In some cases it is not appropriate to use a flatbed scanner, particularly when digtizing fragile or damaged originals, or oversized or three dimensional objects.

In such instances, PhotoArk makes use of its BetterLight 4X5 scanning back. The scanning back slides into the filmholder of a 4X5 studio camera, thus integrating the best of traditional copy methods with the latest of digital tecnologies. The high resolution images generated by this method can then become part of a digital archive.