The present invention provides a compact, portable system for capturing two dimensional images from printed and related media, as well as three dimensional scenic images, such as photographs, combining the optical features of scanning and photography. A compact, portable image capturing system is provided that is relatively simple and inexpensive, which is easy to operate, rugged, reliable, integrating the navigational and text-gathering functionalities seamlessly, transparently, and reliably, and not prone to optical misalignment, or cessation of scanning and loss of information, obviating much of the repetition of scanning efforts required by the conventional art. The present invention provides a compact, portable system for capturing both two dimensional images from printed and related media, and three dimensional scenic images, such as photographs, while providing constant user feedback of the image quality and effectiveness, during the imaging process.