Photo Scanner Recommendation - for old family photos

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  JimmyF on 07/08/2021 - 10:31

  +2

  Does anyone have any experience this and can recommend a brand/type/model of scanner?
  I’d like the digital images to come out well, but they don’t need to be amazing, just good enough to share with family or in a digital album

  If you don't have too many photos to scan and/or large photos/wall portrait that won't fit into a normal scanner, surprisingly this app by google does a really good job.

  https://www.google.com/photos/scan/

  • 

    morse on 07/08/2021 - 10:33

    Thanks, will check this out.

  • 

    Jimothy Wongingtons on 07/08/2021 - 11:48

    Yep, even with mid tier phone it has good result

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  tdrive on 07/08/2021 - 10:35

  +2

  I used the fastfoto to scan all of my old photos (1066). Took about 14 hours in total including adding dates and location to the metadata, but totally worth it.

  • 

    morse on 08/08/2021 - 08:27

    Thanks. That’s impressive! Sounds like the fastfoto might be the way to go.

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  BuyoTheCat on 07/08/2021 - 10:44

  +2

  I use an Espon v700 scanner for negatives and slides. They can scan photos too.
  I suggest that you find something secondhand, then sell it after you finish your scans.
  I enjoy old photos. I think you will find this a rewarding piece of history.

  With most scanning software, you can:

  arrange as many photos as possible on the flatbed, do initial scan, click a button and the software can select (put a rectangular box around) individual photos and when you do the final scan, each photo will be scanned as an individual file. This will save you lots of time.

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  yomamayomama on 07/08/2021 - 10:46

  +1

  I’ve spent way too many hours researching but would like to hear real world experience. Currently using the scanner from Epson eg-2750 all-in-one. I guess it’s ok but don’t have a comparison point.
  FastFoto reviews say great speed and convenience with loose photos but doesn’t deal with images that need to lay flat. Eg. Stuck in album. That’s where the Epson v600 seems to be the winner but both are >$500
  Weirdly though, apart from the FastFoto all the other scanner tech seems to be years old? Maybe not much development or advances to be had.
  Anyone got experience v600 vs say one of the cheaper Canon or Epson scanners? Do I really need the v600? Will be scanning a mix of old photos from 60s and newer from 90s

  • 

    BuyoTheCat on 07/08/2021 - 11:33

    +1

    a V600 might give you 10% better result However you need to be able to see the difference and appreciate it the improvment. There hasnt been much development done on flatbed scanners other than digital ICE and better resolution sensors for scanning.

    i didnt think consider the factor of scanning from albums. To get good scans, you will need to find a way to get the page in contact with the glass and as flat as possible.

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  j1nk0r on 07/08/2021 - 11:11

  +2

  I used to own an Epson V370 and it was perfectly fine in that it could scan at high quality (which I see to be 4000px on the longest side, but no lower than 600dpi for large photos) but it only allowed for 1 row of 35mm film at a time and couldn't do medium format film. So it was great for prints, a bit tedious for film.

  I sold it and upgraded to an Epson V550 which added an extra row for 35mm and could take medium format film, and I'm very happy with it. I don't see me needing to upgrade to anything else in future.

  I saved a few bucks by buying second hand on Facebook marketplace, and on-selling my V370.

  I think the new Epson Scan software is garbage compared to the old version, but it still does the job.

  I did once take all my film to a photography shop to scan for me to save me the effort. That was a total mess. They scanned at 72dpi and many of the scans were back to front. I was not impressed and won't ever do that again. It might take longer, but it's much better to have total control over your own scans.