Flatbed Scanner

This 489-megapixel DIY camera costs only $150 and uses the reclaimed guts of a flatbed scanner

Feb 13, 2023 by John Aldred 1 Comment

In the vast majority of the cameras we own, or at least use on a daily basis, we have an image sensor. It’s either a CCD or a CMOS. A single, static non-moving chip (IBIS notwithstanding) that captures your whole scene at once (or as close to it as you can get if you have a rolling shutter CMOS sensor). But there is another technique for capturing images, and that’s by scanning.

Scanning cameras are not a new idea. In fact, they’ve been pretty much the only way you can shoot with large format cameras digitally. But this DIY solution from Yunus Zenichowski turns the idea into at truly portable camera which uses a projector lens and creates beautifully detailed photos. And best of all, it cost him less than $150.

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How to build a DIY 4×5 large format digital scanning back from a portable flatbed scanner

Mar 13, 2020 by John Aldred 2 Comments

Large format film still holds a huge draw for a lot of photographers. It has a look that the relatively tiny digital sensors today (yes, even the medium format ones) just aren’t capable of. But shoot large format on film can be a laborious task. For many, the end result is worth it, but if you want slightly more immediate results, digital scanning backs are the solution.

The problem is, digital scanning backs for 4×5 cameras can be very expensive (and they’re not exactly common). In this video, Sean at Fotodiox shows us how we can turn a simple small portable flatbed scanner into a digital scanning back for a large format camera.

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These ethereal portraits were created using a flatbed scanner

Jun 21, 2019 by Dunja Djudjic 3 Comments

I believe that quite a few of us have played with flatbed scanners and “took photos” with it. But Maitha Demithan took this to a whole new level. The Dubai-based artist creates dreamy portraits with a large format scanner. In her work, she has scanned people as well as animals to create beautiful, ethereal images.

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How to use a scanner to create photography without a camera

Jul 13, 2017 by John Aldred 7 Comments

The Koldunov Brothers are always coming up with strange ideas. Mostly they’re to replace photographic accessories with, let’s say, less conventional items. This time, it’s something a little different. They’re not just replacing camera accessories. They’re replacing the camera. With a flatbed scanner.

It’s actually not a bad idea for experimenting with. A flatbed scanner is essentially just a giant, slow, rolling shutter camera. Sure, it has an extremely close focus and a very limited depth of field. The lighting options are also quite limited, too. But it can produce some very neat results.

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