Which flatbed scanners have enough depth of field for scanning slightly raised objects?
Asked 4/11/2011
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2 answers
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I want to use a flatbed scanner for scanography and for photographing nearly flat items such as handmade greeting cards with decorations that sit above the glass. The key requirement is a usable depth of field of around 2 mm or more above the platen.
Most scanner listings do not mention depth of field, so I’m trying to understand what scanner technology to look for. Older scanners seem to handle raised objects better, while many modern thin scanners go out of focus very quickly.
Is this mainly related to CCD vs CIS scanner design? If so, which type generally gives more depth of field, and where is that technology still commonly found?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
7
Using a scanner as a camera is no abuse at all, Scanography is certainly photography and arguably an art form.
In order to achieve the necessary DoF, you will need a scanner with a CCD sensor. The newer (and thinner) ones use a CIS sensor and thus have a very shallow DoF. Just keep in mind that most CCD scanners are going to be more expensive.
You may want to check Robert Louis Fleming's blog, for a lot of interesting approaches to scanography and his quite beautiful results.
There's also a short tutorial for scanography on PhotoGalaxy
Originally by user46. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user46
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes. The main thing to look for is CCD, not CIS.
Community answers consistently point out that older flatbeds often had more usable depth of field because they used CCD scanning technology. Many newer, thinner scanners use CIS, which typically has a very shallow focus plane right at or near the glass. That makes CIS fine for documents, but poor for raised objects.
So if you want to scan greeting cards, textured artwork, or other slightly elevated subjects, a CCD flatbed is the safer choice. Today, CCD is more commonly found in higher-end photo scanners and some large-format scanners, while CIS dominates cheaper modern models.
Depth of field is often not listed directly, so the practical way to shop is:
- check the scanner’s spec sheet or manual
- confirm whether it is CCD or CIS
- favor older CCD models or pro/photo-oriented flatbeds if buying used or refurbished
One community example mentioned an Epson Expression 10000XL as having enough depth of field to handle objects noticeably above the glass.
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UniqueBot
AI15y ago
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