I have just been given the daunting task of compiling a list of software, hardware etc. we would need to convert our Crime Lab to digital. I have a few disjunct pieces, and would like to make the most of what we already have. At this time, we are not able to purchase a "system", though it would make my life easier to do so. Has anyone successfully created a (preferably court-tested) SOP for photographing, enhancing, analyzing, presenting and storing digital latent evidence?
Here's what I have:
Canon EOS 20D camera (85mm lens)
Canon Pixma iP5000 inkjet printer
Photoshop 7
CD burner
Here's what I think I need:
60mm macro lens for 1:1 capture
Laserjet or Dye-sub printer
Photoshop CS2 w/More Hits
1 terabyte+ external hard drive
DVD burner for hard storage/backup
Memory card reader
Thank you for your help. I will spend the last two hours of work reading everything I can get my hands on... then I will try to drive home cross-eyed!
-Hillary
Digital Imaging for Small Departments
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Hillary Moses
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2005 11:46 am
- Location: Hayward Police Department
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George Reis
- Posts: 147
- Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 1:00 pm
- Location: Orange County, CA - USA
- Contact:
Hillary:
Don't feel like putting your own system together is worse that buying a turnkey system. The advantage of a turnkey system is that everything is shipped and installed together, and there is a lot of convenience. The disadvantages are that they cost substantially more than putting your own system together, and they are not necesarilly customized to fit your needs. They may include hardware and software you don't need, and they may not include hardware and software that you wish you had. Obviously, turnkey systems are right for some agencies and don't work for others.
From your equipment list, I'll make a few comments:
A good macro lens is always nice. Canon makes a nice 50mm f/2.5 that is around $250.
Canon makes a great ink jet printer (especially the i9900), so I'm unsure why you are thinking about a laser printer or a dye sub. If you have a high volume, a laser printer can print fast, but the quality isn't as good as an ink jet. A dye sub is costly and slow and not as sharp as a good ink jet.
Photoshop CS2 has lots of great features and the upgrade price is only around $150. I'm not sure which More Hits product you are thinking of, but there are many plug-in filters available that you may want to consider in addition to, or in place of, their products. For instance, there are free FFT filters, and size calibration is just a two step process directly in Photoshop.
Your Terabyte of storage is dependant on your volume of work, and storage is cheap these days, and it's easy to add more if you find yourself short one day. So, you may be able to get by with a lot less.
I wouldn't back-up to DVD as a first choice - I would have full redundancy on my primary archive, then would choose tape as a first choice for back-up. There are distinct advantages to tape and definite disadvantages to DVD - but it can work if tape isn't a viable option.
For your memory card reader, remember that USB-II and FireWire are faster than USB-I, and download speed can make a difference if your volume is high. Also, if you can format your cards in the camera, do so - it can prevent many headaches.
Anyway, those are some comments on your own list. Without knowing more about your agency, I can't really comment more specifically - but I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me off list if I can offer any suggestions.
George
Don't feel like putting your own system together is worse that buying a turnkey system. The advantage of a turnkey system is that everything is shipped and installed together, and there is a lot of convenience. The disadvantages are that they cost substantially more than putting your own system together, and they are not necesarilly customized to fit your needs. They may include hardware and software you don't need, and they may not include hardware and software that you wish you had. Obviously, turnkey systems are right for some agencies and don't work for others.
From your equipment list, I'll make a few comments:
A good macro lens is always nice. Canon makes a nice 50mm f/2.5 that is around $250.
Canon makes a great ink jet printer (especially the i9900), so I'm unsure why you are thinking about a laser printer or a dye sub. If you have a high volume, a laser printer can print fast, but the quality isn't as good as an ink jet. A dye sub is costly and slow and not as sharp as a good ink jet.
Photoshop CS2 has lots of great features and the upgrade price is only around $150. I'm not sure which More Hits product you are thinking of, but there are many plug-in filters available that you may want to consider in addition to, or in place of, their products. For instance, there are free FFT filters, and size calibration is just a two step process directly in Photoshop.
Your Terabyte of storage is dependant on your volume of work, and storage is cheap these days, and it's easy to add more if you find yourself short one day. So, you may be able to get by with a lot less.
I wouldn't back-up to DVD as a first choice - I would have full redundancy on my primary archive, then would choose tape as a first choice for back-up. There are distinct advantages to tape and definite disadvantages to DVD - but it can work if tape isn't a viable option.
