What is the best method for scaning other peoples photos at there home.

I saw an hp scanner that was see through and sat upright. kinda unfolded like a magazine rack. I thought this and a good laptop ought to work.

Anyone use a better setup or could tell me something i dont know.

Why at their home? Are your clients unwilling to send pictures and photo albums to you?

I don't know much about portable scanning. So far everyone i've done "slide shows" for have trusted me with their prints.

I use an HP scanjet with my desktop. Scan photos at 72 dpi and 300% (that way they're big enough if you need to zoom and/or crop to fit full-frame)

Not that they dont trust me but losing or damaging a customers FAMILY photos would probably not be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Plus I am going to there home already to shoot video most times.

I have a Canon 9950 which does an excellent job scanning (plus it can scan just about anything) is fast with firewire/usb2, but it isnt quite protable. If you are there to scan lots of pics, and can take them with you, get some good lights, a photo stand, and use a nice digital still with a good lens (you do have one of these right?). This is amazingly quick, offers good color & resolution, especially since this will only be shown on a DVD at best.

That being said, I never like to work in front of clients unless I have to. For some reason, my computer likes to make me look stupid at times like that.

<<<-- Originally posted by Chris Moore : What is the best method for scaning other peoples photos at there home.

I saw an hp scanner that was see through and sat upright. kinda unfolded like a magazine rack. I thought this and a good laptop ought to work.

Anyone use a better setup or could tell me something i dont know. -->>>




I like the Canon LiDE series...most of them are USB powered...so you don't have to bring an ac adapter brick along.

Just one cable plugs into your usb port and that's it.

The canon scanners are nice light and compact.

Decent scans...but you are just going to use them for your video right? This should be more than adequate.

When I am done with my video shots, I set my lights for still photography against a black fabric background. Then I take a digital photograph of each still picture using my 4MP still camera with autofocus. Mine ony focusses down to 6", so I have to watch that, plus reflections. But it works fine. Quick too, and I can often leave picture right in the album, just peeling back the cover sheet. Since 480 line DV is only about 1/3 MP, a 4MP picture has plenty of headroom for electronic zoom/pans.