Get a scanner...you will like it and find incidental uses in the future. Also, freestanding flatbeds are superior to the "All in One" printers that include a scanner. I have used a camera to directly copy a photo or slide (also required an expansion tube), while OK, lighting and color shift was a major issue. In fact today, if digitizing an oil painting for giclee reproduction too large for the scanner and not wanting to stitch scans, will still use a Sony with it's 42mp sensor and a macro lens to minimize lens curvature and at least 2 photos, one of which has a color reference chart for adjustment.
When I digitized my parent's entire pre 35mm slide collection and miscellaneous negatives, my Epson V100 was not up to the task as limited to 35mm on the slide and negative side, prints immaterial as the platter size supported. Misunderstood the local camera store when enquired about copies and sounded reasonable. When I showed up, learned that the quote was for prints only and there was an additional charge for the digitizing...which also meant that they were inkjet prints, not photo chemical prints. Quickly did the math and quickly realized on the digitizing cost only, they paid for my scanner upgrade as the V100 was also having a problem with Windows 10 upgrade. I have always gotten consumer grade scanners as pro level are way too expensive with marginal gains. Ended up getting the Epson V550 ($199) as it was capable of medium format slides and negatives. The less expensive V350 ($129) would have done fine except was limited to 35mm.
While the major project is behind me and my brother and sisters appreciated the files of our parent's slides, do I still use it? Absolutely, about once every two months...but at least I have it. Typical uses are 1) random pictures wife wants scanned, and more likely, 2) scanning documents to pdf for attachment to an email as no-one has a fax machine anymore - and readability is far superior to fax, particularly re-faxes. And then there are those carousels of my 35mm slides dating from the 1960's that I don't even want to think about full digitization...but occasionally pull a slide or two that supports something I am working on.
I guess it comes down to the "quite a few photos" and if you want to have the longer term availability. The formula is # of photos x cost of professional digitizing (local or online vendor) greater than or equal to the cost of the scanner. Of course the online vendor would require mailing irreplaceable photos and potential loss which is another issue.
