Hi Henrik
I shoot more in studio these days but for years shot for a home wares company (think Pottery Barn type sets). Lots of the shots were of made beds in locations typically looking like they were daylight with some fuzzy views out the window. I started with an Imacon 6MP back (3020) and then went to a 16MP (384) which I still use all the time. I've attached an example. IMO the multi-shot is un-beatable for capturing accurate colours and detail. (And before Yair pipes up this is not intended as a dig at Leaf's latest). Stability is relatively important but not that hard to achieve even on wooden floors and with old flash units, just make sure no one walks near the tripod during the shot. I would always shoot a single shot as well as a safety net to be masked in over any movement (trees blowing in the wind). It is a nice co-incidence that things that move (plants/people/sauces) are also the things that don't generally benefit from multi-shot (if that makes sense). Here's a 4-shot by way of an example:
Nick please tell us that this is not the view from your bedroom or I'll be hating you forever:-)
3ºc here and the boiler's gone...no heating, no hot water...
Back to the topic, there are some good points raised here and I think that art reproduction has many aspects that need to be considered when buying a camera:
1. What is the required typical output size and quality? If it's A4 press or 800p web view then the camera can be different than if it was A1+ or full size web jpegs (the latter is very common in research and calls for a high res camera)
2. What is the required/ expected throughput? Some reproduction companies work in 18 hrs shifts and record >3,000 documents/ manuscripts/ drawings in high-resolution every day per camera and some will only shoot 1-2 paintings a day. For this environment the reliability and longevity of the system (shutters, light bulbs) is one of the most important aspects.
For example, Schneider e-shutters come with a 1,000,000 actuation guarantee. It takes less than a year to destroy a shutter if you shoot 3,000 frames/ day especially on a copy stand since the wear is greater that way.
3. If the project is colour-critical, how easy is it to get the correct colours in-camera or by using the camera's software? Does it offer or can it handle custom profiling?
4. How does the camera/ software handle artefacts such as moire (colour AND pattern)?
5. How easy and accurate is the focusing? Through a viewfinder? Ground-glass? Live View?
6. What does the camera require on the workflow side? Lighting? Camera support (tripod/ stand)? computer horsepower? Storage for archiving and backup?
In my (educated) opinion, if a single-shot system can equal or supersede a multi-shot system in terms of image quality (resolution, colour, detail and artefacts) then it makes a better choice since it will most likely give a better overall solution on the workflow side from capture-to-output and can save time and money on storage, processing and wear
Yair
