Cameras are available for use by students or instructors on short term loans. Cameras can be used for on-campus projects or for traveling research. Email visualresources@uchicago.edu to reserve a camera and schedule a brief orientation. Priority will be given to departmental traveling seminars, including Gold Gorvy Traveling Seminars, and graduate students collaborating with the VRC. If you are interested in adding your research photographs to LUNA, review the PhD Student Research Photo Collaboration program for more information.
Available Cameras
Each camera comes with: hot shoe level, camera bag, color checker, SD card, two camera batteries and a charger. A Magnus TR-13 Travel Tripod with Dual-Action Ball Head is also available to loan.
Consider what type of camera will best suit your project. Recent iPhone cameras can take comparable photos to DSLRs, and in some cases it might be preferable to carrying a larger camera (more portable, user-friendly, etc.). Consider borrowing a VRC camera if you will be photographing in the following conditions:
- Zooming in on faraway objects. The mechanical zoom of a DSLR lens can take higher-quality photos when photographing farther away. The digital zoom of an iPhone loses some of the quality.
- Low light or night photography. iPhones can take decent quality images in low light, and editing can fix some quality, though DSLRs can minimize post-processing time and have better color fidelity.
- Though images taken with iPhones and with DSLRs appear quite similar, DSLR cameras can take images at higher quality. If your project requires high-quality images, or photos might need to be cropped to create details, consider borrowing a camera.
- Color fidelity without using a color checker. The color in iPhones can often shift towards yellows and greens, if you need to photograph accurate colors and are unable to include a color checker for editing afterwards, a DSLR may photograph colors more accurately.
Entry-Level Cameras
The VRC has a fleet of two Canon Rebel cameras with basic zoom lenses that are suitable for general reference photography. These cameras are perfect for beginners or those who have easy research environments. They can be treated like an automatic point-and-shoot camera, although you may also use it in manual mode.
Pro Cameras
The VRC has a fleet of two Sony Alpha a7s with a suite of lenses for professional art and architecture photography. For these cameras, you must select at least one lens and one body, but the VRC can lend up to 2 lenses for each reservation.
Bodies
- Sony Alpha a7S III Mirrorless Digital Camera (better light sensitivity, lower resolution)
- Sony Alpha a7 III Mirrorless Digital Camera (higher resolution)
Lenses
- Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM Lens with UV Filter Kit (Wide angle lens, good for architecture, site, and public art photography)
- Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA Lens (Great autofocus lens for museum photography)
- 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens (All around lens, can handle dim museum galleries)
- 24-105mm Lens (All around lens)
Document Camera
The VRC has a CZUR Aura X Pro document camera with battery pack that can be used for quickly creating high-res photos or PDFs of documents, books, and more. To use this scanner in CWAC 257B, make a reservation via our Appointments booking widget. To borrow this foldable, portable scanner for your research travel to archives or libraries, write to visualresources@uchicago.edu to reserve.
Note: Some archives and libraries do not allow personal document camera equipment to be used in their reading rooms. We encourage you to check the policies and procedures before leaving on your trip.