Found another good use for the Q

GibbyTheMole · 12-26-2013, 06:02 AM

With the 02 lens, it's great for sticking on a copy stand to make copies. The built-in distortion correction makes it ideal for this purpose. I've been working on recording a bunch of my LPs to the computer, and am photographing the covers & labels. The Q is awesome for this, and at f4.5, the 02 is plenty sharp.

Cheers,
Bob :-)

Na Horuk · 12-26-2013, 06:19 AM

Well now you will have to post a sample! Something thats not protected by copyright anymore, of course

GibbyTheMole · 12-26-2013, 06:28 AM

Originally posted by Na Horuk

Well now you will have to post a sample! Something thats not protected by copyright anymore, of course

Well, you can find album covers everywhere on the web, so I don't think it would be a big deal from a legal standpoint. I'll post one later when I get home. - Bobbo

TaoMaas · 12-26-2013, 07:09 AM

Originally posted by GibbyTheMole

Well, you can find album covers everywhere on the web, so I don't think it would be a big deal from a legal standpoint. I'll post one later when I get home. - Bobbo

Yeah, this sort of thing is not going to get you sued. Now, if you were using that same image from the internet to make covers for your bootleg copies of CDs and were selling them...you'd have a big problem!

GibbyTheMole · 12-26-2013, 10:38 AM - **1 Like**

Here are three examples, full size:

Larry Coryell - "Basics"

Dizzy Gillespie At Montreux

Anthony Braxton - "Seven Standards, Vol. 1"

All shot jpg to keep it simple.

Cheers,
Bobbo :-)

Steve.Ledger · 12-26-2013, 02:59 PM

That is good!
Can you show us your set up for this?

GibbyTheMole · 12-26-2013, 03:37 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Steve.Ledger

That is good!
Can you show us your set up for this?

It's this old Prinz copy stand bought from eBay: (photo from eBay auction, not my camera pictured.)

I made the following changes to the stand that you don't see in the photo:

1) The light arms were far too short to get the lights aimed correctly, so I bought a set of 2 12" threaded lamp nipples, nuts, and couplers, and extended them out another foot, which did the trick.

2) I'm using 5000k daylight CFL bulbs in the lights.

3) I measured and used small screws to mount a thin square dowel across the back of the stand near the post to use as a straight edge, so I don't have to take time centering the cover. (or any other document.) You just stick the cover on the stand butted up against the edge of the wood guide & take the pic.

I shoot manual and meter off the MDF base, which seems to work well. Camera's set to auto white balance, ISO125, f4.5 & 1/30 sec. I use the 2 sec self timer to prevent shake.

**barondla** · 12-26-2013, 07:03 PM

Neat use for the Q. Never thought of the distortion correction advantage. Super idea.

I need to do this with my LPs. Probably never get to it. Been ripping the cd collection for two years. LPs are much more labor intensive. Gibby, what program are you using to do this?
thanks
barondla

skyclad666 · 12-27-2013, 05:49 AM

Thanks for the idea of new applications.

The stand looks convenient. One big advantage of cameras over scanners is speed (less than a second) and capacity to adapt to any size of document (just put the camera at a longer distance for bigger objects). The difficulty is to achieve homogeneous lighting. Perhaps could it be useful to use a sheet of translucent tracing paper on your lamp-shades ?

Your idea makes me think that a pair of inexpensive Pentax Qs could be great candidates to build a do-it-yourself V-bed book scanner ! The ability to change lenses can be great, but a pair of macro lenses is the best for null distortion.

DIY Book Scanning

http://www.diybookscanner.org/BookScanner_2.jpg

GibbyTheMole · 12-27-2013, 06:11 AM

Originally posted by barondla

Gibby, what program are you using to do this?

I use Audacity. It's freeware, and you can download it here. It's simple to use and has a good built-in tick & pop eliminator. I prefer to zoom in on the pops and remove them individually rather than use the tick & pop eliminator on the entire file. Using it on the entire file degrades sound quality & leaves artifacting.

Another tip: Either use headphones or turn the bass on your amp completely down & listen at a low level while recording. This eliminates the possibility of picking up acoustic feedback from the speakers. Also, I'd save the files in either lossless FLAC or 320 MP3. You don't want to do 'em all and decide a few years down the road the sound quality's not up to par & have to start over.

It's time consuming, but once you get into the workflow, it's not too horrible on a per album basis. I have around 1200 LPs and two dressers literally full of cassettes to rip in, though. I'm pretty diligent about backups too. I've been working on this project for a few years now. I have about half of the LPs & a quarter of the cassettes done. Ugh.

Good luck & have fun,
Bobbo

GibbyTheMole · 12-27-2013, 06:16 AM

Originally posted by skyclad666

Why not a V-bed book-scanner ?

Interesting idea!

