Camera People vs. Scanner People

There really aren't that many controversies of any serious nature that stir up the genealogical world (with the exception of the same one or two that get revisited every year).  I've noticed, however, that there is one topic of conversation that tends to get people a bit heated.  That is the preference for capturing digital copies of items either by a camera or by a scanner.

Now, let me say right at the start that I am a firm believer in calling ahead to a library or archive and asking them what their policy is. Regardless of your technological preference, following the repository rules is key.

But what if you have a choice? What if the archives says you can use either? Then which do you select?

I'm going to use deeds books as an example for this particular discussion.  You know deed books, those big, awkward to hold and photocopy books?  My preference is to use a wand scanner to capture the images of the page.  The reason for that is the wand scanner lies flat on the book and curves with the large awkward curve of the book to give a nice flat, curve-less image when finished.

Cameras on the other hand, will capture all the text but also capture the curve.  The result is that your line of text is not straight as with the scanner.  In a low light situation that can make your photographs blurrier and more awkward than what is already created with the curve.

Mind you, many deed books are modern copies of original or older deed books. For this reason I have no problem with using a wand scanner. However, if this were an original document I wouldn't dream of using a hand scanner. In that case, I would use a Flip Pal, flatbed scanner or digital camera (digital camera being the easiest to transport to an archive followed closely by the Flip Pal).

It's not so easy picking your digital capture device is it?  There are so many factors to take into consideration. The preservation of the documents being first and foremost and our digital capture preference next in line.

I've gotten into some serious "going no-where" discussions with folks who insist that using the camera is always better than using a wand scanner.  Clearly I think the wand scanner has its time and place.

What about you?  Which camp do you fall into and why?

There is No Perfect Scanner

the portable Canon LiDE 210

Yesterday I had a bit of a discussion about scanners on my Facebook wall. I had used a new scanner and I was very pleased with it. Based on the comments I was left with the impression that people are hungry to find just the right scanner.

It make sense. Most people can only buy one scanner and they want to make sure that the one they pick is the best one. Most people only need one scanner. The only time I can think that you might need more than one scanner is if you scan things of varying size and type regularly for your work or if you are embarking on a long term project where a specialized type of scanner would be a help.

There is no perfect scanner and honestly there shouldn't be. Products that try to be everything to everyone usually end up failing. The best thing to do is to determine what you need to scan the majority of the time. You will have to accept some inconvenience but as long as you can accomplish your scanning task then that is the most important part.

So if you can only buy one scanner how do you choose?

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

What do I want to scan? (photos, slides, negatives, documents, photo albums, etc)

How do I want to use the scans? (printed photos, online for web and blogs, reviewing documents for research, incorporating documents or images into reports, sharing with family or clients, etc.)

Where do I need to scan? (at home, at someone else's home, in my office, in a repository or court house, in my car, at an exhibition hall of a conference, etc.)

What size object will I be scanning? (4x6 photos, letter-size documents, legal or 14x17 size documents, various size objects, big courthouse books, etc)

How often will I realistically scan? (every day, once a week, once a month, occasionally)

What is the ONE most important criteria I need from a scanner? (convenience of scanning location, light-weight, high quality, versatility, etc)

How much can I afford?

Over the coming week I plan to tackle all these issues and all the individual scanners (at least the ones I am familiar with).

Let me know some of your needs and concerns and I'll try to address them in my posts.

Scanning Up a Storm

original photo

This year I made it my goal to try to get better organized and to digitize my photos. This past weekend I made inroads toward that goal by scanning up a storm.

My father recently gave me a photo album from my great grandparents with photos taken between 1901 and 1912.  These photos are wonderful because they show the family at play on vacation when they are their most relaxed. Prior to this I had seen mostly formal shots that gave me no indication of their personalities or their interactions with each other.

I got out my Flip Pal and tore through 160 photos. That's quite a lot of photos to scan! The original photos weren't in great condition so now I am in the process of correcting/improving them in Adobe Photoshop. After I complete that task I will share the digital copies of the photos - both the original and corrected versions - with all my family.  The important thing is not that they do anything with the photos but that multiple copies are preserved in several different locations.  The other key thing is to make sure all descendants who want them have copies of the photos.

Corrected version

I still need to do work on acting as the family archivist. I need to catalog the photos/album, note the provenance (the chain of ownership) of the photo album and identify where the original physical copy will be kept. That's next on my list!

But I feel good. I feel like I got something accomplished and I'm glad that the line of communication is open with my other family members so that they can get excited too.

This album is just one pebble in a riverbed of scanning and cataloging that I need to do. Small steps. Each small step will get me closer to my goal.





Photo notes: These photos show Sarah Estella Gurney Edwards (1871-1963) helping her young son, William Henry Edwards (1898-1976) up the front porch steps during a family vacation in 1901. The location is unidentified but is likely the south coast of Massachusetts or Rhode Island.