Starting studio lens and lights setup

Dutch Fred · Apr 12, 2017

Hi,

I am a starting art photographer and want to take pictures of other peoples artworks and that of my own. I did my own research and have decided to go with Nikon.

I can’t afford a full frame camera yet, but a refurbished or second hand Nikon D7100 looks like it has everything I need to start with.

I want to have enough distance between the camera and the artwork so it can be lit properly from both sides by two Falcon Eyes softboxes of total 320 watt. They say these lights emit a total of 1600watt. Would these lights be sufficient for photographing artworks of regular size?

The works of art I want to put on a studio easel so I can take pictures of them from a tripod.

For the lens I still don’t have made up my mind. I’m a bit scared to buy a budget telelens or zoomlens like the 55-200mm DX VR or the 70-300mm VR because I read that they have barrel distortion. Is this true in your opinion or is this barrel distortion like some suggest a thing of the past? Having a telelens would allow me to be a bit more flexible with my tripod distance. If I buy a 50mm prime lens I’m worried that the distance between the lens and the artwork will not be enough so it can be lit properly by the softboxes.

My main focus is quality pictures that I can send to my clients or to a printstore that uses pigment colors for 300-400 dpi reproduction on fine art paper. I already own a calibrated monitor and I want to do my post processing in Lightroom.

Can anyone help me with choosing a good lens and lights for my studio setup?

Kind regards,

Fred

Don89 · Apr 12, 2017

Dutch Fred said:
Hi,

I am a starting art photographer and want to take pictures of other peoples artworks and that of my own. I did my own research and have decided to go with Nikon.

I can’t afford a full frame camera yet, but a refurbished or second hand Nikon D7100 looks like it has everything I need to start with.

I want to have enough distance between the camera and the artwork so it can be lit properly from both sides by two Falcon Eyes softboxes of total 320 watt. They say these lights emit a total of 1600watt. Would these lights be sufficient for photographing artworks of regular size?

The works of art I want to put on a studio easel so I can take pictures of them from a tripod.

For the lens I still don’t have made up my mind. I’m a bit scared to buy a budget telelens or zoomlens like the 55-200mm DX VR or the 70-300mm VR because I read that they have barrel distortion. Is this true in your opinion or is this barrel distortion like some suggest a thing of the past? Having a telelens would allow me to be a bit more flexible with my tripod distance. If I buy a 50mm prime lens I’m worried that the distance between the lens and the artwork will not be enough so it can be lit properly by the softboxes.

My main focus is quality pictures that I can send to my clients or to a printstore that uses pigment colors for 300-400 dpi reproduction on fine art paper. I already own a calibrated monitor and I want to do my post processing in Lightroom.

Can anyone help me with choosing a good lens and lights for my studio setup?

Kind regards,

Fred

There's a huge difference between watts and watt/seconds

There's nothing you stated that cannot be dealt with in post

How much budget so you have for a lens I'd venture to guess the 50-200 zoom is good enough Wanna spend money? The prime 85 to 200 macro nikkor length lenses might be the best

possibly the 100 or 105 plus 2x teleconverter

budget choice is the used manual focus 105 f4 or f2.8

the 200mm f4 af-d will give you more working distance between the camera and subject Nicer when using lights. Do you have distance issues It is an Ultra sharp lens. Then I'd look at something in 85-135 mm lengths.

What size prints will you be creating .

a DX camera the shortest I'd use is an 85mm

used is cheaper

Sailor Blue · Apr 12, 2017

A copy stand is better than a studio easel for smaller objects since it keeps the camera flat on to the object being photographed. Here is an example of one that is available from either Amazon or eBay that is good for macro to 8-1/2"x11" or A4 sized objects.

eBay - Promaster SystemPRO Copy Stand

If you use a prime lens you will need to change the distance between the camera and the object being photographed. The camera is mounted on a sliding fitting on the vertical piece in the middle so the distance between the camera to object being photographed can be changed as the size of the object changes. The light positions can be changed to avoid reflections or to give even lighting.

Larger copy stands are available or you can make one - just Google "DIY copy stand".

Another option is to attach an easel to a wall, adding strips of wood beside it to keep the object being copied flat vs the wall. The adjustable clamp on the easel allows you to change the size of the object being copied.

Using the camera on a tripod makes it possible to change the distance between the camera and the object being photographed. Tripod wheels (B&H, Amazon, or eBay) make moving the tripod easy.

For the best color reproduction you want to use either incandescent light bulbs or flash/strobe. Fluorescent, CFL, or LED lights will NOT give you good color reproduction for all colors.

