[fineartist]

Hi there,



I really need to be pointed in the right direction, I'm wanting to take photos of my paintings without any distortion, they range in size from 12"x12" to 5'x6'. Any suggestions on what size and make of lens would be gratefully received ?



I'm looking to buy a compact digital cameras with the changeable lenses.



many thanks :-)

[Brightcolours]

Any lens with little or no barrel distortion will do. The focal length does not matter much, just the longer the focal length, the bigger the distance to the subject (painting) will have to be.



The Canon 50mm f2.5 macro is a lens often used for reproduction work, but is more ideal on a full frame camera. On a compact APS-C camera it makes a bit less sense, because with the crop factor the distance to the subject needs to increase.



Personally I have used a Tokina 12-24mm f4 , which has very little distortion, in the range of about 20 to 24mm. Here the distortion graph at 24mm:





I also have used the Canon EF 35mm f2, which also enjoys quite low distortion:





However, I have found it not practical to try and shoot many paintings perfectly straight both horizontally and vertically, it takes too much time to try align the camera perfectly for each shot. So I end up straightening out the paintings in a program for Mac OS X, called graphic converter. It allows me to select all 4 corners, and then automatically crops and straightens the painting part.



So, for me it works like this:



- Get a distortion free lens with not too long focal length (at the moment using the Canon EF 35mm f2)

- Set metering with partial/spot metering on a paper with 50% grey (or 15/18% reflective grey), in the light the paintings will be photographed in

- Set the custom white balance on a white paper, in the light the paintings will be photographed in (now both the exposure time and WB are set for many shots, exposing every painting correctly no matter if they are dark or light).

- Shoot the paintings as frame filling as I am comfortable with.

- After RAW conversion (if you shoot RAW), open the images in graphic converter to crop and straighten them

- Save file as new "source file", to be used for whatever future purposes.



You basically can use any lens as long as it has little or no barrel/pincushion distortion, and it should not have too long a focal length else you need too much room to photograph the items. The lens should be able to focus accurately.



If you do not have a huge space but only a few meters room between the paintings and you, you should consider more wide angle (since you mention 6 foot paintings, which is about 1.8 meters). For that, the Tokina 12-24 with its very low distortion can not be beat, I think.

For smaller work (you mention 12") a shorter macro lens like the Canon 50mm f2.5 macro I mentioned are better suited.



For inbetween stuff I use my 35mm f2, because it is quite suited (low distortion, sharp) and I happen to already have it.

[fineartist]

Thank you for your reply its very much appreciated !



Hmmm its given me food for thought, I've been using my daughters Nikon with a Nikon lens (DX 18-55), maybe I should continue to borrow it and buy a better lens.....



I'll check out the lenses you mentioned.



I've been labouring on getting the image as perfect as poss in the viewfinder ( cursing under my breath ! )as my windows laptop editing package is not up to the job.....think i'll be checking out Mac laptops too from my understanding Macs seem to be much better at graphics and editing.



ok I'm off to do some searching, thanks again :-))

[Brightcolours]

There is not too much difference application wise between mac and windows. In this case, yes, there is no graphic converter for windows and I can not tell you which application for windows has an equally simple way to crop and straighten.



For your daughter's Nikon I am not totally sure which lenses to advice. I think the Tokina 12-24mm f4 I have used may not have a version with its own motor, so it will not autofocus on most lower end Nikon bodies (D40, D40x, D60, D3000, D3100. D5000, D5100).



Obviously the Canon EF 35mm f2 does not even mount on a Nikon, so that lens is not an option either. The nikon AF-S 35mm f1.8 DX is not ideal for this purpose, as it has a bit barrel distortion for this.





The Tokina 35mm f2.8 DX macro has lower barrel distortion, but lacks its own motor, so will not AF on above mentioned DSLRs.



One lens that really might suit you is the Nikon AF-S 40mm f2.8 micro. It has almost no barrel/pincushion distortion:



So, basically a fine lens to fill the role I use my 35mm f2 for, and also great to photograph the smaller 12" paintings, as it, being a macro lens, fan focus close by.



Only thing it will not do is frame the bigger works if you can not take enough distance from them, and then a wider angle lens is needed. But that is for you to experience/figure out.

[fineartist]

yes hers is Nikon D5000, the lens is very cheap and I have so much trouble using it,(looking at the table you posted no wonder i was having difficulty) I've come to a point with my artwork that I need good reproduction.



Could possibly get myself a decent body and a couple of lenses ,maybe a slightly older model, doesn't have to be all singing and dancing with lots of features.

