What's the best way to scan a boatload of photos?

I need to get all my photos online for my friends, co-workers and relatives to see. Most are travel shots from my exotic vacations. I have over 5000+ 4x6 prints from my Rebel film days that I want scanned so that I can post them online. I have a Epson 1650 Perfection flatbed scanner, but in no way am I going to undertake this task with that scanner. Scanning services in Toronto seem rediculously overpriced - because they use 'highly trained professionals' to do the scanning. Plus these 'highly trained professionals' apparently spend a lot of time in the 'highly labor intensive' act of cleaning up the file for scratches or dust. CR@P. Looks like I may have to do this myself?I WON'T scan the negs because the 5000 are contained randomly in about 50,000 negatives. Though scanning negs will capture an incredible amount of dynamic range and detail compared to scanning prints...I have scanned prints in the past and been satisfied with the results (as they served my purpose of getting the shot to web). I think print quality scans will suit my needs. I do not require a scan that captures every nuance of the shadows and colour hues ? after all they are going to be on Pbase, smugmug or zenfolio and viewed on other people?s uncalibrated monitors. Anyone know of a good scanner with an automatic 4x6 feeder? I just want to archive these shots online, not sell them or make prints from the digital scan. Looks like I have 2 conflicting goals - getting low quality digital scans of my prints on to the web and archiving my life's work.
Since my more immediate goal is to get my prints on the web I think scanning the prints is the fastest way to go right now. I will buy a dedicated film scanner some time this year and embark on the more serious job of scanning my negs properly for proper archiving. This process can be done bit by bit over the remaining years of my life -LOL.
Right now I seek a resolution to my more immediate goal of getting my prints to web. The issue of quality may not be paramount here as most people will be viewing them with improperly callibrated monitors.
Does ayone know of a scanner that will quickly scan 4x6 prints with web viewing quality?
Anyone know if the document scanners with feeders will handle glossy prints? Will the quality of these scans be sufficient for web browsing? I don't intend to place them on the web for selling prints.

Why do you need all 5,000 of them online? Why not just do them individually as you need them. I mean, is anyone really going to go through and look at all 5,000 of them?

As for archiving, keeping the 4x6 prints and negatives in one place is probably more archival than converting them to digital.

most photo shops now have a special scanner that can feed pictures in really fast. If you bring em in in a shoe box then can do it for you. call around i think you will be pleasantly surpised.

[QUOTE=liquefied;33431​19]Why do you need all 5,000 of them online? Why not just do them individually as you need them. I mean, is anyone really going to go through and look at all 5,000 of them?
[QUOTE]

I don't expect people to sit down and view 5000 at a time. They'd have the URL links and could go back and view more when they have time. I have a huge extended family in Europe who've seen little of my travels. I have met hundreds of fellow travel photography enthusiast and I've little to share with them. I participate in many online travel forums and these photos would be of tremendous help to people that I 'talk' to on these forums. I work in an office of 600 people - all of whom know about this hobby and odten ask me to bring in an album. Newer employees that see a recent trip album request prior albums.

"Right now I seek a resolution to my more immediate goal of getting my prints to web. The issue of quality may not be paramount here as most people will be viewing them with improperly callibrated monitors.
Does ayone know of a scanner that will quickly scan 4x6 prints with web viewing quality?"

If you have a digital camera, you could set up an informal copy stand and just snap pictures of your 4x6s.

I have a Canon A640 mounted over my desk for archiving items. I also have the Canon Remote Capture program set up on my computer. Using ambient light (no flash glare) I tested the results using auto settings on 4x6s. Could "scan" them as fast as I could set the pix down on the desk and press my mouse button. Then batch applied auto-levels and sharpening. Good enough for the web, if the purpose was to show the scene, and not to show off my photography skills.

If your friends and relatives want a better copy of a particular web picture, you could do a regular flatbed scan for that.

One advantage of this setup is that you won't be spending any time cleaning the glass on your flatbed scanner. Big time saver.

just buy your own film scanner and do it yourself at your own leisure. They wont be as good as the quality you'll get from the labs $100,000 scanner, but more then enough quality for web viewing.

howzitboy wrote in post #3348693
just buy your own film scanner and do it yourself at your own leisure. They wont be as good as the quality you'll get from the labs $100,000 scanner, but more then enough quality for web viewing.

I recently bought a new PC, monitor with calibration system and processed thousands of RAW files. I do not want to spent another 200 hours at my PC.
I was hoping scanning technology had progressed since I last bought my Epson Perfection 1650.

Anybody ever used a decent flatbed scanner with an automatic feeder?

redone wrote in post #3343280
most photo shops now have a special scanner that can feed pictures in really fast. If you bring em in in a shoe box then can do it for you. call around i think you will be pleasantly surpised.

I haven't seen this in my city - Toronto. Cheapest I've seen is around 50 cents a copy. Online I've seen the service but the cheaper ones don't ship to Canada.

Philmar, i am in Canada on the westcoast in Vancouver. i have seen them advertised pretty cheap to do this - try the less specialized stores. I will keep my eyes open and see if there are any chains that are doing this and let you know

thanks - I've internet searched far and wide, even using specific scanner names (Kodak 1660 and i1220) and no luck. 50 cents is the cheapest so far....

archi wrote in post #3347437
If you have a digital camera, you could set up an informal copy stand and just snap pictures of your 4x6s..

Thanks for the suggestion....the price of copy stands seem rather high to me. Not sure if the savings of this route is a good compromise considering the work involved and the resultant lack of quality.

do you have a film scanner, a son and 50 bucks?

dwnhillskater wrote in post #3365609
do you have a film scanner, a son and 50 bucks?

Sounds like a recipe for peanut butter coated negatives and Coca Cola dipped prints.
Yes to the scanner. No kids. But I have $1000 and a wife who'd rather not see me chained to the PC so much.

LOL this is pissing me off - I know I have seen this advertised in my local paper - I think i get another one on Wednesday - so i will let you know - I know the technology is fairly new but i don't think it was anywhere near 50cents\copy.

I think Canon has a few decent flatbed scanners with automatic feeders - expensive as hell - the i660 is one - that could do the job. I have googled to death to find one in Toronto but to no avail. I think I am now down to 39 cents a copy in my best price quest.