Portable Scanners

[dawn.read]

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I am after a bit of advice please. I am interested in possibly buying a portable scanner to attach to my laptop. That way when I visit people any photos do not have to leave their house (inspired by my great aunt accusing me of stealing some photos from her house - when I borrowed & returned them over a year before, but unfortunately she can't remember this!)

What I want to know is how much one is likely to cost and would the quality warrant the cost as opposed to just taking a photo of the photo with my digital camara.

Also, as I know absolutely nothing about them, are there different types/what do I look out for? I did a quick Google search this morning but I am completely baffled

Many Thanks

Dawn

[Guy Etchells]

I am a bit confused by what you mean by portable scanner, if you mean a hand held scanner forget it.
A better proposition would be a lightweight flatbed scanner such as the Canon LiDE 25.
I have used similar for years with my laptop on visits to archives and libraries.
It fits in the laptop bag and is easy to use giving excellent results.
Cheers
Guy

[dawn.read]

Thanks for your reply Guy,

To be honest i'm not sure myself what I mean which is why I am asking for everyones advice as to what you all use.

I have a scanner at home, so I want something to use when I am out and about, as you say to put in my lap top bag. I have seen the ones (I presume a handheld) where you just move it over the document and it appears on the screen. Are these very expensive, or not very good?

Any advice that anyone can give would be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks

Dawn

[Guest]

I agree with Guy that a flatbed scanner is best. Come to think of it I haven't seen a hand held scanner for years.

The Canon Lide range is probably the best on the market for portable scanners but there are cheaper ones which are very effective. I used a Umax Astraslim for many years at fairs where we would scan photos for restoration for customers.

I bought a Canon Lide 70 only when I bought a new laptop and found that the Astraslim was not compatible with Windows Vista.

Graham

[MarkJ]

I agree with Graham and Guy - a slim lightweight flatbed is much better. You need to be a little careful with them - the bed is glass - but they are fairly robust.
The only handheld scanners I have seen have been terrible quality when it comes to imaging.

Mark

[dawn.read]

Thanks for that Graham. I have just had a quick look on ebay and that seems to be the cheapest option aswell.

All the best

Dawn

[dawn.read]

Thanks for your advice aswell Mark.

It would seem that a flatbed scanner is going to be the way to go.

I just hadn't realised that I would be able to get one thin enough to fit neatly in my lap top bag.

All the best

Dawn