very tight bookfolds

[DDavid]

I'm new here and one of my biggest problems is trying to copy
old fragile bound newspapers with very tight bookfolds. I think I'm going
to have to do them one page at a time and that it may be better to do them
all the odd pages and then the even pages. It may not be possible to do them
with a 90 degree bookcradle. I have written a simple BAT file to rename them
that assumes that there are no bad pages so renumbering is no problem if all pages are good.
I can just do all the odd numered pages to one directory then the even one's to another.
Has anyone encountereed this and has anyone sucessfully copied anything that
cannot be opened to 90 degress? I'm looking for a hardware solution here? It would be easier
to do them all at once.
Most of the significant info is in the boobfold area.
Does this even make any sense?

[StevePoling]

If not 90 degrees, what theta do you have in mind?

[Antoha-spb]

You may take pictures of the pages manually opening the book at a sharp angle. Two separate platens or just one platen and anything that will keep upper part of the pages from falling will ensure maximum possible view, i guess.



But one must note that picture will be sharp if only the camera is located and the F-number is selected correctly, because of the depth-of-field issue. I do first provide maximum light and mount a camera on a stand. This allows to choose minimum diafragm width (i.e. not F/2.8 but F/6.3 and greater). Trying different distances between book and camera I find the smallest one ensuring sharpness of the whole page.

[GoDigital]

Perhaps you could try this:
BookThink's Scanning Jig
http://www.bookthink.com/0023/23jig.htm
"As a rule, I like to keep things simple, and this jig, which I designed for scanning text and illustrations in books that otherwise might be damaged by flattening on a scanner bed, is alarmingly simple, even by my standards. Still, I've used it for most of this year, and it works great with almost all softcover books and many hardcovers that otherwise would be difficult to get good interior scans of."

Here's another article, but on a different topic:
How To Photograph Thick Books - Alternate Uses for Bookends
http://www.bookthink.com/0052/52pho1.htm

[Snapabook]

The drawing posted by Antoha-spb may not work because the image will be skewed and it'll be darker near the bind, although it will work if Antoha uses a deskewing software with proper lighting. But the processing could add more time, become a little blurry and needs an expensive software.

Here's a solution invented in 1970 that uses mirrors. The image is modified from an archive of the UPTO.

PHOTOGRAPHICALLY-COPYING-BOOK.gif (15.16 KiB) Viewed 11331 times

Reference:
Side = mirror
prism face = clear acrylic or glass

Since the patent (if I'm correct) had expired I came across one website a year ago that has one of these in use... I can't remember which website. The book is position in a "V" manner - which faces up like this modified image below. The mirror and glass (or camera and light as well) raises as the page is turn.

PHOTOGRAPHICALLY-COPYING-BOOK2.gif (19.98 KiB) Viewed 11331 times

This Brian Alderton design is cherished by archival librarians who wanted a book scanner which is capable of capturing a flat page opened at a 45-degrees angle. This makes it preferable for old and fragile books. The light source is evenly distributed throughout the page through its optical step wedge filter. This optical filter is something people in this forum will have a hard time finding. You could try hack it off from a Helix Magnifying sheet. But no guarantees if it'll work.

For those wanting to build one yourself, try this configuration:

PHOTOGRAPHICALLY-COPYING-BOOK3.gif (19.19 KiB) Viewed 11331 times

The light sensor, the smaller mirror is eliminated and the camera is raised. If you do decide to build it, make sure you call it the Brian Alderton design. If Mr. Alderton is still alive he would want many people to benefit from his work, but since rare books are rare, so was his invention in the marketplace.

2 Edits for spelling errors.

[daniel_reetz]

That's a super interesting design. Are you aware of any sample images from such a system? It seems to me that the prism would cause terrible chromatic aberration along the length of the page.

[Snapabook]

Since it's such a rare device, I couldn't find any sample scans. The photo of this contraption I saw on an archival library webpage didn't show any use of a prism. It's simple a design with glass and mirrors. Chromatic aberration could be a minor problem if they had been scanning in black in white in those days.

[Antoha-spb]

Brian Alderton's design is definitely interesting. However, there may be an issue about finding a prism. Also, if one uses a plexiglass prism box filled with water, it will make the lightness of the page even more different from edge to the bind of the book.

I take pictures like on my drawing and correct the distortions afterwards just as a better-than-nothing option.

[Snapabook]

Brian Alderton's design is definitely interesting. However, there may be an issue about finding a prism. Also, if one uses a plexiglass prism box filled with water, it will make the lightness of the page even more different from edge to the bind of the book.

I take pictures like on my drawing and correct the distortions afterward just as a better-than-nothing option.

I want to thank you personally for your drawing because I believe it will work and definitely better-than-nothing option. It will inspire people to experiment. And they have had experimented. I've seen two proprietary book scanners on the market that place their camera(s) in a way, almost just like your idea, to be able to capture two pages at once at a 45-degree angle. Also, remember that you don't need a prism for any of the 45-degree designs to work.

Since I was curios as well about the image quality I have set up a quick test jig to test the image quality that anyone can try at home. The camera is facing a mirror. I notice that it's brighter near the bind than I had expected.

45degreemirrorbookcapture0.png (15.56 KiB) Viewed 11284 times

45degreemirrorbookcapture.jpg (112.42 KiB) Viewed 11292 times

Below: Click here to view this image in full size (shot by 8MP Casio.)

45degreemirrorbookcapture4..jpg (23.75 KiB) Viewed 11292 times

Below: 8MP. The top is image is processed and the bottom is original. There is a little ghost effect on the original text but it's not very noticeable.

45degreemirrorbookcapture3.jpg (17.26 KiB) Viewed 11292 times

Below: is a square tape to a mirror and glass. The brown thingy is a piece of mirror. You slip the left part of this jig into the book. I don't have a full sized mirror to work with.

45degreemirrorbookcapture2.jpg (124.39 KiB) Viewed 11292 times

I have more images and descriptions at my image gallery if you want to see more that I can't fit in here.
:~)

[Kirtai]

The top is image is processed and the bottom is original. There is a little ghost effect on the original text but it's not very noticeable.

Could this be eliminated by using a first surface mirror? (That's one with the reflective coating on the front of the glass instead of the back)