By Andrew Hales, Lead Photographer, New Zealand Maritime Museum
Produced by New Zealand Maritime Museum 2025
This is a general guide to help select a camera and supporting equipment for doing digitisation in a small museum or archive. It is intended for smaller organisations that may have limited budgets, staff and volunteers may be doing multiple roles, and there is limited access to relevant knowledge and skills around cameras and computers.
For digitisation to be meaningful, the content needs to be linked to digital records, and it all needs to be properly stored and backed up.
Please refer to the Overview of Photographic process for more details.
This guide will become outdated as technology advances, but we will do our best to keep it current.
The ideal minimum:
Digitisation is more than just taking photos. Digital capture of objects and archives is only a part of the larger digitisation process, which includes creating digital records in a collection management system. Without the larger process, you're just taking photos. For those photos to be meaningful and a part of digitisation, they need to be taken with consideration for the larger process. This means having more than just a camera. You also need:
- A software-based collection management system (CMS)
- Storage for images/digital files with a back up
- A camera and Lens
- Ability to name files with unique identifier that links to records in the collection management system
- Supporting equipment (copystand, light stands etc).
1. Collection Management System (CMS)
This is the database that ties everything together, it holds information and data about your collection. Every record in the database will have a unique number used as an identifier, and naming image files with this provides a connection between the images and the collection item.
It is the ability to associate the images with the relevant collection items that makes digitisation meaningful. A low-quality cell phone snapshot named with an accession number is more valuable than an amazing high-quality image that isn’t. In 50 years, people will be able to tell what the cell phone image is by checking in the CMS, the unnamed image will just be of an unknown thing. This works the other way too; if someone is looking for an image of a collection item, they need only search for its unique number to find any images of it quickly and easily.
There are a lot of options for a CMS, from very expensive self-hosted applications to free online solutions, but having one is the first step in doing digitisation. Recommending one is beyond the scope of this document, but asking other organisations of similar size in your area what they are using is a great place to start.
2. Storage Solution
For the images to be available for as long as possible, they need to be stored in a suitable file storage system. This is the physical device, or devices, that hold the files. It will need to be upgraded and changed over time as technology changes (migration). It should have some level of redundancy, and it needs to have some kind of backup. It can be a cloud-based solution, although one you have onsite is cheaper, simpler and ensures you have control over it and your data.
They can be extremely complex, especially for large organizations, but they can also be very simple, and generally, the simpler, the better. Many off-the-shelf solutions exist, and those with the appropriate knowledge can even build their own.
The file storage is often referred to as a Digital Archive, the idea being that the digital files are cared for in the same way the collection is. But consideration also needs to be given to the storage of access files.
Digital Storage Basic Options:
NAS Device (Network Attached Storage)
Synology and QNAP both make a good range of NAS devices suitable for GLAM organizations. They come in various sizes, with a processor running their own operating system, network connection and bays for installing hard drives that are used for storage. The most basic ones have 2 drive bays, and the most sophisticated can have 16 or more.
The more drive bays, the more drives can be added for increased capacity and redundancy in case of drive failure.
Some can do automatic file integrity checks and self-repairs, which is good for digital preservation
Access to a NAS is over your local network, usually over an LAN cable through a router. They allow multiple users with multiple devices to access the same files.
Some can even manage your local network (a DOMAIN) and can run other applications, working as a file server, media server, photo browser etc.
They do require some set up and configuration, which requires someone with a high level of computer literacy.
We have used Synology NAS devices successfully at several organisations. They are the only system currently with built-in data integrity checks using checksum.
I know of several organizations that have successfully used QNAP devices.
Both brands offer a wide range of devices suitable for small consumer use to full enterprise needs.
DAS Device (Direct Attached Storage)
Like a NAS, they have a processor that manages access to multiple hard drives, but they are much simpler, as they only connect to a single computer, usually via USB. So only a single device/user can access them. They are cheaper and much easier to set up and can still have redundancy in case of drive failure.
Access is limited to the computer they are plugged into, and they don’t have extra features or functionality beyond file storage.
The simpler the DAS device, the better. Some solutions can use proprietary hardware, making recovery difficult if something goes wrong or making it harder to upgrade.
Orico is a well-known brand, they make simple devices that just need to have hard drives fitted.
SAN (Storage Area Network)
This is an enterprise-level solution and requires professional setup and management. If you’re part of a larger organisation that provides IT support, they may provide you with some storage on a SAN.
Back up
This is important. It does add a layer of complexity, but you can never rely on having only 1 copy of your images. Ideally the 2nd copy is stored off-site and the backup process occurs automatically.
Cloud solutions are fine, or you have a second device in a different location, or a combination of both.
NAS devices are easier to back up, often to a second device in a different location.
3. Camera
Ultimately, the camera is the least important part of all the equipment needed to do digitisation, but it is the first device that comes to mind.
Many organizations have focused on getting a camera, not thought about the rest of the process and now have thousands of nice photos that are not linked to records, cannot be associated with collection objects and are unlikely to survive into the future.
Any modern camera can be suitable for digitisation, but look for the following things:
- 40-50 mega pixels is ideal
- 20 megapixels minimum
- Interchangeable lens system is ideal
- A fixed-lens camera can work
- Look for a brand with good local support and availability. In NZ, Canon, Nikon and Sony are good.
