Scanners + Cameras and Graphics Tablets

What is a graphics tablet

A graphics tablet is a tool that is connected to a computer via USB and they allow you to draw into the computer They come in many different shapes and sizes and the costs can vary from £80 to £3000 depending on size and sensitivity. Graphics tablets can detect pressure so it can tell when you're pressing hard/soft to create thick or fine lines. Expensive graphics tablets can detect around 300 levels of  pressure where as a cheaper one would maybe only be able to detect 20 different pressures.

The cost of graphics tablets is dependent on the size of the tablet (sizes can vary from A5+) and the sensitivity of it.

Cameras

There are 3 different types of cameras. Phone cameras, Point and shoot, and DLSR. Cameras produce images using pixels, 1 Mega Pixel means 1,000,000 pixels.

DLSR - Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera

These cameras are used by professionals. They're very expensive (ranging from £300-£3000) but produce very good pictures because they can display 20+ mega pixels and have very good optics which help create the professional images that it creates. This camera would be used to take pictures of textures or anything that needs a high quality image. You wouldn't carry these cameras around because they can be very heavy, prone to breaking, and it's possible that they could be stolen.

Point and Shoot

These cameras are the ones in the middle. They produce good images, displaying around 5-15 mega pixels, they use optical zoom and they can cost around £75-£300. These cameras are used to take images of ideas that can be used in the future. They're not as good as DLSR cameras but they are cheaper and lighter making them more efficient if you want to take them around with you.

Camera Phones

Camera phones are a good portable camera. Most cameras on phones can create images consisting of 2-8 mega pixels but because they are not designed to be cameras then the images aren't as good as dedicated cameras. They use digital zoom instead of optical, this is not as good as it can pixelate the image. However camera phones are convenient if you forgot your main camera and you need to take a low detail snap shot of something.

Scanners

A scanner is a device that allows you to scan images on paper to a computer to be altered. There are 4 types of scanner: Flatbed scanners, Hand scanners, Negative scanners and drum scanners.

Flatbed Scanners

These scanners come in A4 size so they're perfect for scanning pieces of A4 paper but anything bigger you'll have to scan 2 or 3 times. A flatbed scanner can produce images at about 4800dpi. These scanners can cost around £30-£300 and can be inconvenient if you want to scan 50 pieces of paper because you would have to do them all separately.

Hand Scanners

These scanners produce poor quality images at around 300dpi but they're very cheap and they can scan more weird shapes. They can cost around £20+

Drum Scanners

These scanners are very expensive at around £5000+ but they create high quality images at around 10000dpi. These scanners are also good for scanning bulks of paper as you can put them all in at once and it will scan them all for you.in one go where as with other scanners you would have to do them all separately.

Negative Scanners

These are scanners that scan old negative images, they can cost around £100 and they can create images with 4800dpi and it can scan 4-5 images at once.