Chapter 13 Doing Science with a Digital Scanner

The transition from film to digital cameras has made a huge impact on how amateur scientists can save, analyze, catalog, and publish their imagery. It’s safe to say that digital cameras and personal computers are among the most important tools in the amateur scientist’s kit.

When the subject is two-dimensional, flatbed digital scanners can also play a major role in imaging science. They are ideal for making high-resolution images of leaves, dragonflies, butterflies, tree ring sections, soil samples, and many other subjects.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Scanning

Virtually shadow-free lighting is a key advantage of a digital scanner—the scanner provides its own light source. Another advantage ...

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