As I look at pictures of camera-scanning setups, I can't help but have a persistent worry: what if all of these weights on long poles are just pendulums waiting for a bump to start swinging. Of course, the manufacturers claim that their stands are as steady as rock, as stable as an Egyptian pyramid, as solid as gold bullions. However, I am not fully convinced. If I were to tell you that a camera on such a stand moving just 1/10 the thickness of a human hair during exposure would result in a loss of half the resolution, would you be concerned? So, in this article, I'll present my arguments and show you how to check and possibly secure your own scanning setup against vibrations. Blurring the edges Certainly, let's start from the basics and define what is meant by "blur".  Blurring on a camera occurs as a result of movement of the camera, subject, or both. Motion blur specifically refers to the streaking or smearing seen in the image due to this movement [1].   On th

Before the chart with the USAF targets, gray scales, etc. can be photographed, it should be suspended vertically with the decent precision.  The camera should be placed exactly in the middle of the chart, and there is almost no room for error  - the depth of field for 100 mm lens at F8 at 100 inch distance is just 10 inches.  All printouts have been  glued with the rubbing cement  to the foam board ( let's assume the board is flat.)  At the center I have placed a round mirror around 5 cm in diameter attached with the pushpins for easy removal.  In hindsight, I guess I should have gone to an art store ( say Blicks) and bought a prefabricated canvased frame 24x36" for $20 . Now  I have this contraption hanging on a wire against the wall.  How do you make it vertical? I guess you recognize those screws ;-)   I discovered such a thing as a self-leveling (!) laser levels. I bought the cheapest one for $25 which was almost useless, but the next one for $60 had important feature:  th