[PER3]

I am shopping around for a digital camera, but have seen no mention made of how any given model operates specifically for photographing documents on the fly. In particular, I'm after the capacity to capture text and line drawings. Probably almost any good camera would do the job but perhaps there is one model that satisfies my requirements much better than the others. Perhaps one is stronger for close-ups. Perhaps another can be switched to greyscale or some kind of compression to make better use of battery and memory. There are the kind of things I'd like to find out.


I'd appreciate any advice on the matter. I've searched the forum, but have so far come up empty-handed.

[Tee]

http://www.odci.gov/cia/information/artifacts/minox.htm

LOL!

Originally posted by PER3:
I am shopping around for a digital camera, but have seen no mention made of how any given model operates specifically for photographing documents on the fly. In particular, I'm after the capacity to capture text and line drawings. Probably almost any good camera would do the job but perhaps there is one model that satisfies my requirements much better than the others. Perhaps one is stronger for close-ups. Perhaps another can be switched to greyscale or some kind of compression to make better use of battery and memory. There are the kind of things I'd like to find out.


I'd appreciate any advice on the matter. I've searched the forum, but have so far come up empty-handed.

[PER3]

Thanks Tee,

The Minox would be perfect except that it would probably be hell to get the film developed (not to mention expensive) as I am not aware of any retail 1-hour photo outlets run by the security organs.

The things is that from time to time, one of my colleagues will show me a stack of papers or scores (musical) or books that I'd like to read. It would be very convenient to be able to simply photograph those articles and run them on to my computer at home.

The reason I ask if there are any cameras that run some kind of compressed black and white is that this seems to me to be a logical feature that should be present on a digital camera somewhere - sometimes there is no photocopier handy and it is wasteful to spend so many memory pixels on a black and white document. In the place of fifty high resolution colour shots, I am sure you could fit quite a few times more lower res black and white images.

Someone at a conference shows you some interesting papers - and you photograph them on the spot. Cheaper and more convenient than a Xerox, especially if there are 300 pages.

And where I am, there are very few reliable Xerox machines in any case.

So, my request is both genuine and logical.


Are there any recent cameras that fit this bill, or is perhaps the Minox now available in a digital form??

[Griz]

Originally posted by PER3:
I am shopping around for a digital camera, but have seen no mention made of how any given model operates specifically for photographing documents on the fly. In particular, I'm after the capacity to capture text and line drawings. Probably almost any good camera would do the job but perhaps there is one model that satisfies my requirements much better than the others. Perhaps one is stronger for close-ups. Perhaps another can be switched to greyscale or some kind of compression to make better use of battery and memory. There are the kind of things I'd like to find out.


I'd appreciate any advice on the matter. I've searched the forum, but have so far come up empty-handed.

I got a Kodak DX4900 from a recommedation and it can't be beat. The best.
Many features.

[splode]

Hey.

Hmmm... Well, I guess there's a few features you should look for. Optical zoom, a macro mode, B&W capabilities, and probably some control of the flash and lighting.

I have a Canon Powershot A40 (2 mp), which fits the bill fairly well. It allows for a good amount of manual control (for a consumer camera, at least), has a greyscale mode and macro. I've used it as an improvised scanner (for a color frame from a Tin Tin book), and the only problem I had was glare from the lighting causing the colors to turn lighter at the edges of the picture.

I think most cameras would be servicable for what you want to do, so you should probably buy based on what other features you want.

A good tripod, that'll allow you to position the camera fairly close to the document (1 to 2 feet), and perpendicular to it would be essential. Might hafta improvise something as most tripods would probably get a leg in the way.

splode

[brainchild2b]

Okay i shouldn't help you, spy ... but get a camera with a good macro lense then tie a string to it for the optimal distance from the page. everytime you photography a page you simple stretch the string from the paper taunt so that every time u get a good picture. the minox has a built in rollup chain for this very features.

[Avon]

I am convinced anyone that buys a Minox is flagged by the CIA...


Anyway, for taking pics of documents, or anything close up like that I find it nessesary to turn down the exposure time of the flash. Make sure you get a camera with that capability.

I can't help but recomend canon cameras. I have found them to be very easy to use and feature rich. Get an S30/S40 or better if you want fully manual controls. Or the lower models if you dont care for them. I know the Elphs have flash exposure control, but I dontk now if the A series do...

Hope this helps.

[PER3]

Thank you all for your help. I have looked into all of your recommendations and have learned a lot about cameras, especially about the possibilities of image compression. Please be assured that I am not really a spy and that you have made no moral compromise by helping me. I am a music student in Moscow. There are not many photocopiers here. That is why I am looking for an alternative. To save you any doubt, I promise to eat my computer to destroy any evidence of our communication.