For your memory card reader, remember that USB-II and FireWire are faster than USB-I, and download speed can make a difference if your volume is high. Also, if you can format your cards in the camera, do so - it can prevent many headaches.
Anyway, those are some comments on your own list. Without knowing more about your agency, I can't really comment more specifically - but I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me off list if I can offer any suggestions.
George
I can resist anything except temptation - Oscar Wilde
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Andrew Schriever
- Posts: 72
- Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2006 4:16 pm
- Location: Las Vegas
Hillary,
I agree with Mr. Reis, you can put together a very powerful digital imaging system for a far less cost when you build it yourself. But, there is the disadvantage that you have to put it together yourself and learn how to use the tools effectively.
Another purchase I would recommend is a photo quality scanner. A good macro lens is a must in my opinion. You will be able to nearly fill the camera frame with the typical latent print and get very high quality images for comparison.
Are you planning on doing comparisons on the computer or are you going to print hard copies of the latents and compare manually? If you are doing it on the computer I'd suggest you either purchase a wide screen monitor or go with a dual flatscreen monitor setup.
The SOP question is a difficult one. We created our SOP very simple and broad. Its about 2 pages total. It talks about the minimum requirements for hardware, a brief overview of how images are downloaded from capture device and stored in the archive, the requirement that clarifications are only made on copies of original images, and refers to 'custom user guides' for clarification of digital images. Our current SOP hasn't been tested in court, though I am 100% sure that it will pass with flying colors.
Another thing that would be good to throw into the budget is an allowance for training. I dont know your level of expertise with digital imaging, but you can never learn too much.
Hope that helps a little.
Andrew Schriever, CLPE
Target Forensic Services
I agree with Mr. Reis, you can put together a very powerful digital imaging system for a far less cost when you build it yourself. But, there is the disadvantage that you have to put it together yourself and learn how to use the tools effectively.
Another purchase I would recommend is a photo quality scanner. A good macro lens is a must in my opinion. You will be able to nearly fill the camera frame with the typical latent print and get very high quality images for comparison.
Are you planning on doing comparisons on the computer or are you going to print hard copies of the latents and compare manually? If you are doing it on the computer I'd suggest you either purchase a wide screen monitor or go with a dual flatscreen monitor setup.
The SOP question is a difficult one. We created our SOP very simple and broad. Its about 2 pages total. It talks about the minimum requirements for hardware, a brief overview of how images are downloaded from capture device and stored in the archive, the requirement that clarifications are only made on copies of original images, and refers to 'custom user guides' for clarification of digital images. Our current SOP hasn't been tested in court, though I am 100% sure that it will pass with flying colors.
Another thing that would be good to throw into the budget is an allowance for training. I dont know your level of expertise with digital imaging, but you can never learn too much.
Hope that helps a little.
Andrew Schriever, CLPE
Target Forensic Services
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Neville
- Posts: 307
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 11:44 am
- Location: NEW ZEALAND
digital
We have recently changed from Video to a Canon 350D body and the Canon 60mm Ultrasonic 2.8 lens, this is a very good combination. I can imagine this lens will work well with your camera. We capture at 2:1 because at 1:1 it was difficult to get the label in. Also it seemed a bit pointless when viewing on screen and printing, the whole idea of - is it 1:1 lost its significance. We felt it is more important to stay consistant with size.
I would seriously look at the Canon CP510 or CP710 dyesub printer they are very cheap and give photo quality even when printed at around 2:1 compared to the developed impression. You can print direct from the camera if you wish.
We have a monitor plugged into the camera so we can view the captured image immediately. It is a requirement in many fingerprint SOPs that every job has 2 CDs burned, you may consider this as a good idea.
I have also found that there are available on the market portable CD/DVD burners which plug directly into the camera.
I guess you could throw away the idea of the computer and save some money and hassles in court!!!! Well it is an idea, maybe not such a good one.
I would seriously look at the Canon CP510 or CP710 dyesub printer they are very cheap and give photo quality even when printed at around 2:1 compared to the developed impression. You can print direct from the camera if you wish.
We have a monitor plugged into the camera so we can view the captured image immediately. It is a requirement in many fingerprint SOPs that every job has 2 CDs burned, you may consider this as a good idea.
I have also found that there are available on the market portable CD/DVD burners which plug directly into the camera.
I guess you could throw away the idea of the computer and save some money and hassles in court!!!! Well it is an idea, maybe not such a good one.