What is the best digital camera for taking pictures of documents in archives?

Question

I am going to Africa to take pictures of documents in archives. The materials are not in good shape and the archive is poorly lit with flourescent lights. I've heard that some digital cameras have a feature that is especially useful for taking black and white pictures (although these would be primarily ivory/beige and black). Has anyone heard of that or could you give me suggestions of brands, models that would best do the job? Any resources out there especially for people working in archives? Thank you.

Answer 1

I'm just writing in support of Joff's suggestion for the D70s and 18-70 lens, as long as it is the "better" Nikkor AF-S 18-70 f/3.5-4.5G ED DX lens. If you want to save a bit of money, the D50 would also be quite up to the task, as the MP resolution is the same. If you are spending grant money (haha), go upscale a bit to the D80 or even the D200, as the additional resolution (10 MP vs. 6 MP) could prove valuable for the details. All of these cameras have a white balance setting for fluorescent lights and all three let you set a custom white balance, if the pre-set is not exactly correct.

You might consider the Nikon 60 mm Macro lens, also called "Micro" at some sites. It opens up just a bit more to f/2.8, which may be helpful in poor lighting conditions. You will not be able to zoom this lens, so you will need about 3-to-5 feet working distance, depending on how large the page is.

You MUST use a tripod for copy work. I'd also suggest using the self-timer, set to a couple of seconds or more, so that you don't have to touch the camera to relase the shutter.

Answer 2

I have a Nikon D70s and have taken numerous pictures of very old bibles that have been in our family for generations. Using a digital camera is great because you can preview the pictures you just took on the preview window built into the camera. That way you can ensure that you got the right shot while you are over there (vs. using film and needing to wait for the results).

You can put the camera on a tripod and point it down at the archives. The camera comes with a fill flash, but you can also get a complete flash to mount on the camera.

The 18-70mm Nikon lens worked great for taking pictures of the bibles (you can get this lens with the camera body as a kit). The lens is what makes a huge difference here.

In addition to being solid for taking pictures of the archives you will enjoy having a killer SLR camera for taking pictures of friends and family :)