NY-TROY-IRISH-GENSOC-L Archives
Archiver > NY-TROY-IRISH-GENSOC > 2007-10 > 1192714277
Subject: Re: [NY-TROY-IRISH-GENSOC] hand-held scanner vs digital camera
Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:31:17 -0400
Joe,
Thank you for your timely reply. I was at the Troy Library yesterday afternoon and near the end of the session I gave it a try. I did not ask permission, though, but will remember to do so in the future.
I tried using my 2002 Olympus 2.1 MP point'n shoot. I turned on the digital zoom but it did not resolve very well. I don't have the manual with me and couldn't find a copy setting.
Now for the good news. Last month I bought an HTC X7501 Advantage Pocket PC which has a built-in 3.0 Mp camera. It has a 5" VGA screen and it focused right down automatically and I have some fine shots to show off at the TIGS meeting this evening. I did tilt the books at about a 60 deg angle and could then steady myself with my elbows.
Brad Miter
-----Original Message-----
From: Joe <>
Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2007 10:23 AM
To:
Subject: Re: [NY-TROY-IRISH-GENSOC] hand-held scanner vs digital camera
First off, verify that the institution you are at does permit photography. Some do not, a local example being the Rensselaer County Historical Society I have used 2 point and shoot digital cameras, a Nikon 4200 and a Nikon CoolPix P3, both with great success. I also used a Nikon DSLR but it proved to be overkill and didn't outperform the cheaper and easier to use point and shoot cameras.
For black and white reproductions the 4200 and P3 both have a shooting mode called "copy". The internal settings of the camera are adjusted automatically to produce a crisp reproduction of printed pages.
When I want the true color of the page I use the macro setting. It works well, but not as well as the copy feature.
As far as using a flash goes, I try not to use it. It can give a glare to the page and wash out a portion of the image. It can also get to be real annoying to the person sitting next to you. I usually try to situate myself under an overhead light in a position that will prevent my shadow casting over what is being photographed. But sometimes the lighting is all wrong and the flash has to be used to get a good image.
The other thing I do is to prop the book up in a way so the page lays as flat as possible, without damaging the binding. This can be tricky with some older books, but once you have done it a few times it gets to be second nature.
I have never used a tripod, but I could see how it would make things easier if you had a large volume of pages to photograph. At this point most of my research has been of personal interest so it is mostly a page here and a page there. Those pages do add up. I have over a hundred to go through that I haven't gotten to yet!
If anyone has any other questions feel free to contact me-
Joe Hurley
Brad Miter <> wrote: Joe,
Could you expand a bit on your camera techniques for copying documents and the camera you are using? Do you use a tripod, for example? It sounds like a great way to do research. I spent yesterday at the Forbes library in Northhampton MA and could have been much more productive if I could have been photographing instead of transcribing.
---------------------------------
Looking for a deal? Find great prices on flights and hotels with Yahoo! FareChase.
===NY-IRISH-GENSOC Mailing List===
Did you pay your 2007 Dues?
Troy Irish Genealogy Society
http://www.rootsweb.com/~nytigs/
-------------------------------
To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message
This thread: