Review on 📸 Ion Pics 2 SD: Scan, Preserve, and Share Your Photos, Slides, and Films with Ease by Joz Lowe

Not the best I've bought but good enough for my purposes. Is a stand alone "camera in a box" and comes with an SD card so you can take a bunch of pictures before uploading them to your computer (either by reading the SD card or by connecting a device, which then acts as a flash drive). . .) The device also has a small internal memory that can hold about 20 pixels - note that this memory is "hidden" when an SD card is inserted. A common comment is that the device "crops" your images, assuming a 14" border and slides/negs in a typical slide mount. Also, while the device may make some color/brightness adjustments, your software on your computer could be better and simpler - I adjusted just enough to make it the best it can be and make sure all the colors are there, and then the computer used to finish . Color or exposure correction with a tiny screen (the main purpose of the screen is to center the image). It will enhance any imperfections, scratches, and dirt on your slides, so prepare them well. I'm not sure if the higher resolution mode will do you much good. For the negatives - it seems to do a reasonable job of "inverting" but you may need to make some adjustments. The same caution applies to scratches and dirt. Also note that old negatives may have changed color (like old photos). For photos - a design issue was discovered here. Some light will bounce off the photographed image and "illuminate" the interior of the car, which can then affect your image. Most images (especially images with lots of color and a vibrant background like crowds etc.) come out fine, but images with lots of darkness AND some light show either a "loss of contrast" (dark ones aren't dark) matte photos or true roundness Shadows (reflections from the camera lens and surrounding structure) on glossy prints. In some cases this can be "adjusted" by playing with the exposure settings - darken the photo and the reflection will decrease on gloss and almost disappear on matte. But a few photos can be difficult. Again, the problem only occurs in a few photos and a glossy surface with very dark areas is more likely to be seen. (Eventually I might get ambitious enough to open the thing up very carefully and see if I can add some black flocking to lessen this effect, but I'll live with it for now.) Otherwise does a decent job and was able to save it some old photos. And it's easier to use than a scanner, especially for smaller prints. Custom sized slides/negs - I'll try to build a carrier at some point: for some of the half frames and 110s I have it shouldn't be too hard to do. There are a few 126s too; I'll try to deal with that, but I think some advantage has to be sacrificed here as the unit is designed for 35mm slides/negs. Custom size photos and borderless photos. -- for 5x7 it is cropped. For 4x6 or 3x5 try setting your device to the closest size (use the 5x7 setting for 4x6 in a 4x6 frame) - you will end up with some edges that you need to crop with other software, but at least you'll get 98% of the image. th picture. Photos other than this size can often slide neatly into the media from one side, and if you're careful not to twist the photos you can probably slide them in and out without falling out. If in doubt, try putting some tape on the loose corner to keep the pictures in place. Oh, and I suggest you cut out some 3x5/4x6/5x7 rectangles out of flat black paper or poster since the photo holders have a glossy backing (note the lens flare comment above). You have good success with these tricks (there are many custom sized photos), just be slow and patient. Please note that some processors crop printouts a bit wider - it's the processor's fault, not the device. If the image is difficult to fit, either crop it or consider using the next size border and treating it as a custom size. I intend to keep and use the device. I'll write when I manage to open it up and fix the reflection problem, but that may be in a few months.