PUL Imaging

The following is a description of studio equipment currently used, as well as some possible alternatives when considering purchasing or renting imaging equipment. This is not an endorsement or requirement for equipment; feel free to contact the studio for input if you consider purchasing or renting equipment.

Digital Photography:

• The studio uses Phase One digital camera backs mounted to a compatible camera/lens system. A variety of digital backs, ranging in resolution from 100 to 150 megapixels, allows for meeting or exceeding suitable technical specification standards for various materials. Cameras are mounted to copystands for photographing bound and unbound material. The material this system can’t efficiently reach resolution for in a single capture is large format film. This type of material may require multiple captures stitched together to meet recommended resolution, a consideration for large-volume projects.
• Alternative to the medium format digital backs, the studio also uses high-resolution 35mm DSLRs or mirrorless systems for some projects. These cameras are significantly less expensive than the Phase One system. Nikon makes a 47-megapixel camera that can be coupled with a Zeiss lens for high quality imaging of materials that are approximately 26- x 17-inches. Note that there are limitations to the size of the material to be photographed, based on the 3:2 aspect ratio of the image sensor. The closer to 1:1 that the aspect ratio of an object is, the less suitable this camera becomes. This type of camera may be best for material slated for OCR or certain special collections material.

Lighting:

The studio uses both continuous and strobe (flash) lighting. Ideally, continuous lighting should be LED (avoid high UV-emitting light sources), have a color temperature ~5000 Kelvin and a Color Rendering Index higher than 90 (on a scale of 0-100) and preferably above 95. LED are low energy, thus low heat-producing. The recommended color temperature approximates daylight, while the CRI indicates how accurately known color values are represented with the given light source.

Strobe lighting comes in various forms, from embedded camera flash to battery-pack powered studio strobes. The key numbers when considering this lighting are the color temperature and the CRI and should meet the same standards.

Either lighting is acceptable, thus cost may be a factor when considering. Continuous lighting can be expensive, both to purchase and maintain, but will undoubtedly be more comfortable for the photographer.

Flash lighting is less expensive, does not produce a significant amount of heat, providing enough light to photograph at a lower ISO than with continuous lighting. A drawback is that the continuous and intense light bursts may be unpleasant to work with for long periods of time.

Scanning:

Flatbed scanners:

• These are a low-cost option ideal for legal-sized or smaller items. These types of scanners create high-resolution, high-quality images but are slow, thus inefficient for large scale projects.
• Larger scale projects may require automatic document feed capability, but this isn’t suitable for varying-sized or delicate originals, even if not rare. With ADF, be mindful of originals getting damaged.

Orbital scanners:

• The studio has previously used a Zeutschel OS 14000 and a Bookeye 4 v2. This type of scanner of has the scan head above the material. They’re ideal for flat, larger-sized (up to 30” x30”) originals and delicate materials. The caveat is that these scanners are slow and expensive. Other types of orbital scanners are made by Metis and I2S.

Transparency scanners:

• These are capable of very high resolution and are targeted to a specific type of material. The studio uses an Epson V850 scanner that will also work as a flatbed scanner for reflective material. However, it’s main purpose and highest functionality is for scanning modern film. It is also capable of scanning “odd” film types, such as glass plate negatives and obsolete film formats, up to 8- x 10-inches.