Direct Digitizing

[Douglas A. Wassmer]

Pierre Zagatti wrote:
>
> Bart Hacobian wrote:
> >
> > There are a number of means available now to readily record and store
> > images of leps for id purposes using digital media. They certainly make
> > life easier in the short term. What concerns me, however, is that all forms
> > of digital technology are changing so rapidly that images so obtained today
> > will almost certainly be unreadable in 5-10 years time, both from a
> > software and hardware viewpoint.
>
> No, the digitized images i took 10 years ago are still readable, by old
> and recent software. Normally all decent software include conversion filters
> for images in most standard format.
>
> > So, unless the recipient is prepared to
> > make an ongoing commitment to regularly upgrade the software form of every
> > image, as well as the digital storage medium, such images are likely to
> > have fairly short useful lives. For an amateur collector, it may not be
> > such a great idea to entrust those paratype images from a
> > once-in-a-lifetime visit to some remote museum to such a form of record. At
> > least humans come with eyes and the software to use them...I suspect there
> > is still a place for photgraphs.
> >
> > Bart Hacobian
> > --
> > bhac at bigpond.com.au
>
> Sure there is still a place, I've been a photographer for years ans I love
it,
> but I noticed recently that most of my slides from the early 70's (Kodak PCF
8 ASA
> and, it a lesser extent, Kodachrome 50 ASA) showed a color shift toward
magenta.
> The worst happened for my slide collection of orchids, the slide binder
rested
> during one year against a humid wall, and moisture and mold totally
> destroyed the slides.
> The digitized images behave differently. If you manage good (and long term)
savings
> of your files, the shapes and colors will be the same 30 years after. At this
> time we don't know really if our magnetic and optical media will survive for
tens of
> years, but it seems that it will be more easy to manage savings of our
pictures
> every _5 years_ for example, than to keep unchanged an analogic argentic
surface.
> Look at the old movies of the 40's to have an idea.
>
> Cheers,
>
> --
> Pierre ZAGATTI
> INRA Unite de Phytopharmacie et Mediateurs Chimiques
> 78026 Versailles Cedex
> FRANCE
> Tel: (33) 1 30 83 31 18
> e-mail zagatti at versailles.inra.fr
> http://www.jouy.inra.fr/papillon/
I have been direct-digitizing mosquito specimens for a while on my HP
scanjet 3C.  It is very easy to take a photo of your scans directly from
your computer monitor screen.  Make sure you set the camera spped to
about 1/4 second so that the screen re-draws are not apparent.  Then
"bracket" the photo on either side of optimal by changing f-stop.
Best regards,

Doug Wassmer
Pasco County Mosquito Control
2308 Marathon Road
Odessa, FL 33556
Tel 813-376-4568
Fax 813-376-4704
Email pcmcd at gte.net