Throttleman
02-14-2004, 01:50 PM
Over the past year, I had the same questions as you and just recently switched over to digital. From my experiences, here's what I can offer you.......
Regardless of your choice--scanner or digi-cam, first and foremost you should have a high quality photo printer that is capable of printing borderless 4x6 photos.
Purchasing a scanner is a cost-effective way to digitize photos. Several years ago I bought cheap ($60) Canon 600dpi scanner. At the time, this was a good entry level option for me since I just purchased my wife a very nice brand new film camera. Companies and stores try to "wow!" you with powerful, yet useless options for the average user. A 600dpi scanner was the lowest resolution available and even that is too much. I typically scan photos between 75-150dpi for email and 200-300dpi for photos. Larger resolution scans result in files that are enormous--100's of megabytes. The quality of scanned photos varies depending on the quality of the original print. Some scanned images appear to be an exact copy of the original photo. Other times, the scannned images appear to be pixely with some loss in sharpness, tone, and definition. If you enjoy your film camera and like having processed prints, then a scanner may be the option for you.
On the other hand, digital cameras are great because they give you the instantaneous gratification of seeing your photos and deleting or editing less than optimal images. Also, sending digital photos via email are a convenient way to share memories with family and friends. I purchased a 3mp Canon digital camera several months ago and have loved every minute of it. The quality of digital photos is spectacular and the 4x6 prints come out great. Kodak has some great entry level digital cameras that are relatively easy to use in the $200 range. Sony, Canon, Nikon, and Kodak all have some terrific models with more features and options running in the $300-$500 range. For the average user wanting a simple point and shoot digital camera, a 3mp, 3x optical zoom is powerful enough to produce wonderful images. Digital cameras come in all sorts of sizes. Some are very tiny--the size of a cigarette pack, while others are big and bulky like a SLR. I'd recommend going to a large electronics store to play around with the cameras. Get a feel for their weight and balance in your hands. Also, play around with their functions, features, and menus. If you decide to purchase a digital camera, you'll probably need to upgrade the memory card to at least 128mb and purchase some rechargable batteries.
Hope this gives you something to think about. You won't be disappointed if you go digital!!
Regardless of your choice--scanner or digi-cam, first and foremost you should have a high quality photo printer that is capable of printing borderless 4x6 photos.
Purchasing a scanner is a cost-effective way to digitize photos. Several years ago I bought cheap ($60) Canon 600dpi scanner. At the time, this was a good entry level option for me since I just purchased my wife a very nice brand new film camera. Companies and stores try to "wow!" you with powerful, yet useless options for the average user. A 600dpi scanner was the lowest resolution available and even that is too much. I typically scan photos between 75-150dpi for email and 200-300dpi for photos. Larger resolution scans result in files that are enormous--100's of megabytes. The quality of scanned photos varies depending on the quality of the original print. Some scanned images appear to be an exact copy of the original photo. Other times, the scannned images appear to be pixely with some loss in sharpness, tone, and definition. If you enjoy your film camera and like having processed prints, then a scanner may be the option for you.
On the other hand, digital cameras are great because they give you the instantaneous gratification of seeing your photos and deleting or editing less than optimal images. Also, sending digital photos via email are a convenient way to share memories with family and friends. I purchased a 3mp Canon digital camera several months ago and have loved every minute of it. The quality of digital photos is spectacular and the 4x6 prints come out great. Kodak has some great entry level digital cameras that are relatively easy to use in the $200 range. Sony, Canon, Nikon, and Kodak all have some terrific models with more features and options running in the $300-$500 range. For the average user wanting a simple point and shoot digital camera, a 3mp, 3x optical zoom is powerful enough to produce wonderful images. Digital cameras come in all sorts of sizes. Some are very tiny--the size of a cigarette pack, while others are big and bulky like a SLR. I'd recommend going to a large electronics store to play around with the cameras. Get a feel for their weight and balance in your hands. Also, play around with their functions, features, and menus. If you decide to purchase a digital camera, you'll probably need to upgrade the memory card to at least 128mb and purchase some rechargable batteries.
Hope this gives you something to think about. You won't be disappointed if you go digital!!