Video digitizing equipment consists of several devices and is more costly than a scanner; however, this image capturing method provides additional features such as directly capturing images of three-dimensional objects. The equipment used in video digitizing is identified and described in the following section.
The digitizing camera you select can make or break your final product. Cameras come in a range of prices, from the inexpensive consumer variety to the $40,000 broadcast variety.
When shopping around for a camera, look for these qualities:
Resolution: While you can use almost any camera to digitize your images, look for cameras with high resolution—the higher the better. Remember, you want to end up with an image that comes as close to 640-by-480 lines of resolution as possible. The typical consumer-quality VHS camera produces only 240 lines of resolution, which is not adequate. SVHS cameras produce over 400 lines when properly calibrated.
Output: High-end digitizer boards accept RGB input, which will generally provide the best image. Some boards also accept S-Video and composite video inputs. Of these two, S-Video is the best. Avoid a camera that has only a composite video output.
LUX: The lower the LUX value, the less light a camera needs. You'll want a camera that has a low LUX value, but this doesn't mean you want to under light your subjects. Low light means lower quality images. Although natural daylight is the best light for shooting video, it isn't necessarily the easiest to work with, nor is it always available.
You'll want the lenses that come standard with the camera, but more often than not you'll also want a macro-lens for close-up work. A zoom lens is a good choice for general use.
The best camera stands are expensive, but you'll probably find that a good one is worth the investment. Here are few things to look for in camera stands:
Moving platens to center and orient the images
Quartz halogen lamps to get good light at low wattage
Back lighting source for slides
Motorized column for moving camera up and down
Glass plate
The most popular and broadly supported digitizer boards can capture images at a number of resolutions. Choose a board that allows a resolution of at least 24 bits per pixel for color information. There are several products on the market—shop around before you buy. Some of the less expensive boards give you a lot of power for the money, and may be quite adequate for your needs.
You may want a video monitor to view the video image before it is digitized. Either black-and-white or color monitors are acceptable, but color monitors have the added benefit of letting you see the color settings before you grab the frame.