Check these example spectra to see why. See how the light distribution is relatively smooth for daylight, incandescent, and halogen (flash) lighting but not for the others.

I also recommend you use a color calibration device like the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport to color calibrate the camera sensor and lens combination you use. Of course your monitor should be color calibrated if you intend to edit the images.

X-Rite ColorChecker Passport – X-Rite Photo – X-Rite Passport

X-Rite: EODIS3 : i1Display Pro

Since the subject is not moving there is no reason why you can't use long exposures with incandescent lights since the camera is either on a tripod or attached firmly to a copy stand.

Flash/strobes are much more powerful than continuous lights and are frequently used if you want to use diffuse light sources.

I would assume you want to use the minimum ISO for the maximum image quality and you want maximum sharpness from your lens. Most lenses for crop sensor or full frame DSLRs perform best at around f/8 ± 1 stop.

How much power the strobes need depend on the size of the diffusers and how far they will be from the object being photographed. The larger the diffuser the further it is from the object being photographed and the more power required if you are to shoot at ISO 100 and around f/8.

I would recommend a square or rectangular softbox at least as large as the largest subject and I would try using it at a distance equal to 1 times the diagonal. Start with the diffuser centered on the object and 45° to each side and adjust as necessary to get even lighting without reflections.

A pair of 160Ws strobes should be fine for 40" (100cm) square softboxs located about 60" (150cm) from the object being photographed.

Personally I would probably get strobes in the 300Ws to 600Ws range and with more than 5-stops of power adjustment. A very good choice is the PCB Einstein. This high quality 640Ws light has a special setting that gives greater color stability than regular strobes like the PCB AlienBees and it offers 9-stops of power adjustment. PCB folding softboxes are also of high quality.

A short focal length lens will be close to the subject so it will cause distortion. Distortion correction is available in most good post processing programs but the less you start with the better.

A long focal length lens won't cause as much distortion but would need to be a long way from the subject.

What focal length lens you use is a balancing act between the space available between the camera and the object and the size of the subject. Without details about the size of the objects you will be photographing and the space available it is impossible to make a recommendation.

--
Living and loving it in Pattaya, Thailand. Canon 7D - See the gear list for the rest.

peety333 · Apr 13, 2017

Personally, I recommend against any camera that's more than 2.5 years old (from a product release date perspective), or is more than one generation old (7100 was replaced by the 7200 and then by the 7500). Sensor technology, overall responsiveness, and general image quality tends to improve significantly with each iteration, so I think you're doing yourself a disservice going back so far. Granted, when shooting with studio lighting, a lot of the improvements become somewhat moot.

MindInRewind · Apr 13, 2017

peety333 said:
Personally, I recommend against any camera that's more than 2.5 years old (from a product release date perspective), or is more than one generation old (7100 was replaced by the 7200 and then by the 7500). Sensor technology, overall responsiveness, and general image quality tends to improve significantly with each iteration, so I think you're doing yourself a disservice going back so far. Granted, when shooting with studio lighting, a lot of the improvements become somewhat moot.

ERR! Wrong! This is just a nonsense thought and just goes to show that our "throw-away" culture is alive and strong! I continue (not as often) to shoot art on an "old" Canon 5d MK II. By your logic, my camera should have been tossed in the tree chipper 7 years ago? I also have an "ancient" Phase One P25 ... let me guess, toss some gasoline on it and burn it because its 13 years old? Must be nice to have your kind of money to be able replace your camera every 2.5 years. However, most us live in the real world.

Yes technology gets better but no one is doing a disservice in using old camera equipment. A good image is a good image, no matter the gear it came from.

~MIR

MindInRewind · Apr 13, 2017

Dutch Fred said:
Hi,

I am a starting art photographer and want to take pictures of other peoples artworks and that of my own. I did my own research and have decided to go with Nikon.

I can’t afford a full frame camera yet, but a refurbished or second hand Nikon D7100 looks like it has everything I need to start with.

I want to have enough distance between the camera and the artwork so it can be lit properly from both sides by two Falcon Eyes softboxes of total 320 watt. They say these lights emit a total of 1600watt. Would these lights be sufficient for photographing artworks of regular size?

The works of art I want to put on a studio easel so I can take pictures of them from a tripod.

For the lens I still don’t have made up my mind. I’m a bit scared to buy a budget telelens or zoomlens like the 55-200mm DX VR or the 70-300mm VR because I read that they have barrel distortion. Is this true in your opinion or is this barrel distortion like some suggest a thing of the past? Having a telelens would allow me to be a bit more flexible with my tripod distance. If I buy a 50mm prime lens I’m worried that the distance between the lens and the artwork will not be enough so it can be lit properly by the softboxes.

