Finally got a Scanner!

[Christopher G.]

So I finally got a scanner after being pushed by Chad to get one. I decided to go with a sure thing and get an Epson 1670 and I couldnt be happier!

Regards,
Chris G.

[Christopher G.]

The Junker!

[Darrell]

Hard to match an Epson.
I've had a Perfection 610 since 2000 .... still makes the best pictures out there ...

[AndyC]

Good pictures of good badges


Andy

[Thomas Durante]

Very nice Chris! Your scans look great and I find that the scanner always brings out the true colors of the badge's finish. Hard to do this correctly with pictures and I try to scan as much stuff in as possible. I too have an Epson (RX620) and i love it!

Nice badges by the way

Tom

[Eddie]

Very nice Chris !

Personally in most cases i am not to crazy when i see scanned badges,because i can never tell a true color of the badge's finish and how is going to look in person as scans often show wrong color of finish but your scanner show them very natural.

Great decision

[Marc Garlasco]

Very nice! However, I prefer photos from a camera. A scanner just blasts with a harsh light and washes out the badge. I am sure your PAB in hand looks like the head has better finish on it. The dynamic range of a camera when used properly is the way to go. Durante - did you scan or photo the badges for your book?

[Thomas Durante]

Marc,

I photographed most of the Para badges for the book, simply because they were too 3-dimensional for the scanner. That is really the only big problem I have with scanners, if the badge parts are a bit too far off the glass, they become very blurry. This is where the camera works much better for me because of the better depth of sharpness.

And ofcourse all the angled hinge, catch and rivet closeups were done with a camera, its just impossible to make these shots with a scanner.

Tom

[Darrell]

Marc,

I photographed most of the Para badges for the book, simply because they were too 3-dimensional for the scanner. That is really the only big problem I have with scanners, if the badge parts are a bit too far off the glass, they become very blurry. This is where the camera works much better for me because of the better depth of sharpness.

And ofcourse all the angled hinge, catch and rivet closeups were done with a camera, its just impossible to make these shots with a scanner.

Tom

Guys, are SURE you have an Epson Scanner? Those CHEAPY multipurpose printer/copier/scanners are CRAPOLA. These are my two scans of the Para I have. Very little Blur here. And this baby is 11 years old !! And I could tweak the lighting and contrast further if I really wanted. Not too shabby if I say so myself.

Of course you could get super duper close ups with those $2000 cameras, this scanner cost me $35 back in 2000

[Thomas Durante]

Not bad at all Darrell, but you can still see that the left side of your badge is a little blurry and out of focus. Not bad at all, but I was able to have better luck getting these areas in focus with the camera rather than the scanner.

Its also hard to have the badge sit relatively flat on the glass with such a 3-dimensional eagle. Very hard to do with the Pilot Badge, ROAGs & Paras, which always tend to fall to one side for me.

Tom

[Darrell]

We have a multi-purpose scanner at home and these things are garbage. But ... I believe they are meant to scan documents not 3D objects.

[Dietrich Maerz]

It is possible to scan the reverse of badges with a pin system. I prefer for my books to scan since it is guaranteed to be flat. Photos tend to distort details when taken under an angle. Even if it is only a slight one.
However, one cannot use the scanner for angular views and therefore it seems to be clear (to me) that both tools need to be employed. But that is just me.

But no matter what - the most important tool afterwards is Photoshop!

Dietrich

[Thomas Durante]

Hi Dietrich,

Yes, its possible but I find that its very difficult to get the lighting right and the hard shadows you get with the hardware scans because the scanner top is much higher off the glass. Here is a good photo of a hinge shot from my Para book taken from the same angle as your scan, and you can immediately see the difference in shadows.

Its also impossible to get a good reverse scan of a badge with the PIN OPEN. With most LW badges, the pin doesn't open all the way, so you really have to use the camera for these shots.

Tom

[Marc Garlasco]

Nice shot Tom!

[Darrell]

I agree with Tom. Unless you have a tool with the scanner I'm not familiar with ... getting detail pics as shown (hinge, pin) with the scanner are almost impossible. Nothing replaces a camera with a good Macro or MP setting.