Largan Lmini 350 Pictures

Positives:

UPDATE: on 20 May 2010, www.largan.com is no longer there. Largan still provides manuals and updated drivers - even Windows XP!
The images are 640x480 and 24 bit color.
You can control the camera (set options, take pictures) from the PC, using the provided software.
The TWAIN driver can be accessed by other graphics programs, so you can download pictures directly into any TWAIN-compliant graphics editor program.

If you're a Windows programmer, you can access the TWAIN driver from Visual Basic (VB), Visual C++ (VC), or Delphi.
You could use the camera as part of an ID card system, using the tips below on "tweaking" the flash to get better closeups. The program could capture the image, resize it to fit the space on the card, and print the image along with the other needed information (name, department, etc).

Not as impressive as some of the commercial products, but it would work well for a small organization - plus you could use the pictures and other data to create a pictorial directory, in hard copy, CD, or both.

Negatives:

The light range is limited. Strong, contrasty light such as sunlight tends to give dark shadows and washed out highlights (pictures 5 and 6). An overcast day provides the best light (pictures 1 through 4).
The flash is too powerful for head and shoulders closeups. The easiest solution is to make a "cap" of white paper. You will need to experiment a little, but two or three layers of copy paper will let you take flash pictures from about 3 feet away.
The "white balance" is unable to handle large areas of solid color. Compare the hair and skin tones in the first three pictures below the divider line. Notice the green cast to the face and hair in the third picture.
This camera uses a lithium CR123A battery and it eats them. I put together an external rechargeable battery pack consisting of 3 AA NiMH cells. This provides 4.6 volts (higher than the CR123A battery but lower than the AC supply that comes with the camera). The external battery pack provides power for several hours of shooting and downloading (the camera's memory holds a maximum of 32 images at maximum resolution). The higher capacity of the external battery pack also provides faster flash recycle times.
The plastic used for the translucent bodies allows light from the flash to strike the lens, doing bad things to the image - most noticeable as a pinkish-white flare at the bottom center of the image. The best solution is to buy the silver case version. If you have the translucent version, put a piece of metallic tape on the underside of the flash to block the stray light.

Unretouched outdoor images.
The first 4 images were taken on an overcast day and should have flat, even illumination, with no bright highlights or deep shadows.

Note the green cast in Katie's face and hair.

4. 00093018 [66K]

These 2 were taken on a sunny day, with great difference between sunlit and shaded areas.

Note how the sunlit side of the face is washed out.

An unretouched indoor image using the built-in flash from about 8 feet away.
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