My main focus is quality pictures that I can send to my clients or to a printstore that uses pigment colors for 300-400 dpi reproduction on fine art paper. I already own a calibrated monitor and I want to do my post processing in Lightroom.

Can anyone help me with choosing a good lens and lights for my studio setup?

Kind regards,

Fred

Dutch Fred, the used D7100 you're thinking of will do just fine for taking photos of art and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The lenses you mention, however, are ... eh. I've worked for art auction houses and museums photographing their collections/catalogs and if you were to spend any money on anything, it would be lenses. I'm a prime lens kind of guy and others have mentioned an 85mm focal length. There are 2 to choose from, the 85mm 1.4 or the 85mm 1.8. Now, its been a LONG time since I've been in the Nikon camp but I do know that both are pretty are pretty sharp, so if you need to save yourself a couple bucks just stick with the 85mm 1.8. Or if you feel, one day when you're not shooting art and you'd like that extra stop, splurge on the 1.4 - I believe its just that much sharper than the 1.8.

Another good lens to check out is the 105mm f2.8 macro. I used the Canon equivalent and its a nice focal length for shooting art. And its tack sharp as well (I'm assuming the Nikon is as well). Depending on how much space you have to photograph said art, depends on what focal length to shoot with, but I wouldn't go below 85mm, maybe 50mm. Zooms are hard to use, unless you get the good ones, because they'll soften up at certain focal lengths.

The hardest part of shooting art is controlling the highlights reflecting off the glossy brush strokes of the paint. Every painting will be different and some will need more attention than others. Strobe or LED panel lights will work. If you don't have lights, take the art outside, diffuse the sun with a giant screen or no diffusion required on a nice cloudy day - just watch out for rain

Also, get your self an excellent polarizing filter. This will help with some unwanted glare/highlights.

~MIR

Don89 · Apr 13, 2017

MindInRewind said:
peety333 said:

Personally, I recommend against any camera that's more than 2.5 years old (from a product release date perspective), or is more than one generation old (7100 was replaced by the 7200 and then by the 7500). Sensor technology, overall responsiveness, and general image quality tends to improve significantly with each iteration, so I think you're doing yourself a disservice going back so far. Granted, when shooting with studio lighting, a lot of the improvements become somewhat moot.

Click to expand...

ERR! Wrong! This is just a nonsense thought and just goes to show that our "throw-away" culture is alive and strong! I continue (not as often) to shoot art on an "old" Canon 5d MK II. By your logic, my camera should have been tossed in the tree chipper 7 years ago? I also have an "ancient" Phase One P25 ... let me guess, toss some gasoline on it and burn it because its 13 years old? Must be nice to have your kind of money to be able replace your camera every 2.5 years. However, most us live in the real world.

Yes technology gets better but no one is doing a disservice in using old camera equipment. A good image is a good image, no matter the gear it came from.

~MIR

Amen to that! I still have an ancient Sony 3 Meg point and shoot. Easily enlarge and use for anything. Noise from early sensors? Zero issue in post. Color? Zero issues in post. Want HDR effects? Zero issues in post.

You can "keep up" with lots of tech in post. After all -- it's all software.

Now, where's my 8" floppy disk... and my PDP 8/S tape reader...

BAK · Apr 13, 2017

How big are the picturees you are photographing?

How big do you want the reproductions to be? Just computer files, or actual prints.

Are the pictures framed. Do you want the frames in the shot. (frames may mean shadow problems)

If you shoot down at the pictures, how do you manage to look through the viewfinder? Ladders, or wires to a computer screen?

I found info on your softbox, but have no idea what the light unit is.

BAK

Dutch Fred · Apr 13, 2017

My budget for the lens is about 200 right now. For now, my choice would be the Nikon 105 f4 or f2.8 prime lens as you recommended. The prints are going to be the same size as the works of art 20" x 30" inches.

Dutch Fred · Apr 13, 2017

thanks for the in depth answer you given me. I'm somewhat overwhelmed by the choices to make. I'm new here on dpreview and need some time to "consume" all the wisdom

As for lens recommendation, my artworks are going to be the same size as the prints,

20"x 30" inches. The copy stand you recommended is a great idea. I'm looking into it right now on how I could make something myself. I also want to buy Incandescent lights as they seem the best choice.

Dutch Fred · Apr 13, 2017

As for camera choice I can understand that newer cameras have more (not always better) functions. Because I'm on a budget I have to compensate. For me the D7100 has everything I want except full frame. I could buy a second hand D700, but than I would have to compensate on printing the images because of the 12 megapixels. Im not sure it will be enough for 20" x 30" inch reproductions. A part of me likes the D700 much better than the D7100.

