Do you have a digital camera? Do you need high-quality copies of microfilm? Do you want to avoid paying a lot for copies of microfilm? Do you have $30.95 (plus shipping) burning a hole in your wallet? GSC Associates Microfilm Camera Mount might just be the thing you need.
The biggest problem using a digital camera to photograph images from microfilm is holding the camera steady enough to take repeatable, high-quality images. Because you cannot use the camera’s flash in these situations, long exposure times are required. Holding the camera steady enough by hand is impossible and tripods are not easily used. The GSC Associates Microfilm Camera Mount (DCM-1) is the solution to this problem.
In most cases, images taken with your digital camera and the GSC Associates DCM-1 are higher quality than prints that can be produced on a microfilm printers. In addition, there is no cost to take photographs of microfilm images using your own digital camera. Most libraries and archives charge from $.25 to $.50 per page to print a page from microfilm on the their microfilm printers. This is in addition to the inconvenience of having to locate the image you wish to print on the microfilm on a microfilm reader and then, in most cases, dismount the film, take it to a microfilm printer remount the film, and then find the image again.
The GSC Associates DCM-1 works with the most microfilm readers found in libraries, archives, and Family History Centers that have a 3/4″ high top shelf where the microfilm mounts. This includes the Dukane MDP and the Northwest NMI 2020. The mount will not work without modification on those few readers without a horizontal shelf to which the mount can be attached. These include readers with front projection screens, such as the Dukane 2727, and readers where the film mounts below the viewing surface, such as the Indus Super Carrel. Photos of various types of microfilm readers are available here.