Minimum Camera for Book Scanning

Everything camera related. Includes triggers, batteries, power supplies, flatbeds and sheet-feeding scanners, too.

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jera2
Posts: 11
Joined: 28 Jul 2011, 00:09
E-book readers owned: Kobo
Number of books owned: 1200
Country: Canada

Re: Minimum Camera for Book Scanning

Post by jera2 »

steve1010 wrote:Is this camera canon a495 a good one for building a bookscanner?
I recently got an A490 and it works fine for book scanning. The A495 is pretty similar; I'll know for sure when the one I ordered arrives.

It's the same 10 MP, supported by CHDK, so I'm hoping it will work well as my second camera. I figured for $49 I couldn't go too far wrong.
anvit2a

Re: Minimum Camera for Book Scanning

Post by anvit2a »

jera2 wrote:
steve1010 wrote:Is this camera canon a495 a good one for building a bookscanner?
I recently got an A490 and it works fine for book scanning. The A495 is pretty similar; I'll know for sure when the one I ordered arrives.

It's the same 10 MP, supported by CHDK, so I'm hoping it will work well as my second camera. I figured for $49 I couldn't go too far wrong.
I have two a495 and i'm going to use it with my book scanner... i think it gonna do a fine job :)
amoyan

Re: Minimum Camera for Book Scanning

Post by amoyan »

I have been using a CHDKed-Canon A480 with USB remote built with a dis-used mouse (reuse ... there are three switches on the mouse so take your pick). Here are some practical issues which may be of consideration to you.

1. Barrel Distortion. If this bothers you, you would need to have the camera about 0.6m from the platen and use zoom to pull the image in.

2. CHDK : Subject Distance Override (aka manual focus) is useful. Ideally if you have the platen and camera fixed , manual focus is the best option. Most cameras have problem auto focusing end-of-chapter pages with very little text (i.e. almost blank pages).


My only gripe is that the A480 is relatively slower than a higher-end camera.
darrinjk

Camera

Post by darrinjk »

Guys I have a question:

Toys R' Us has this camera on sale for $29 right now:

Image

The Vivitar ViviCam 7022 HD 7.1MP Red Digital Camera features:
  • Stores photos on SD card (not included)
    Built-in auto flash
    1.8-inch preview screen
    4X digital zoom
    5.1-mm digital lens
    Resolution: 3072 x 2304 (7.1 megapixels)
    Self timer, anti shake, smile and face detection, and red-eye reduction
    Vivitar Experience software lets you upload photos to sites, create albums and movies, and geotag
    System Requirements: Windows XP SP3, Vista SP1, Windows 7, or Intel processor-based Mac with OSX 10.5 or higher
    USB output
    Includes camera, cable, software CD, camera guide, and wrist strap
    Dimensions: 3.5 x 1 x 2.25 inches
    Weight: 8 ounces
    1 year manufacturer's warranty
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.js ... chURL=true

I know that we've discussed 7.1MP should be enough for most medium-small sized books. However, I also know that MP are not the only factor to consider. Do you think this camera would suffice? I'm not interested in any of the firmware hacks because I'm going to use Daniel's bike lever method.

Thanks!
tarakan114

Re: Minimum Camera for Book Scanning

Post by tarakan114 »

After I load CHDK into my camera, how do I make it respond to the pulse on the USB?
Will there be a new setting in the menu?
What wire of the USB do I power with 5 volts to activate a shutter?
Minimalizer

Re: Minimum Camera for Book Scanning

Post by Minimalizer »

jera2 wrote:
dtic wrote:There is now a CHDK beta for A490. I haven't tried but this is promising as A490 is low priced and still widely available.
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/A490
http://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php?topic=5051.0
I bought one of these a couple of weeks ago for $59 new--I wish I had picked up two since the price has gone back up since then.

CHDK works fine with it, as does my home-made USB remote-trigger. I'm just about done putting together my scanner, but it's not done yet, so I don't have any images to share, nor any comments on the image quality. It seems like it is going to work out fine.
Well, that's encouraging for me, since i Own a Powershot A490.
I've built a remote trigger but I'm blocked by the CHDK which is DIFFICULT to install.
Besides, I need version 100 E... and only found version 100 D and 100 F.

There should be a warning that not all Powershot cameras are compatible with CHDK, like in the A90 family, there's only the 100 D and the 100 F versions available here:
http://mighty-hoernsche.de/
Fast Eddie

Re: Minimum Camera for Book Scanning

Post by Fast Eddie »

Minimalizer wrote: There should be a warning that not all Powershot cameras are compatible with CHDK, like in the A90 family, there's only the 100 D and the 100 F versions available here:
Yes, of course, as you found out, people wanting to run CHDK alongside the stock Canon firmware (they co-exist peacefully) should have a look at the CHDK Wiki (http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK) and make note of which models and, within those models, which firmware is supported. Not all firmwares within a model series are supported, but new versions are added as the developers progress.

You can run a program called ACID (Wiki: http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/ACID Software: http://www.zenoshrdlu.com/acid/acid.html) on an image taken with the camera to determine the firmware version and subsequently ACID will download the appropriate software if available. Alternatively, you can take a blank, freshly formatted blank SD card (some cameras may want a single picture on the card...read the Wiki) with an empty file(s) named "ver.req" and/or "vers.req", load it into the camera, and press the appropriate buttons (dependent upon camera model) to read the firmware version.

All the info is in the Wiki, on YouTube, how-tos on http://www.Instructables.com, or just Google CHDK. The amount of info available is a bit overwhelming but digestible in small doses.
aeturneus
Posts: 54
Joined: 23 Dec 2010, 13:57

Re: Minimum Camera for Book Scanning

Post by aeturneus »

Ok, I have CHDK loaded onto an A495. I have figured out how to set the subject distance override, but the camera will still autofocus when the shutter is pressed, and then apply the override. Does anyone know how to disable autofocus on these cameras completely?
garycdewitt

Re: Minimum Camera for Book Scanning

Post by garycdewitt »

Just FYI. I just got an Elph 300 and it is working great. CHDK has just been debugged and works for remote triggering. Only tip is that you have to press the remote trigger button twice.
garycdewitt

Re: Minimum Camera for Book Scanning

Post by garycdewitt »

Elph300 seems to suffer from some spherical abberations.... Center of page is fine, but the top and bottom are definitely curved.
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