Lens for artwork photography

[MjK]

Hi guys,

Hopefully someone will be able to assist me with this.
I have a canon 2000d, what sort of lens would i need to take really sharp pictures of artwork so that they can be blown up for large prints?

Regards
MJK

 

[bwana]

50mm f/1.8 lens would be an ideal and inexpensive solution. Stop it down to f/8.

Lighting it properly is important.

 

[TribbleZA]

50mm f/1.8 lens would be an ideal and inexpensive solution. Stop it down to f/8.

Lighting it properly is important.

This. For static photography, the 50mm is your best option. Photographers even love it for portraits. But you have to get really close to your subjects :crylaugh:

 

[MjK]

50mm f/1.8 lens would be an ideal and inexpensive solution. Stop it down to f/8.

Lighting it properly is important.

Thanks bwana, will have to source one and give it a try.

 

[Ho3n3r]

Thanks bwana, will have to source one and give it a try.

I know someone in Brits who imports the Yungnuo ones. He's in Brits, if you're interested.

 

[MjK]

I know someone in Brits who imports the Yungnuo ones. He's in Brits, if you're interested.

Thanks,

Whats the comparison to the canon and price?

 

[TehStranger]

Thanks,

Whats the comparison to the canon and price?

Canon is better (AF, some sharpness), but double the price. Yungnuo is very good for the money. Canon is still stupidly cheap though, so personally I'd go for the Canon (I did, it's a trooper).

A good comparison video for you to make your own mind:

[video=youtube;J_kVliB8TW4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_kVliB8TW4[/video]

Just remember on that body it's effectively an 80mm lens, so if you're taking pictures of large artwork you'll have to stand a fair bit back.

Also, make sure you get a tripod to line things up correctly.

 

[bwana]

Thanks,

Whats the comparison to the canon and price?

It's pretty much an exact rip off of the older Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 - image quality wise I've heard good and bad things about it. Personally I'd go for the newer Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens. It's got an improved mount and better overall build quality. The STM means quieter focusing - particularly handy if you're shooting video.

 

[bwana]

Canon is better (AF, some sharpness), but double the price. Yungnuo is very good for the money. Canon is still stupidly cheap though, so personally I'd go for the Canon (I did, it's a trooper).

A good comparison video for you to make your own mind:

[video=youtube;J_kVliB8TW4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_kVliB8TW4[/video]

Just remember on that body it's effectively an 80mm lens, so if you're taking pictures of large artwork you'll have to stand a fair bit back.

Also, make sure you get a tripod to line things up correctly.

Chelsea should lose the bangs.

 

[MjK]

Thanks.

Will have a look at and decide.
I do need the sharpness as some of the artwork is small and would need to be blown up quite a bit.

 

[Ho3n3r]

Yeah, the original is the same price as what he sells it for I see: https://www.outdoorphoto.co.za/canon-ef-50mm-f1-8-stm-prime-lens

But we got it as a package deal, so was not too bad.

 

[MjK]

Yeah, the original is the same price as what he sells it for I see: https://www.outdoorphoto.co.za/canon-ef-50mm-f1-8-stm-prime-lens

But we got it as a package deal, so was not too bad.

Thanks again. Will get the canon.

 

[garyc]

I have done some of this in the past. This raises a few questions.

What type of artwork - sculpture / paintings / drawings / jewelry / etc?
Indoors or outdoors?
If indoors, typical size of venue?
Size range of the artworks?
What size prints are going to be made?
Are you only documenting the artwork itself, or are you covering events like exhibitions?

 

[TehStranger]

Chelsea should lose the bangs.

So, are you saying would not bang/10?

I'd agree btw

Their content is good for the most part, but I just can't bring myself to enjoy them.

 

[MjK]

I have done some of this in the past. This raises a few questions.

What type of artwork - sculpture / paintings / drawings / jewelry / etc?
Indoors or outdoors?
If indoors, typical size of venue?
Size range of the artworks?
What size prints are going to be made?
Are you only documenting the artwork itself, or are you covering events like exhibitions?

Hi,

Paintings/Drawings
Indoors - artwork can be taken outside for natural light
Smaller than A5 up to A2

Prints up to 2000x2000mm

Only the artwork itself.

 

[namzsteve]

Great advice here, I think any lens will do hey, you just need good lights, keep your aperture above f/8, high shutterspeed, lowest ISO possible.

 

[bwana]

Great advice here, I think any lens will do hey, you just need good lights, keep your aperture above f/8, high shutterspeed, lowest ISO possible.

Unfortunately not any lens will do. You need to avoid any type of distortion around the edges so shooting at a wide angle needs to be avoided at all costs. A short telephoto, like the 50mm which is essentially an 80mm on his crop sensor camera, will work a treat.

 

[garyc]

Hi,

Paintings/Drawings
Indoors - artwork can be taken outside for natural light
Smaller than A5 up to A2

Prints up to 2000x2000mm

Only the artwork itself.

That is good, it means that you are not going to need expensive macro type gear or anything like that. The 50mm that bwana suggested is probably your best bet, with the Canon 40mm f2.8 taking up the second spot. Both are good sharp lenses that cost very little. There are also the Tamron 45mm and Sigma 50mm Art lenses that give slightly better quality at a steeply inflated price.

Traditionally this type of work would have been done with a lens of 65mm to 85mm for your camera. The high prices associated with these lenses when compared to that excellent 50mm would not make these worthwhile.

A tripod will be as important as having a lens. Second-hand will be fine.

If you do not already have your image editing software set up this would be a good time to start thinking about it. Issues like perspective and colour correction will be important.

With your print size you will not be able to see the finest detail from very close up, but it is generally accepted that people will be standing back at a comfortable viewing distance. If you want the very last bit of detail at this print size then you may want to shoot the artwork as a mosaic and stitch the images together, but it is unlikely that you will want to take things this far.

 

[Nanfeishen]

Hi,

Paintings/Drawings
Indoors - artwork can be taken outside for natural light
Smaller than A5 up to A2

Prints up to 2000x2000mm

Only the artwork itself.

Do this on a fairly regular basis for a few artists/printmakers and the SO who runs her own studio.

The lens i normally use is a Tamron F2.8 28 -75mm, that way i can set up in one spot, and then simply rotate the art work out from a specific resting place without having to worry too much about swopping between small or large pieces. Just zoom in or out depending on size.

Many of the pieces i have had to do are often finished within frames with glass, so it often becomes a little tricky regarding reflections on the glass.
For that i invested in an led light panel with stand as well , so as to prevent or maximise the reduction in reflection.

Also if shooting under flourescent , i would suggest reading up on shutter speed under flourescent.
https://usefulphototips.com/2012/07/18/photography-under-florescent/

Other than that the only other tips are basic really: Camera, a tripod, a remote, shoot in RAW, use live view , use multiple focus points rather than spot, and switch shake reduction (image stabilisation in Canon) off for tripod shooting, the rest is experimentation until the artist and you are both happy with the result.

 

[MjK]

Ordered the canon.
Waiting for delivery to see what results I get out of it.