop or whatever.
I wouldn't rule out having them done at 300dpi.

Trust your own eyes though... scan a photo at 300dpi, then scan the same photo again at 600dpi... perform a tight crop in the exact same place on both photos, then place the images side by side or overlayed.
See any more detail?

The big exception here is really old photos, I don't know much about film printing/processing, but I've got some tiny old black n' white shots here that benefit hugely even beyond 600dpi.

If you want to get the most out of your photos, the only way to go is to find the negatives.

cgarvey

I did that side by side comparison. I could see a different when zoomed right in (especially on imperfections) between 300 and 600, but only very minor. Like you say, though, it did help in areas of imperfection. I was thinking 600dpi is overkill but if I can't find an automated way to do this it'll be done DonkeyStyle™ a few a day so 300 or slower 600dpi isn't going to change anything (but may help me later when I restore some).

I still can't get over that there isn't a consumer-grade scanner with ADF for this very purpose!

I'm opening a book to see how long I can last without caving in and getting the v500 with ADF!!

Cloud

Did you ever get a solution to this cgarvey? I am looking at the Fujitsu S510(M)...

Borderfox

I scan 6 at a time then import into photoshop and use the automate/crop and straighten to seperate them all

gollem_1975

Was tidying up box room yesterday and found lots of old photos in shoeboxes taking up space.

I have the Same question as the OP.

Any advice ?

cnocbui

Canon do some multifunction scanner printers that have document feeders. I have no idea if the feeder will handle photos but you could ask:

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Multifunctionals/Inkjet/index.aspx