Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/07/21

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Web pages
From: Zeissleica@aol.com
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 20:46:19 EDT

In a message dated 7/20/99 6:48:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time, coresect@tin.it 
writes:

>  Could anyone on the list enlighten me on how they are getting their 
photo's onto
>  the web?
>  What is the best compromise for someone with a run of the mill flatbed 
scanner
>  to get the best quality images without taking up Mb's? (dpi resolution of 
the
>  scan and then the best format to save them in (and how much to compress
>  them)

Paul...

Depending on the source (prints, negatives or slides) there are a several 
avenues to choose from.

A fairly inexpensive route is to simply take the negatives or slides you 
choose down to your local processor and have them scanned and burned onto a 
CD-ROM (prints not required).  Depending on the vendor, $9 to $50 will set 
you up; variables include how many shots and the size and depth of each scan. 
 This solution assumes a minimal amount of scanning or it can get expensive 
in the long run.  I am having this done right now with a selection of B&W, 
chromes and print negatives all on one CD-ROM and expect the price to be 
around ~$50 for 42 images.  Another avenue in this range is to have a Kodak 
Picture CD made at the time of processing (~$7 extra, with coupon); I had 
this done on the Summaron images at my web site (address below)

The next route is to use your basic scanner (like my Mustek 1200 III EP) and 
grit your teeth.  The scans I get are pathetic, but can be used for 
non-critical image placement.  I typically scan them into Paint Shop Pro and 
save them in the JPG format at 300 DPI resolution and a compression level 
between 15 and 30.  Much compression above that and you can begin to see 
artifacting pretty easy.  File sizes can easily be knocked down from 20MB to 
115KB or smaller.

If you *must* keep a flatbed scanner available, there are models that can 
scan slides and prints, in addition to regular materials.  I have used the HP 
6200C and have gotten results that are adequate, as you can see from all my 
Noctilux images at my web site to get an idea (address below).

The next step up is a scanner dedicated to photo imaging, like the HP 
PhotoSmart S20 ($435).  I am getting one of these as a birthday gift next 
week and will be able to post those scans as a comparison a little later.

Then there are the more expensive photo scanners like the Nikon and the 
prices climb very rapidly.

http://members.aol.com/zeissleica/private/_private/front.htm

/Mitch