- A camera that can be operated via a computer or other device over USB is useful
- A camera that is compatible with a program for naming files and managing the image capture is useful
- Lighting is important; LED lights are the simplest to use.
Canon has been our preferred brand as they are a well-known and established brand, have local support at an office in Auckland, and their cameras are compatible with a wide range of lenses, accessories and software.
Phase One makes a range of cameras and lenses dedicated to digitisation, but they are expensive, can be complex to operate and are designed to work in large institutions as part of a dedicated workflow/process with specialist staff.
Nikon and Sony are other well-known camera brands that make cameras with similar features to those from Canon, but there are fewer options for capturing files directly to a computer with tethering, and support sometimes requires sending the cameras overseas.
Lens choice is just as important. They are brand and sometimes camera-specific, and you may need a specialist macro lens for small things or a wide angle for larger things.
We have been using the Canon 24-70mm as a good general-use lens and the Canon 100mm Macro for very small things.
It's important to consider the whole workflow when choosing a camera, as it is just one part of a larger process. Think about:
- How will you get the images from the camera to your storage?
- What software will you use to process images?
- Will the camera be on a tripod or a copystand?
- Will the operator use the viewfinder, the LCD or a separate monitor?
- What lenses do you need?
4. File Naming
File naming is best done at the point of capture using tethering software. This reduces the possibility that it won’t get done later and helps ensure the file names are correct. We use DSLR Remote Pro by Breeze Systems as it works with Canon cameras, it is affordable and simple to use. The other popular option is Capture One, but it is more expensive and complicated to set up and use.
We have written a simple guide for using DSLR remote Pro in a Museum/Archive.
Files can also be renamed manually, or using the renaming module in Lightroom, or a batch, or bulk renaming program like “Bulk Rename Utility”.
Correctly naming your files with the unique identifier from your collection management system is how you know what the photos are of. It links them to the object/archive, and it makes them findable and accessible.
5. Supporting Equipment
As well as a Camera and Lens, you will also need support for the camera, support for the lights, and possibly a computer to capture images to and process them on. There is a huge range of options, generally, the price relates to quality, so cheap equipment can be functional but will not last as long. Light stands, clamps and mounting arms are often referred to as “grip”.
For digitising archives:
- A copy Stand (Kaiser is a well-known brand)
- 2 Lights and stands
- Photographic monitor (BenQ is a well-known brand)
- A workstation or powerful laptop for image capture and processing
- Power adaptor for the camera or extra batteries
- Background paper in black and white
- Black material behind and above the copy stand to control reflections
For digitising Objects
- Table or work surface (ping pong tables and hight adjustable sit stand desks work well)
- Background support (usually 2 C-Stands)
- Background paper in Black, White and Grey
- 3 Strobe or LED lights
- Modifiers for the Lights, softboxes and reflectors
- 3 Light stands
- Tripod and 3-way head
- Suitable room with colour-neutral walls and ceiling
- Black material for covering windows to control light
- Laptop and monitor stand
Photographic Lights
You will need some kind of light source; the best quality lights are the most expensive and can cost more than the rest of your equipment combined.
Flash is the easiest to live with, but cheap units can be unreliable and have inconsistent light output, and even the colour can vary between photos. Elinchrom, BronColor and ProPhoto are the 3 brands to consider. Flash ensures consistently sharp images with little worry about blur from movement. Broncolor is the standard at Auckland Museum, Te Papa, NZ Maritime Museum and Motat.
LED Lights are simpler and much cheaper than flash but are on constantly, which can be hard on operators.
The technology has made some big leaps recently, and a number of Chinese brands make some very usable LED lights with consistent colour. Aputure and GODOX are known good brands, but it is good to test other brands as new ones enter the market all the time.
LED is a form of constant light, which requires slow shutter speeds which can lead to blur in the images from camera movement. A securely mounted camera in a stable environment is important.
We avoid using constant light at the Maritime Museum as the wharf we are on moves.
Examples:
New Zealand Maritime Museum
Medium-sized national museum with approx. 40 staff
- Canon 5DS cameras.
- These are 50mp DSLRs used with various Canon lenses.
- They are controlled over USB by a program called DSLR Remote Pro
- Images are saved directly to a laptop, copied to a workstation and processed into various versions for linking to our CMS and saving in our Archive, which is hosted on a SAN.
- Broncolor Siros lights with various modifiers used for Objects and with a Kaiser Copystand
Warkworth Museum
Regional museum with 1 paid staff member
- Use Canon R5 and R7 cameras with the RF24-70L F2.8 and 18-150 kit lens.
- They are controlled over USB by a program called DSLR Remote Pro
- Images are saved directly to a laptop and processed into various versions using Lightroom for linking to the CMS and saving in the Archive.
- A Synology NAS is used to house the Archive; a second NAS in a different location is used as a backup.
- Godox LED panel lights are used on a Kaiser copystand with Canon R5
- Godox LED Studio lights are used with the R7 on a separate setup for objects
Howick Historical Village
Small community museum with less than 10 staff
- Canon R5 camera with the RF 24-70L F2.8 and RF 100 macro lenses.
- Controlled over USB by a program called DSLR Remote Pro
- Images are saved directly to a laptop, and processed into various versions using Lightroom for linking to the CMS and saving in the Archive.
- A Synology NAS is used for the Archive, a second NAS in a different location is used as a backup
- Godox LED panel lights are used on a Kaiser copystand
- Broncolor Siros lights are used for objects on a separate set up