12-26-2013, 06:02 AM	#1
GibbyTheMole Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Iowa Photos: Albums Posts: 2,275	Found another good use for the Q With the 02 lens, it's great for sticking on a copy stand to make copies. The built-in distortion correction makes it ideal for this purpose. I've been working on recording a bunch of my LPs to the computer, and am photographing the covers & labels. The Q is awesome for this, and at f4.5, the 02 is plenty sharp. Cheers, Bob :-)

12-27-2013, 05:49 AM	#9
skyclad666 Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Auvergne Photos: Gallery Posts: 52	Why not a V-bed book-scanner ? Thanks for the idea of new applications. The stand looks convenient. One big advantage of cameras over scanners is speed (less than a second) and capacity to adapt to any size of document (just put the camera at a longer distance for bigger objects). The difficulty is to achieve homogeneous lighting. Perhaps could it be useful to use a sheet of translucent tracing paper on your lamp-shades ? Your idea makes me think that a pair of inexpensive Pentax Qs could be great candidates to build a do-it-yourself V-bed book scanner ! The ability to change lenses can be great, but a pair of macro lenses is the best for null distortion. DIY Book Scanning http://www.diybookscanner.org/BookScanner_2.jpg

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12-26-2013, 06:19 AM	#2
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	Well now you will have to post a sample! Something thats not protected by copyright anymore, of course

12-26-2013, 06:28 AM	#3
GibbyTheMole Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Iowa Photos: Albums Posts: 2,275 Original Poster	Originally posted by Na Horuk Well now you will have to post a sample! Something thats not protected by copyright anymore, of course Well, you can find album covers everywhere on the web, so I don't think it would be a big deal from a legal standpoint. I'll post one later when I get home. - Bobbo

12-26-2013, 07:09 AM	#4
TaoMaas Pentaxian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Oklahoma City Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,574	Originally posted by GibbyTheMole Well, you can find album covers everywhere on the web, so I don't think it would be a big deal from a legal standpoint. I'll post one later when I get home. - Bobbo Yeah, this sort of thing is not going to get you sued. Now, if you were using that same image from the internet to make covers for your bootleg copies of CDs and were selling them...you'd have a big problem!

12-26-2013, 10:38 AM - 1 Like	#5
GibbyTheMole Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Iowa Photos: Albums Posts: 2,275 Original Poster	Here are three examples, full size: Larry Coryell - "Basics" Dizzy Gillespie At Montreux Anthony Braxton - "Seven Standards, Vol. 1" All shot jpg to keep it simple. Cheers, Bobbo :-)

12-26-2013, 02:59 PM	#6
Steve.Ledger Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Far North Qld Posts: 3,301	That is good! Can you show us your set up for this?

12-26-2013, 03:37 PM - 1 Like	#7
GibbyTheMole Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Iowa Photos: Albums Posts: 2,275 Original Poster	Originally posted by Steve.Ledger That is good! Can you show us your set up for this? It's this old Prinz copy stand bought from eBay: (photo from eBay auction, not my camera pictured.) I made the following changes to the stand that you don't see in the photo: 1) The light arms were far too short to get the lights aimed correctly, so I bought a set of 2 12" threaded lamp nipples, nuts, and couplers, and extended them out another foot, which did the trick. 2) I'm using 5000k daylight CFL bulbs in the lights. 3) I measured and used small screws to mount a thin square dowel across the back of the stand near the post to use as a straight edge, so I don't have to take time centering the cover. (or any other document.) You just stick the cover on the stand butted up against the edge of the wood guide & take the pic. I shoot manual and meter off the MDF base, which seems to work well. Camera's set to auto white balance, ISO125, f4.5 & 1/30 sec. I use the 2 sec self timer to prevent shake.

12-26-2013, 07:03 PM	#8
barondla Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: midwest, United States Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,716	Neat use for the Q. Never thought of the distortion correction advantage. Super idea. I need to do this with my LPs. Probably never get to it. Been ripping the cd collection for two years. LPs are much more labor intensive. Gibby, what program are you using to do this? thanks barondla

12-27-2013, 06:11 AM	#10
GibbyTheMole Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Iowa Photos: Albums Posts: 2,275 Original Poster	Originally posted by barondla Gibby, what program are you using to do this? I use Audacity. It's freeware, and you can download it here. It's simple to use and has a good built-in tick & pop eliminator. I prefer to zoom in on the pops and remove them individually rather than use the tick & pop eliminator on the entire file. Using it on the entire file degrades sound quality & leaves artifacting. Another tip: Either use headphones or turn the bass on your amp completely down & listen at a low level while recording. This eliminates the possibility of picking up acoustic feedback from the speakers. Also, I'd save the files in either lossless FLAC or 320 MP3. You don't want to do 'em all and decide a few years down the road the sound quality's not up to par & have to start over. It's time consuming, but once you get into the workflow, it's not too horrible on a per album basis. I have around 1200 LPs and two dressers literally full of cassettes to rip in, though. I'm pretty diligent about backups too. I've been working on this project for a few years now. I have about half of the LPs & a quarter of the cassettes done. Ugh. Good luck & have fun, Bobbo

12-27-2013, 06:16 AM	#11
GibbyTheMole Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Iowa Photos: Albums Posts: 2,275 Original Poster	Originally posted by skyclad666 Why not a V-bed book-scanner ? Interesting idea!