At 07:00 PM 12/20/96 -0500, you wrote:
>Please forgive me if this is a question that has been asked before....
>
>I recently heard about a type of camera that can be hooked up directly to a
>computer and used to shoot images of collection items and load them directly
>into a database - without the annoying process of scanning and downloading.
> Does anyone have any information on these, or know where I can find out
>more?


About 6-8 months ago PC Magazine devoted an entire issue to digital
cameras--the theory and rating specific brands.  However, this was aimed
towards the casual consumer (cost generally under $2000), not the exacting
reproduction requirements of the museum world.  For evaluation of the
high-end of digital cameras (costing $10,000 +), you might investigate a
periodical called Photo-Electronic Imaging.  I've subscribed to it for about
5 months and they have not in that time done a cover story specifically on
digital cameras, but they have probably done one in the last year.  Contact
the computer department of your closest university, or maybe the graphics
market specialist of a really good computer store can help you.  A lot of
newspapers are now moving towards digital photography as well--call the
photo editor of a large urban newspaper for info.

One of the cool things you can do with digital photos is string them
together into a quick-time movie, as if you were walking around the object.
The user can either play the movie all at once, or only view selected angles
by using the mouse as a "hand" to click-and-hold the virtual object, and
turn it him/herself.

I'd like to hear more from museums who have successfully documented their
collections this way!


Julia Moore
Indianapolis Art Center