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Digitization Handbook

Camera-photo

Intro

Digital cameras have been a standard for years. The technology is in constant development which means that some models are cheaper for the quality they have. Recommended type of camera is a DSLR with changeable objectives. There are a lot of DSLR sets for a decent price. What does DSLR mean? It is a digital single-lens reflex camera. Which means that you can use old objectives also. More about DSLR camera check this decent Wikipedia article LINK.

Use

First and foremost, use it with a stand. That gives a stability and relaxed workflow. Capturing a photo can be done directly from the camera, pressing a button, or using a remote switch (check the camera producer) or using a USB connection to handle the camera on the computer.

Recommendation is not to touch the camera while taking a photo.

There are FLOSS softwares that can be used for this purpose.

For Linux use Entangle, it is available in most Linux Distro or use a flatpak with this command flatpak install org.entangle_photo.Manager. List of supported camera is available here http://www.gphoto.org/doc/remote/

For Windows the best results give DigiCamControl, connect a camera via USB and open the program. The list of supported cameras is available here https://digicamcontrol.com/cameras to download the program https://digicamcontrol.com/download

Digital camera can be used for many different purposes:

Large formats

  • documents that are larger than scanner formats
  • maps
  • plans
  • paintings
  • posters
  • …

Phisical objects

  • archeological sites
  • local culturar heritage objects (houses, parks, …)
  • monuments
  • furniture
  • …

3D

Creating digital 3D objects is a specific subject, it uses dedicated software to create a 3D model. But the physical object is generally captured by camera (photogrammetry) or laser scanner.

Photogrammetry is the process of taking many photographs of an object from a variety of angels and stitching them together with suitable software to create a 3D model. A standard digital camera can be used with specific software that detects overlapping patterns to build up a 3D reconstruction of the photographed object.

A 3D scanner can be based on many different technologies, each with its own limitations, advantages and costs. Many limitations in the kind of objects that can be digitised are still present. For example, optical technology may encounter many difficulties with dark, shiny, reflective or transparent objects.(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_scanning). Handheld 3D laserscanners for smaller objects nowadays offer good quality for a relatively low price.

.ASCII-based files with point coordinates, are good for preservation as they can be opened in a text editor.
Common file formats such as glTF, X3D, STL, OBJ, DAE, PLY, WRL, DICOM and IFC are helpful for preservation and access

Video

With DSLR camera recorded video is on high quality, but the limit is 20 min of recording in one shot, but it can be used as many shots it need.

The process

Depending on surrounding and type of material or site and what is the final use (just images or make a 3D model) different workflows are used.

For all workflows the light is important. For capturing a good and quality photo, good light is needed.

Indoor capturing depends on lights in your space, what types are in, LED, classic bulbs, windows… The most important thing is not to make shadows and to have enough light for a good picture. There are photo light devices available, named softbox. Test the best lighting for making photos.

The Outdoors depends on nature, so wait for a good moment.

Large formats

When capturing large formats with a camera, put the material on a stable surface with good light. Test different distances to get the most sharp photo. Review the photo and check that most of it is sharp.