You've asked a lot there Andy! To start looking at digital cameras go to
http//www.shortcourses.com and take a look at "Choosing a Digital Camera." I'd
also recommend taking Cornell University's FREE online course on the
digitization process. It's available at:
http//www.library.cornell.edu/preservation/tutorial/

You can get excellent results by shooting a 4x5 negative and then scanning it
on flatbed, but high-end digital cameras can accomplish the same thing without
the intermediate process. Deciding whether or not to go digital (and what
camera to use) really depends on what you want to shoot and the quality you're
looking for. I'm a big fan of the Nikon D-1 (about $3,500-$5,000) but that's
just personal preference.

Trevor Jones
Project Coordinator
Illinois Digitization Institute
Visiting Assistant Professor
University Library
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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>===== Original Message From Museum discussion list
<[log in to unmask]> =====
>Hello everyone...
>
>This is my first time on Museum-L, and I was hoping someone had some ideas
about photographing artwork.  I am new to museum work, but am an artist and
have been photographing 2-D and 3-D work for years.  We have a collection of
around 1700 pieces, and all need to be shot for our
>accession records.  We are thinking of creating a slide library, but we are
also thinking of using a digital camera, which we don't have.  Does anyone use
one?  Are they worth the purchase?  We are thinking it would be good to have
downloaded images on our database.  Is it more cost
>effective to just take slides and buy a scanner for computer purposes?  What
kind of digital camera would be suited for the job, and what is its cost?
>
>Thanks for your time and ideas...
>
>andy
>
>Andrew Thomason, Registrar
>Hickory Museum of Art
>P. O. Box 2572
>Hickory, NC  28603-2572
>PH#  828.327.8576
>FAX# 828.327.7281
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