Digitizing Your photos - a guide to photo scanning with a digital cameraThis page contains links to equipment shown in the book Digitizing Your Photos. The books describes a method to rapidly scan photographic prints and negatives using a digital camera.

In the book

The copy stand that I used for demonstrations in Digitizing Your Photos was from the Kaiser RS1 series. It’s a nice sturdy stand that is easy to move and holds position well. Kaiser makes a variety of arms to hold the camera. The videos show the RTX arm which allows for two axis motion as well as adjustable distance from the column. I also show the book easel and magnetic copy board  on this page.

Institutional Copy Systems

The best equipment comes from manufacturers like Digital Transitions and TTI. These can get pretty expensive, but they’re really nice to use if the budget allows.

Professional Copystands

Note that my new current favorite is the Beseler CS unit listed below.

Kaiser RS1

Kaiser Copystand

Kaiser RS1 with RT-1 arm (same column I used, arm allows for adjustable distance from column, but no camera front-to-back tilt.) I have owned and used one of these for a few years. It’s currently running about $870.

Beseler CS

This unit hits all the best points – sturdy, adjustment screw for pitch, magnetic base, grid on base, light arms available. It has a nice sturdy 44 inch column, a 22 x 26 inch baseboard, and it’s made from ferrous metal so it works with magnets!  It does not have tilt or swing in the camera arm, but it does adjust back and forth to center the camera over the baseboard. $800 from B&H.

Personal Copystands

Beseler CS14 copystand. I have an older version of this unit, and it’s a nice unit for personal or smallish professional work. Although  this unit shows the arms, they don’t come on the base model. Magnetic base, probably the most solid of the ones shown in this section, adjustable length arm. $415 at B&H.

 

 

 

Here’s a Smith Victor 42 inch kit that includes copy stand and LED lights for $440. The base is 23.5″x23.5″. The lights are listed as having a CRI of 95. I have not tested.

 

Here’s the 36 inch version of the same Smith Victor kit. Looks like the same light kit on a smaller column and smaller base ( 17.6″ x 17.6″). This one is $390. Unless your budget is ultra-tight, I’d opt for the 42 inch model listed above.

Budget price copystand

Delta 1 copy stands have the advantage of a steel base so you can use magnets to hold down prints, but the columns don’t look as sturdy as theater models above. Not tested.

Copy Bases

The Delta 1 unit I show in the book is no longer available. It may be available used, but has proven very difficult to find. 

iMagstand  – I just ran across these on Amazon, but have not had a chance to test one yet. They have several units – each has a magnetic surface and grid.  There are two sizes 12×16 and two configurations for each – plain flat board and incorporated into  a stand that can be used either flat or vertical. My suggestion would be to get the 12×16 flat if you expect to use it with a regular copystand. $60

Here’s a search that should show all 4 units.

Delta 1 Magnetic Copyboard. This is the one I show in the book. It works nicely, but it’s pretty big (the photo shows a 16×20 copy board, but this one is really 20×24 inches. $85

Kaiser book cradle. I show this one in Digitizing Your Photos. It’s useful if you have books or albums to copy. $470

Used and Older

I also own a pretty heavy duty unit called the Bencher Illuma, which includes an illuminated base and an extremely tall and sturdy column. This is a floor standing unit. I see them on eBay from time to time. Note that none of these are from the LED era, so any lighting that is included should be retrofitted with new LEDs. Here’s a link to the discontinued item on the Adorama site.

And of course you can also search on eBay, Craigslist and yard sales to find copy equipment. Copystands are pretty simple devices that should last nearly forever unless they are abused in some way.
I’d like to thank Kaiser for lending me the equipment for the demonstration videos.

Just so you know:

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