hey... i need to find some way of mounting a digital camera to digitize my paper frames... so, i'm looking for rostrum stands and i'm not really sure what to buy... or if there is an affordable substitute that will be maybe not as good but still have the ability to digitize 'em... anyway i'm basically just a guy working a part-time job trying to get his film made... so that's the kinda budget we're talkin here.
Not sure what you consider inexpensive, but I have the best tripod ever - . 3001PRO Black Tripod by Manfrotto. I believe it also goes by the name Bogen.
"The 3001PRO has an easily removeable center column that doubles as a horizontal arm. Not only does this allow the camera to be offset from leg position, but it provides the simplest way possible to shoot from directly overhead."
I used this for stop motion work. If your camera has a remote control you can work quite quickly and accurately. I'd imagine it would suit your needs, plus any other photo needs you might have. For a tri-pod it's pricey $190 (this was my first high end tripod so I had serious sticker shock). You'll also need to buy a head which has a wide price range. I like quality equipment that I can use for mulitple tasks and this certainly does that.
>> Is the center bar attached so that it sticks out horizontally?
Yes, that's exactly it. The picture is a little confusing - it shows both the vertical and horizontal positions, but one is greyed out.
>> Aren't the legs within the field of view?
No, they weren't an issue at all. I was working on a table top and they didn't get in the way.
>> What's the largest drawing you can photograph this way?
I'll do some tests. I was working in about a 12"x18" area so didn't need to go very big. A lot will depend on your lense. I also did a lot of Macro work, photographing toys and small trucks and getting in close was no problem either.
I set up my tripod next to my dining room table with with an 18mm lense (standard 18mm-55mm Nikon lense) and I can shoot 8.5" x 11".
Using my coffee table, I can shoot about 24" x 36".
Not very scientific, but it'll give you an idea what you can do right out of the box. You can play around with lenses and distances to get what you need.
If you really want to build something, perhaps buy a tripod head and simply mount it over head.
Personally, I'd explore scanners first.
Hope that helps.
There are good deals to be had on eBay. I recently purchased a really
fine Kaiser copy stand for $80.00 . An exceptional deal, but I would have been happy if I had paid twice as much. (this was a $400.00 stand when it was new , I checked.) The simpler copy stands such as the ones made by Testrite (models CS-1, CS-2, and CS-3) are not usually very expensive on eBay .
For new copy stands that would work fine for pencil testing your work take a look here:
http://www.photocopystand.com/
well i have managed to save close to $1000 to spend on it... the more i can save out of that, the better. i don't care so much about some loss of quality... but i want to be able to make good takes for use in the final product (after photoshopping and what-not). It's going to look low-budget anyway so blowing all my money on something super fancy right now isn't necessary... so i guess whatever will work... the problem with the cheaper stuff though is that i might end up spending too much on stuff that will give me less than satisfactory results in which case it would've been better to get something more expensive... so there-in lies the conundrum... do i blow all my money on one of the rostrum stands? or get a cheaper tripod type thing-- and use the rest of the money for paper or cels or food or something?
You don't need to use cels or shoot your camera moves manually on a camera stand , so all you really need is a sturdy , simple camera stand to hold your video camera steady for your pencil tests. Camera moves are done in the software program after capturing your images with video or scanner . You can shoot your pencil tests on video using something like Digicel or Toki Line Test , then after you are happy with the results of the animation you will scan your final clean-up drawings to color them in Digicel or ToonBoom or whatever . The scanner is what you want to use for your final art , so it will be high-resolution and very high line quality . The point is , the old rostrum camera with elaborate gears and compound table for N/S, E/W moves and panning peg bars is not necessary. For testing your animation drawing you only need something that will allow you to hold the video camera steady and shoot nice clear pencil tests. The final art will be scanned. Camera moves and coloring are done in the software (Digicel or whatever) . Don't worry too much about the camera stand. It doesn't need to be elaborate or expensive.
If you were going to blow a big wad of money you'd be better off spending it on a high-end scanner rather than a camera stand.
Attached are a couple of examples of typical pencil test set ups .
I'd say David pretty much nailed it.
I'm using a set up that looks like what he has in the photos(it's pretty much what you'll find in studios for line testing)
At the moment I'm using a 15 dollar web cam 640x480. a digital camera or video camera with web cam option will work even better though(more stable to mount)
One thing you should do is bring a field guide with you and make sure the stand is big enough. You should be able to find one in a photo shop(Just ask for a camera stand, and keep describing it until he realizes you don't want a tripod.Bringing a picture might make it easier)
You may need to have a larger base mounted than the one that it comes with. I think I found mine for about 300 dollars from a photo shop. This link will give you another look at what you want: http://www.chromacolour.com/store/digital_animation_ca.htm
It's expensive though.
Another thing you'll need is a flat bottomed peg bar which you can attach to the base, I would suggest doing this with tape as you may need to adjust it some day. The flat flourescent lights are better but not 100% neccesary. That can make a big difference in the price. Good luck!!