Showing posts with label Scanner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scanner. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

BFS-Auto Book Scanner

Here is a book scanner that will be available next year. The company, Ishikawa Oku Laboratories, claims that it scans 250 pages per minute and uses 3D recognition to make curled pages appear flat.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Nikon D800 Announced - 36 Megapixel DSLR

According to Popular Photograhy, Nikon has announced that it will begin shipping the 36.3 megapixel D800 in March, 2012.


It will run about $3000. So are the megapixels worth it?

At the New York Botanical Garden Herbarium, we are digitizing Herbarium specimens that average 11.5 x 16" using the 21 megapixel Canon EOS 5D Mark II. At 21 megapixels, the Canon produces images that are 3722 x 5616 pixels. Using a simple formula, we can determine that the image will be about 52 x 78" when viewed on screen. That's about 4.5 magnification of the actual specimen.

So, the new 36.3 megapixel Nikon D800 will produce an image that is 4912 x 7360 pixels - which will result in an onscreen image that is 68 x 102" inches. That's about 6.3 times magnification of the actual specimen.

More magnification equals more detail. Here is a detail taken from an Epson Scanner, re-sized to simulate a 21 megapixel image and a 36 megapixel image. Click the image to enlarge and compare the difference in detail.

21 megapixel

36 megapixel

Considering that the Canon EOS 5d Mark II currently goes for $2,250, I would say that $3000 is not too much more to pay for significantly more detail. I have no brand loyalty to either Canon or Nikon, but our imaging lab has over $3000 of Canon lenses - so I am not jumping ship to Nikon just yet. I am sure Canon will come up with a counter strike in the megapixel war soon.

And yes, you guessed it. That's the Solenaceae Holotype, Cestrum acutifolium Alain.