Correction: the price posted on Adorama was higher than Broncolor’s recommended retail price. The article has been updated with the correct RRP.
If you are a museum looking to digitally record some artifacts, then Broncolor’s Scope D50 visualization system is now available. It is a dome covered in LEDs, specially designed to create an interactive model of the surfaces of precious objects, such as archaeological finds or works of art, from a composite of 48 individual images.
The Scope D50 uses ‘reflectance transformation imaging’ to analyse an object with infrared, ultraviolet and visible light.
It isn’t for the hobbyist, with the UV/IR version priced at 25,350 Swiss francs, or about $27,600 USD (affiliate link, just in case). But it is reasonably portable and can be installed on site, so there is no need to transport your important objects to a special lab, or to build a bespoke facility for the purpose. If your product photography needs forensic levels of detail, this could be the light tent for you.
Broncolor announced the Scope D50 at Photokina a couple of years ago but we noticed it’s now on sale. For more information, visit the manufacturer’s web site.