

1000memories (YC S10) Is About To Fill Facebook With Gen X’s Embarrassing Photos - michaelfairley
http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/27/1000memories-is-about-to-fill-facebook-with-gen-xs-embarrassing-photos/

======
matdwyer
Disclosure - My company (PhotoScanning.ca) scans photos in bulk in Canada

I have run extensive tests with DSLR cameras, trying to approach the level of
quality that you'd get from an entry level scanner. My research project in uni
was on this topic. It just isn't there yet, even with these prosumer cameras
and high quality lenses. The concept is good, and it works for a $30,000
hasselblad, but this will produce brutal copies from an iPhone 4S.

I'd love it if this was possible in any reasonable form as I'd abandon
scanning and go to this method. In a millisecond.

Trying to justify that it is OK based on a 550 DPI is ridiculous as well -
sure, the photo is large enough, but the optics inside the camera are not.

Do your own tests and see, but this is gimmicky to the extreme

~~~
michaelfairley
<http://assets.1000memories.com/blog_posts/iphone4s_1.JPG> was taken with our
app. Not a gimmick.

Almost all of the photos we (1000memories employees) upload to our site are
through the iPhone app, and we're more than pleased with the results.

~~~
matdwyer
Well, again being a bit biased, I'd say that I couldn't give that to a
customer. It looks like there is significant flash reflection (or another
light source) on the mid right and left. (Also, to note, my company focuses
value over quality, so we're doing "consumer" level scans)

Don't get me wrong - I WANT this to work. I've spent hours trying to get the
quality to an acceptable level. I love the concept and am 100% convinced that
it will replace scanning in the near future.

I guess I should rephrase to explain that this is likely good enough to send a
quick email to my mom, or post on my wall, but using this method as a
substitute for a higher quality method is leaving a lot on the table.

~~~
suking
You sound like the photo version of a wine snob.

~~~
matdwyer
LOL - Again, I don't even focus on quality - our scans are 7¢ each, done in
auto-feed scanners. I'm not talking technical at all, if it looks good, if it
is a reasonable duplication of the original, then I'm good with it.

I'm saying that from my tests, doing the same photos with DSLR, point and
shoot, auto feed, and high quality (epson 10000xl, creo, etc) then viewing on
monitor, reprinted, ipad, etc. that there is a significant jump between the
scans and the pictures. It is very noticeable, and 9/10 people that I talked
to weren't happy with it (after seeing better options as well)

I'm sorry if I'm offending people here - I'm a gadget nerd first and I think
it is cool. I've said that like three times. I just don't like how it is
positioned as replacement of scans - if a user is expecting something that is
better then what the service is able to deliver, they will be disappointed.
Maybe I'm in the minority on that thinking

------
pmcjones
I highly recommend an inexpensive desktop photo-oriented scanner, such as the
Epson Perfection V600 Photo Scanner. With a list price of $200, it can handle
prints, negatives, and transparencies (slides) at resolutions high enough to
capture a lot of detail. Its driver software does a good job correcting color
of faded prints and negatives, and it works with Windows or Mac. I've scanned
about 12,000 negatives this year with one. (I'm a baby boomer who took a lot
of pictures, as did my parents, in-laws, and grandparents.)

------
finnw
Many of us with embarrassing photos from the 90s have already had them all
transferred to CD (at the print shop, at the time they were developed.)

In fact I have more photos on CD than I have in print, because being a geek I
have been more careful to preserve my digital media than anything printed.

~~~
michaelfairley
Be careful with storing stuff only on CDs. CDs (especially consumer CD-Rs)
don't last forever.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_rot>

------
brlewis
What happens to the date you put in? How hard is it to get a JPEG with
backdated EXIF?

~~~
Bretthuneycutt
Currently, we prompt users to date their photos and we store this info as
meta-data without changing the EXIF.

