Transparent materials
Glass plate negatives · film negatives · slides · microfilm
We digitise any kind of transparent material, whatever its size: positives, negatives, glass plate negatives. With photo archives, we keep preservation requirements in mind.
Negatives are captured with a Phase One camera and Capture One CH software; microfilm and microfiche are scanned with a microfilm scanner.
What we digitise
Glass plate negatives
From small formats to large plates.
Cellulose nitrate and other film negatives
Including the rescue of flammable nitrate negatives.
Slides, roll films
Personal estates and institutional photo archives.
Microfilm, microfiche
With a microfilm scanner.
References
What we have already done
Kiscell Museum (Budapest History Museum) · from 2022 · approx. 2,000 glass plate negatives
The glass plate negatives of the Kiscell Museum
Starting with the largest plates, with a Phase One iXH 150 camera and Capture One CH.
Full article →
National Photo Archive (Nemzeti Fotótár) of the MTVA Archive · 2021 · 1,550 negatives
Nitrate negatives at the National Photo Archive
Digitisation of cellulose nitrate negatives, then of other carriers, in a joint pilot project; we also helped the Photo Archive’s staff to use the camera system.
Full article →
Otto von Habsburg Foundation
The estate of the last Hungarian crown prince
Digitisation of glass plate negatives, roll films, slides and albums, mostly on location at the foundation.
Full article →
Hungarian National Museum · 2017–2018
The glass plate negatives of the Hungarian National Museum
The glass plates of the museum’s object photographs, captured with a Phase One XF camera and the Film Capture Stage accessory as a pilot project. The image shows a plate digitised this way.
Full article →
How we work
From test capture to archive
- 01
Test capture
“A test capture is worth more than the most eloquent specification.” The work starts with a sample capture of your own material, which shows what equipment and settings are needed.
- 02
In the studio or on site
We work in our studio on Reitter Ferenc utca, and we set up wherever the collection is: in the off-site store of the Ráday Collection, at the Otto von Habsburg Foundation or at the Batthyaneum Library (a branch of the National Library of Romania) in Alba Iulia.
- 03
Capture under conservation rules
We adapt the conditions to the object: we digitised the Otto von Habsburg Foundation’s glass plate negatives, roll films and slides with gentle, damage-free handling, mostly on site.
- 04
Delivery and publication
We deliver the images in the format the client requires. On request, we also publish them in searchable form in our own archive system, the Heritage digital archive.
Request a quote
Tell us what kind of material it is and how much of it there is. We start with a test capture.