A team of researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh have developed a new laser camera system that can take extremely precise 3D depth scan images from up to a kilometer away (0.62 miles). An impressive advancement in laser imaging, the camera uses a low power infrared laser beam to create 3D images precise to the millimeter. Read more…
One of the latest entrants in the at-home film scanning game is the Plustek OpticFilm 120. Just announced a few months ago and made available for pre-orders earlier this month, the OpticFilm 120 is a professional caliber scanner that can digitize both 35mm and 120mm medium format film. With a price tag of $2,000, it’s not exactly wallet-friendly for the average film shooter, but is quite affordable when compared to other medium-format pro-grade scanners on the market.
If you’ve been wondering about the image quality of the scanner (and whether or not it stacks up well against your local photo lab), Plustek has released a few full-resolution untouched scans.
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The iPICS2GO Negative to iPhone Scanner is a simple device that lets your iPhone double as a scanner for photos, both film and prints. It works with 35mm negatives and slide film, as well as 3×5 and 4×6 prints.
Just plug your iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S into the top, fire up the powerful editing app and feed a photo, slide or negative into the PICS2GO. With the app’s easy-to-use controls you can scan your pics in seconds, and save them as a digital file that’ll last forever. Or at least until the next technological revolution.
Battery-powered and designed purely for the iPhone 4 and 4S, the iPICS2GO is a handy little gadget that you can use anywhere in the house. Scan your family album while you’re watching the telly; or take it round your Nan’s house and go through her black and white snaps. There’s never been an easier or more convenient way to save your precious, perishable photo prints.
The scan quality is, well, iPhone camera quality, but it’s a pretty cheap option considering the $63 price tag.
Well, lets just say I’ve gotten better at this over the last couple of years. The left image was one of the first I’ve “scanned” with my DSLR, and the one on the right I’ve just rescanned using the techniques described below (higher resolution available here). Right now I can get higher resolution and better image quality that what street labs give you on CD.
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In the future, after you print photos onto paper using your camera, you’ll be able to scan them and share them on Flickr using your mouse. At CES earlier this year, LG showed off an amazing new mouse that lets you quickly scan images and documents by simply waving the mouse over them. Now it’s available — if you live in the UK, you can buy one from Dabs for £90 (~$150).
We shared a couple weeks ago that it’s possible to scan film using an ordinary flatbed scanner and a DIY cardboard adapter, but did you know you can also use a large-screen cell phone or tablet computer to provide the necessary backlighting? All you need is a way to turn a large portion of the screen entirely white (e.g. a “flashlight” app). Simply place the device facedown over the film on the scanner, and scan it with the cover open.
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If you’ve got boxes of old prints and family photos you’d like to salvage from those awful sticky photo album pages, SnapHaven will scan them for free. For a limited time, the photo storage and backup service is offering free unlimited scans for customers with an active membership — though you’ll have to pay to ship your own prints.
SnapHaven is still the only dedicated photo backup and storage site. They also offer services for making prints, photo books, and other photo gift accessories.
SnapHaven originally launched last December, but has just re-launched with new membership options. Previously, the company had plans based on upload limits, but membership is now available at a yearly flat rate, starting at $49.99. Now, rather than paying more for more space, annual memberships are straightforward and include unlimited photo backup, protected by the company’s 99 year lifetime guarantee. SnapHaven also assures that even if the yearly membership is not renewed, customers can still have full access to the photos for viewing, printing, sharing, and downloading.
Doxie is a portable, USB-powered scanner for scanning things on the go. It scans documents and photographs at 600dpi in JPEG or PNG, and has the ability to scan directly to the cloud, sending your files to a large number of web apps. What’s neat is that in addition to documents, photographers can use it to easily scan and then share their prints online:
Scan and share your photos in brilliant color. Doxie automatically straightens and crops your paper photos, then drops them right into iPhoto, Picasa, or Lightroom – just like a digital camera. Put in your favorite photos – Doxie keeps up with fast, stunningly crisp scanning. And Doxie can post your photos directly to Flickr and Picnik, for instant sharing and easy editing.
Weighing in at about half a pound, it’s light enough to be carried around with your laptop if scanning is something you need to do often. Doxie costs $129, and can be ordered directly from the official website.
(via Wired)
