snapshots of postage stamps

Can I take a still image picture of a postage stamp? Right now I use my
flat-bed scanner but thought that perhaps a still picture with a webcam
would be faster. But I also need quality. I am asking the question before
spending money on a webcam. Thanks in advance for all advice.
--
Tony Vella, Ottawa, Canada
http://tv-stamps.shorturl.com

On Thu, 18 Oct 2007 18:59:10 -0400, "Tony Vella"
wrote:

Can I take a still image picture of a postage stamp? Right now I use my
flat-bed scanner but thought that perhaps a still picture with a webcam
would be faster. But I also need quality. I am asking the question before
spending money on a webcam. Thanks in advance for all advice.
--
Tony Vella, Ottawa, Canada
http://tv-stamps.shorturl.com


From an optical stand point, you will probably get better results
from a good flat bead scanner.

On 19-Oct-2007, (Si Ballenger) wrote:

From an optical stand point, you will probably get better results
from a good flat bead scanner.

With mega-pixel cameras falling rapidly in price, with zoom,
you might get better resolution than if the stamp covers only
a small fraction of the scanners bed.
Webcams are only limited resolution devices as compared
with cameras.
My experience has been that it is best to make a simple
jig to hold the camera and target, with built in lighting
to give even, shadow free, optimum lighting of the target.
Then with the target well lit, use the optical zoom, not
the digital zoom, so that the stamp almost fills the
viewing screen of the camera. So you see what you
are getting before you take the picture.
You may need a colour correction filter to get the
lighting right, most artifical light sources only
approximate daylight.
Colour correction is easy in Photoshop but it
makes life easier if done once and for all at the
image aquisition stage.