Digitisation

Fragile manuscripts demand special care and often it is not just the information on the page that is important but the manuscript too is an essential artefact in itself, freezing its condition at a particular point in time. For this we use the only Alpa 12 FPS camera in Africa with either a 50 or 100 Megapixel Phase One digital back, depending on the size of the original, and ultra sharp Rodenstock lenses together with Phase One’s Capture One CH software specifically designed for cultural heritage. Read more and more…

Getting the most out of archival photographic prints requires superior quality imaging. Using our Alpa 12 FPS technical camera with a Phase One medium format digital sensor and Rodenstock lenses or using our Phase One XF camera with a Schneider Kreuznach prime lens gives us the ability to capture the finest detail, even through the glass of framed prints. Read more…

We can work with all types of negatives and transparencies including film-based images of various kinds and sizes. For 35mm negatives and positives, we capture with a Canon 5DSR with an ultra-sharp Rodenstock lens. For medium format and larger, we use our Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back on our Alpa 12 FPS technical camera. This equipment delivers images that replicate the full detail captured in the original film.

In keeping with our commitment to non-destructive digitisation of precious heritage objects, Africa Media Online has invested in equipment to digitise bound manuscripts, including large volumes, using non-destructive methods thus preserving irreplaceable historic manuscripts.

We specialise in archival collections that often comprise of multiple types of documents on many different types of paper e.g. a fragile letter, a facsimile, a double-sided multipage document and so on. The ‘Rolls Royce’ of form-feed scanners, the Inotec Scamax handles all but the most fragile papers up to A3 in size and we process these in Limb Processing. Unlike all other production scanners, it is belt-driven and therefore gentle on archival materials. Read more…

The digital capture of maps, plans and posters, particularly if they are archaic and fragile, requires special care. At times these present challenges when they have been folded or rolled and optimal capture requires special skill. For this work we have built a number of special rigs to enable capture at an optimal dpi to reproduce the finest significant detail using our Phase One medium format digital backs on our Alpa 12 FPS technical camera with Rodenstock lenses. These images are processed using Capture One CH, Phase One’s specialist software for cultural heritage application. Read more…

Paintings and 2-Dimentional artworks require exact colour replication and the capture of the finest detail. For this we utilise our Alpa 12 FPS camera with either a 50 or 100 Megapixel Phase One digital back, depending on the size of the original, and ultra sharp Rodenstock lenses together with Phase One’s Capture One CH software which is specifically designed for cultural heritage use. Even lighting with consistent colour temperature is critical in this application, particularly when tiling large artworks. We are use the World’s leading lighting system, Broncolor, to accomplish this. Read more…

Whether scientific specimens are floating in formalin or filling most of the room against a studio backdrop, we are able to capture the finest details using our Alpa 12 FPS technical camera with a Phase One medium format digital sensor and Rodenstock lenses or using our Phase One XF camera with a Schneider Kreuznach prime lens and illuminated by the World’s leading lighting system, Broncolor. Specimens such as flies and beetles are focus-stacked enabling full focus across the plane of the image. Read more…