This post focuses on our mobile digitization kits and what they comprise of.
Below, we have compiled a comprehensive list of all items that form the kits for Culture in Transit. Not all equipment features in each kit due to the different needs of scanning at community events and at institutions.
We see this list almost as a first draft of equipment for the project – it is everything we thought important when embarking on a digitization initiative. As the project progresses and we use the kit more, we will talk more about what we use most, what we maybe don’t use at all and additional purchases we’ve made to enable us to create the best solution for our digitization needs.
The costs listed for these items represent the cost of each individual item. In our case we have purchased three of most items (one for each, METRO, BPL and QL). Prices may have fluctuated since the time of our purchases – our buying period was late May through to the end of June 2015.
Scanning Kit
** Please note that we are including pricing information and links for two different scanners, the Epson V600 and the Epson V800. These scanners have slightly different specifications, and are most appropriate for different institutions or projects. Future documentation will discuss the differences between these scanners in more depth.
| Item | Cost per Item | Place of purchase |
| Scanner: Epson Perfection V600 Photo Scanner | $209 | B&H |
| Scanner: Epson Perfection V800 Photo Scanner (comes with Silverfast software) | $666.99 | Amazon |
| Adobe license (Photoshop, Lightroom, Bridge and Acrobat) | $409.23 | Adobe |
| Silverfast license (scanner software for V600) | $49 | Epson |
| Protection plan for V800 scanner | $39.85 (2 year plan) | SquareTrade |
| Case for V600 scanner: Pelican iM2720 Storm Trak Case with Foam (Black) | $193.95 | B&H |
| Case for V800 scanner: Pelican iM2975 Storm Trak Case with Foam (Black) | $236.95 | B&H |
| Total Cost for V600 Kit | $860.23 | |
| Total Cost for V800 Kit | $1,402.02 |
Copy Stand Kit
| Item | Cost per Item | Place of purchase |
| Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T5 DSLR Camera with 18-55 mm Lens | $399 | B&H |
| Spare battery: Watson – LP-E10 Lithium-Ion Battery Pack | $24.95 | B&H |
| Case: Pelican iM2620 Storm Trak Case with Foam (Black) | $171.83 | B&H |
| Lighting kit: CowboyStudio Photography Table Top Photo Studio Lighting Kit – 2 Light Kit | $41.42 | Amazon |
| Tripod that inverts: Beike BK-555 Foldable Tripod Monopod with Ball Head for DSLR Camera | $68.96 | Amazon |
| Backdrop: ePhotoInc 10 x 10 ft Solid Grey Muslin Backdrop Studio Background 1010GREY | $27.99 | Amazon |
| Clamps for backdrop: Heavy Duty Muslin Clamps 4 1/2 inch 6 Pack | $8.49 | Amazon |
| Lens filter kit: 58MM Professional Lens Filter Accessory Kit for CANON EOS Rebel | $14.99 | Amazon |
| Color balance cards: DGK Color Tools Optek Premium Reference White Balance Card Set- 3 Card Set- 3 Card Digital Color Correction Tool | $8.99 | Amazon |
| Remote switch for camera: Vello RS-C1II Wired Remote Switch for Camera | $7.50 | B&H |
| Extension cable for plugging camera into laptop for remote shooting: AmazonBasics USB 2.0 Extension Cable | $5.49 | Amazon |
| Small spirit level | $5.35 | Amazon |
| Color and grey scales: Kodak Color Separation Guide and Gray Scale (Q-13, 8″ Long) | $44.95 | B&H |
| Protection plan for Canon camera | $73.99 (3 year plan) | SquareTrade |
| Total Cost | $903.90 |
Miscellaneous items
| Item | Cost per Item | Place of purchase |
| Laptop: Dell Precision Mobile Workstation M2800 | $1951 (price includes support service/protection plan) | Dell |
| External hard drive: Western Digital My Passport Ultra 2 TB Portable Hard Drive | $84.46 | Amazon |
| Hard drive case: WD Nomad Rugged Case | $38.99 | Amazon |
| Multi outlet power cord: Belkin 6-Outlet Home/Office Surge Protector with 2.5 feet Cord & Straight Plug | $6.51 | Amazon |
| Ruler | $5.64 | Amazon |
| Lock for case: Ruggard 3-Dial TSA Combination Lock | $12.95 | B&H |
| Flash drives (pack of 3 16GB drives) | $15.95 | B&H |
| Archival gloves: Archival Methods White Nylon Gloves Small, Package of 12 | $14.36 | Amazon |
| Air blaster | $9.75 | Amazon |
| Microfiber cloth | $9.44 | Amazon |
| Book cradle: Gaylord® Acrylic Book Cradle 8 1/4 x 5 1/4 | $37.29 | Gaylord |
| Book straps (mylar): Benchmark Polyethylene Book Straps 3/16″ X 100 ft | $29.05 | Gaylord |
| Glass cleaning kit: Kinetronics Digital Scanner Glass Cleaning Kit | $9.95 | B&H |
| Spray adhesive for gluing foam layers in transportation cases | $10.99 | Local NYC art supply shop |
| Backpack: Case Logic Berkeley Deluxe 15.6″ Laptop & Tablet Backpack | $35.50 | B&H |
| Dropbox business account (cloud based storage solution) | $525 (one year subscription) | Dropbox |
| Total Cost | $2,796.83 |
A complete mobile digitization kit. The backpack includes all the miscellaneous items and the laptop and tripod so the whole kit can be taken out at once.