2364 Main
Building B
Philomath, OR
97370
(541) 609-6810
Convert Photo, Video & More to Digital
Your photos deserve the DpsDave Difference!
See More. Zoom More. Print Bigger. Preserve More Of Your Legacy!
DpsDave's scanning system has been developed by DpsDave over the last half decade!
Using the latest optical, sensor and computing technologies. This system is quite different than what other photo scanners use, and represents the next generation of image digitizing.
The results are amazing!
The people who run this amazing equipment are critical, so we've created all the things necessary to assure that everybody does everything exactly right every time. The results are immensely high quality digital images of your photo prints, slides, negatives albums as well as VHS tapes!
Here’s a technical schematic of the system:
Here is how our slide scanning system compares with other scanning system used in the industry:
Why should you care?
These specifications create an obvious and compelling difference! Using actual digital images, we’ll show you the difference.
Resolution
Usually measured in Dots Per Inch (DPI) this is the most influential element of the digitizing process. Lower resolution makes the edges of objects jagged, and our eyes interpret this as loss of focus. Here is an example:
Dynamic Range
Usually measured as a ratio of the brightest to the darkest part of a digital image or D-range (a logarithmic measurement), this is a measure of the sensitivity of the sensors in the scanners..
This element starts to dominate image quality as resolution gets higher, and really drives up the cost of the scanning equipment. Below is a comparison of a dark slide scanned on the DpsDave system versus the Nikon system.
The grainy appearance of the Nikon image is a result of sensors trying to see in the dark, and introducing errors into the image data.
Post Scan Processing (Color Fix)
The real magic happens after the image is digitized, and is performed by 12 subsystems in our image processing software suite. Digital Ice was developed in the 90’s, and was limited by available sensor and computing technologies. Digital Ice functionality is similar to the “Color Fix” module in the DpsDave Image Processing Software Suite. As you can see our Image Processing Software Suite really makes a difference! Here are some examples of the differences:
What Happens When We Crop Slides
Cropping Dimensions
Here are the dimensions of the window in a 35mm slide.
The dashed line is where the edge of your digital image will be in relation to the slide frame
For the other film types...
…which come mounted in a 50x50 mm frame the dimensions of the window changes, but the distance from the edge of the window to the crop widows is the same (1.5mm)
Here is the size of the film in the slide
If you pull the 35mm film out from the slide mount, this is what it looks like
The picture your camera put on the film is 10% larger by area than the window in the slide frame.
What to expect
Our job is to deliver a digital image without parts of the frame showing.
We have to crop the image smaller that the opening in the slide mount to assure:
- The digital image doesn't have parts of the rounded corners of the mount showing
- The cardboard hairs sticking out from the slide mount don't show.
Other Film Sizes
No worries. We will crop any size film that is mounted in a 2x2 slide as described above.
Actually we crop the images less than back in the day when prints were being made from slides at photo labs. Back then, technicians had a mask that they use to crop the images. They faced the same issues with the corners & debris that hang out close to the edge of the slide mount window.
But, the photo techs back in the day didn't have digital control as is available today. The old school way was to use the edge of the mount to position the slide, then have the mask attached to the slide mount, then adjust the focal length, get the paper in place, and push the button. Each of these things added error, and at the end, the masks used had to be (a lot) smaller than the 1.5mm we enjoy today.
I remember getting my very expensive prints back, and seeing the big difference between what was on the print and what was on the slide itself. Compared to my disappointment back then, I'm really thrilled with todays digital results.
What Happens When We Crop 35mm Negatives
