Railfan Technology > DSLR As Scanner II, 1926 OSL ETT

As an update to this previous thread back in December...

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?9,3592126

Here is a very successful "scan" of the back page of an old UP-OSL employee timetable from 1932. The timetable is in the old large format, measuring 15-1/4 x 10-3/4. I tried three overlapping scans on my Epson flatbed V700 flatbed, just to see how much work was involved to take three scans and use Photoshop's Auto Align feature. The lighting was the variation, along with the image distortion around the edges, making the stitch line too apparent.

I had purchased a Nikon D5300 DSLR back in mid December, and a dedicated macro lens, and I wanted to compare the three-scan workflow with the single photo of the DSLR, which is a 24MP camera, or 6000px by 4000px, at 300 ppi. One shot for each of the 24 pages, and I was done in less than 10 minutes. I have to rotate and straighten each image, then crop to the actual size, and fix the color levels, gamma and contrast. I like the results. I'll process the images and upload them to my online albums.

1) the original (upside down) image, straight from the camera's flash card.

2) after post processing.

The one thing I need to improve is the amount of lighting. What I have is okay (two 2500 lumens LED work lights), but it needs to be brighter. Maybe some setup that allows mounting another set of work lights. 

Don Strack

---

---

Don,

Looks good I've resorted to using my DLSR instead of scanner on several occasions as well.
This is especially true when I'm scanning something too big for the scanner.  As you have
found with a little work (really no more than I would have to do with my scanner) it will come
out just as good.

Kris

Yes, my interest is for oversize items. If it fits on my Epson V700, I'll use it. But I'll use the DSLR for what will not fit on the scanner. My project of digitizing my UP calendar photos will definitely be digitized this way.

I wish I had had the DSLR back about a year ago when I was digitizing a bunch of vinyl LP of railroad sounds. It would have worked perfect for the album covers, and disc labels.

http://donstrack.smugmug.com/Railroad-Sounds/

http://utahrails.net/rr-audio.php

Don Strack