Using a scanner to scan photos and slides?

The megapixel or pixel count quoted by some manufacturers can be misleading because it may not be truly representative of the number of full colour pixels. For cameras using a Bayer sensor it is the number of single coloured photosites (light sensitive areas) on the sensor. For the Foveon X3 sensor the number currently (Feb 2004 - Sigma SD-10) presented by Sigma is the number of photosites times three (multiplied because each photosite records three colours), however the images that result will have a number of pixels equivalent to the number of photosites - not the tripled number quoted. It is not possible to directly compare the megapixel ratings of these two sensors but in many people's opinions a 6 MP Bayer filter sensor is roughly equivalent to a 10.2 MP Foveon X3 (3.4 MP*3). Some hold the opinion that the Foveon is worse than this and the ratio is more like one Bayer to two Foveon. It is largely a matter of personal opinion so prints from the two sensors should be inspected by interested parties.