I'm quite taken with the Canon EF lens that you mention, going to check some reviews for Canon body's first.





you really are helpful, thanks :-)

[Brightcolours]

[quote name='painter' timestamp='1333144882' post='17194']

yes hers is Nikon D5000, the lens is very cheap and I have so much trouble using it,(looking at the table you posted no wonder i was having difficulty) I've come to a point with my artwork that I need good reproduction.



Could possibly get myself a decent body and a couple of lenses ,maybe a slightly older model, doesn't have to be all singing and dancing with lots of features.

I'm quite taken with the Canon EF lens that you mention, going to check some reviews for Canon body's first.





you really are helpful, thanks :-)

[/quote]

You can do equally well with the 40mm f2.8 DX micro from Nikon... It is just that I happen to have a Canon camera. The Canon 550D, 600D (T2i, T31 in the USA) are comparable to the D5000/D5100 from Nikon (bit more compact maybe, differences in details). Even a Nikon D3100 or a Canon 1100D will do fine.



I do not think either combination would do a noticeably better (or worse) job than the other. The only reason to rather go for Canon would then be if you think you need a wider angle lens for the bigger paintings, if you can't back up enough. Because the Tokina 12-24mm I already mentioned has an unusually well corrected image distortion wise, and will not AF on the lower end Nikon bodies.

You can check with the camera from your daughter, with its zoomlens, which focal length you need for the biggest paintings. That will give you an idea (if you can be ok with just either the 35mm or 40mm prime, or if you could use the wide angle too.

[joachim]

[quote name='painter' timestamp='1333096269' post='17180']

Hi there,



I really need to be pointed in the right direction, I'm wanting to take photos of my paintings without any distortion, they range in size from 12"x12" to 5'x6'. Any suggestions on what size and make of lens would be gratefully received ?



I'm looking to buy a compact digital cameras with the changeable lenses.



many thanks :-)

[/quote]



Could you describe a bit better what you need?



What kind of paintings? In a museum / gallery or as a visitor? Or are these paintings some you have done yourself? Is a tripod an option?



What quality do you need? What do you want to do whit it? Sell prints or for you personal enjoyment? Are you printing your files for sale?



What do you dislike about your current ( the borrowed set up) equipment.

[Brightcolours]

[quote name='joachim' timestamp='1333172163' post='17202']

Could you describe a bit better what you need?



What kind of paintings? In a museum / gallery or as a visitor? Or are these paintings some you have done yourself? Is a tripod an option?



What quality do you need? What do you want to do whit it? Sell prints or for you personal enjoyment? Are you printing your files for sale?



What do you dislike about your current ( the borrowed set up) equipment.

[/quote]

Hmm... His nick is "painter". He says "my paintings". Pretty clear he wants to photograph his own work (he says so), for the rest is the purpose of the photographs not going to change the demands of the lens...

[fineartist]

[quote name='Brightcolours' timestamp='1333148883' post='17196']

You can do equally well with the 40mm f2.8 DX micro from Nikon... It is just that I happen to have a Canon camera. The Canon 550D, 600D (T2i, T31 in the USA) are comparable to the D5000/D5100 from Nikon (bit more compact maybe, differences in details). Even a Nikon D3100 or a Canon 1100D will do fine.



I do not think either combination would do a noticeably better (or worse) job than the other. The only reason to rather go for Canon would then be if you think you need a wider angle lens for the bigger paintings, if you can't back up enough. Because the Tokina 12-24mm I already mentioned has an unusually well corrected image distortion wise, and will not AF on the lower end Nikon bodies.

You can check with the camera from your daughter, with its zoomlens, which focal length you need for the biggest paintings. That will give you an idea (if you can be ok with just either the 35mm or 40mm prime, or if you could use the wide angle too.

[/quote]



Hmm... I probably I might go for the Nikon lens,(at approx £215 its alot cheaper option than buying a whole outfit) try it out and that way my Daughter gets a better lens and in a little while get my own camera, maybe the Canon and wider lens, I know a couple of people with Canons and they seem very happy with them.



your help much appreciated

Thanks :-)

[Brightcolours]

[quote name='painter' timestamp='1333181124' post='17205']

Hmm... I probably I might go for the Nikon lens,(at approx £215 its alot cheaper option than buying a whole outfit) try it out and that way my Daughter gets a better lens and in a little while get my own camera, maybe the Canon and wider lens, I know a couple of people with Canons and they seem very happy with them.



very help much appreciated

Thanks :-)

[/quote]

I think that might be an excellent idea. Youmight just like that 40mm macro so much you will stay with Nikon, or otherwise your daughter will gain a multi purpose macro lens which is very good.