Why did digitalization replace scanners with cameras in the digitization of film and photography documents?
Traditionally, the digitization of photographic films (negatives and slides) has been done using specialized scanners because scanners can achieve higher resolution images. This is particularly important for medium and large format films that contain more data. However, in recent years, with the availability of high-resolution digital cameras and specialized film scanning accessories, many photographers have preferred to scan their negatives using cameras.
This is especially suitable for photographers who used to work with film photography in the past and now use digital cameras. With the tools they have, they can convert their negatives into high-quality digital files. Below, you can find an example image of the Phase One camera copying a large format (4×5) negative. When utilizing scanners, it becomes challenging to achieve this level of detail alongside an accurate representation of tonalities.
Another significant group benefiting from camera-based digitization is institutions such as museums. In recent years, many museums and archival institutions that possess vast archives of documents and negatives have adopted camera-based digitization methods because they are much faster than traditional film scanning. While speed may not be crucial when digitizing negatives at home, it becomes essential when dealing with archives containing hundreds of thousands or even millions of documents and negatives. A faster approach can significantly reduce the time required for digitization.
Ease of use
When using a scanner, it often suffices to place a document on the scanner bed, close the lid, and press the scan button. However, when digitizing with a camera, you need to ensure that the document is properly positioned, consider flattening the document if necessary, perform suitable lighting, and adjust camera settings including framing, exposure, light metering, and focus. In many cases, scanning documents requires less expertise compared to photographing them, especially when dealing with small-format negatives or stamps. In such cases, vertical alignment of the lens on the subject can be time-consuming if suitable tools are not available. Additionally, achieving proper focus on an entire negative or stamp can present its own challenges.
Despite the simplicity of using a scanner, cameras offer several advantages. For example, when using a camera for digitization, it allows for capturing larger documents that may not fit on the scanner bed. On the other hand, when digitizing very small documents, a camera provides a larger image. Another advantage of camera-based digitization is the ability to utilize modern sensors, which often offer noticeable differences compared to scanner-based methods. This is particularly relevant for scanning slides that usually have high contrast. Simultaneous scanning of multiple frames with modern camera sensors is also highly efficient since the dynamic range of current sensors allows capturing data from all frames accurately. Furthermore, achieving optimal exposure or multiple exposures (bracketing) with a camera takes only a few seconds, whereas it can take several minutes with a scanner, especially when scanning large negatives.
During document and film photography digitization, aligning the document or film parallel to the sensor is straightforward with scanners, thanks to their built-in mechanisms. It’s sufficient to place the document on the appropriate surface (either the scanner glass or inside the scanner). However, when photographing documents, aligning the camera becomes the responsibility of the photographer. For large documents, they are often mounted on a wall for photography. In this case, aligning the camera vertically (towards the ground) seems like a simpler and quicker solution. However, achieving proper alignment with the subject in focus can be more challenging, particularly due to the shallow depth of field in macro photography. In this situation, photographers commonly use a copying stand, which utilizes a vertical column and a flat surface.
During document digitization, the ability to adjust lighting intensity is not the only advantage of camera-based methods. Many documents require specific lighting conditions. For instance, glossy documents or those containing golden or silver colors may produce different results with various lighting setups. Such flexibility is not available when using scanners.
Conclusion
the shift from scanners to cameras in the digitization of film and photography documents offers certain advantages, such as the ability to capture larger documents, higher flexibility in lighting and exposure control, utilization of modern sensors, and faster digitization processes. However, it also requires additional attention and expertise from the photographer in terms of proper positioning, lighting, and focus adjustments.