Would in my case the D700 be a better option over a D7100? My camera budget is 800.

I'm not scared of the age of the camera.

MindInRewind · Apr 13, 2017

Dutch Fred said:
As for camera choice I can understand that newer cameras have more (not always better) functions. Because I'm on a budget I have to compensate. For me the D7100 has everything I want except full frame. I could buy a second hand D700, but than I would have to compensate on printing the images because of the 12 megapixels. Im not sure it will be enough for 20" x 30" inch reproductions. A part of me likes the D700 much better than the D7100.

Would in my case the D700 be a better option over a D7100? My camera budget is 800.

I'm not scared of the age of the camera.

Stick with what you can afford. The D7100 will do wonders. don't listen to the other poster telling you its "out dated". You don't need full frame.

~MIR

MindInRewind · Apr 13, 2017

Dutch Fred said:
thanks for the in depth answer you given me. I'm somewhat overwhelmed by the choices to make. I'm new here on dpreview and need some time to "consume" all the wisdom

As for lens recommendation, my artworks are going to be the same size as the prints,

20"x 30" inches. The copy stand you recommended is a great idea. I'm looking into it right now on how I could make something myself. I also want to buy Incandescent lights as they seem the best choice.

Hot lights will work just fine, just don't get them too close to the paintings. don't bother with a copy stand, a table and a box to lean the paintings against is just fine - no need to get all technical and spend a whole wack of cash. just make sure the frame of the painting is against the box, not the canvas itself.

~MIR

MindInRewind · Apr 13, 2017

Dutch Fred said:
My budget for the lens is about 200 right now. For now, my choice would be the Nikon 105 f4 or f2.8 prime lens as you recommended. The prints are going to be the same size as the works of art 20" x 30" inches.

Spend your money on a lens!! Everyone here can't stress that enough. The lens will last longer than your camera and, if taken care of, will live longer than you. Find the extra $$ and put it into a lens.

Who are you doing the photography for? Galleries? Individual artists? Museums?

~MIR

peety333 · Apr 13, 2017

MindInRewind said:
peety333 said:

Personally, I recommend against any camera that's more than 2.5 years old (from a product release date perspective), or is more than one generation old (7100 was replaced by the 7200 and then by the 7500). Sensor technology, overall responsiveness, and general image quality tends to improve significantly with each iteration, so I think you're doing yourself a disservice going back so far. Granted, when shooting with studio lighting, a lot of the improvements become somewhat moot.

Click to expand...

ERR! Wrong! This is just a nonsense thought and just goes to show that our "throw-away" culture is alive and strong! I continue (not as often) to shoot art on an "old" Canon 5d MK II. By your logic, my camera should have been tossed in the tree chipper 7 years ago? I also have an "ancient" Phase One P25 ... let me guess, toss some gasoline on it and burn it because its 13 years old? Must be nice to have your kind of money to be able replace your camera every 2.5 years. However, most us live in the real world.

Yes technology gets better but no one is doing a disservice in using old camera equipment. A good image is a good image, no matter the gear it came from.

~MIR

Forgive me, as I'm having a bad day at work today, but take your "ERR! Wrong!" and shove it where the sun doesn't shine. It's not WRONG, you merely disagree with my recommendation. I suggest you learn the difference.

jhphotography · Apr 13, 2017

I'm still shooting APS-c (Pentax k3 II) and getting results I and my clients are really happy with. Re starting lenses, it sounds like you're using continuous lighting, which means you'll probably want a fast zoom lens. Not the cheapest of lenses to start with

A Tamron or Sigma 24-70 f2.8 would offer a good range for portraits on a crop sensor at a very reasonable price. If your lighting will manage, a 24-105 f4 would be an even more versatile choice.

Then again, if you're shooting family photos or groups, or even more traditional business headshots, you'll probably want to shoot at at least f8 for the DoF, which will mean having much more light. So could be worth investing in some studio flashes. (I can recommend the Godox AD360s if you think you'll be using some decent sized light modifiers, otherwise or in addition, some Godox V850s would do nicely). Good luck!

Edit --

Haha, OK just read your original post more carefully. photographing art work. So you can use a tripod and slow shutter and in which case a half decent standard zoom stopped down to f8 or f11 should be fine.

--
example portfolios of my portrait photography: jhphotography.uk
Portrait photographer currently shooting Pentax

MindInRewind · Apr 14, 2017

jhphotography said:
I'm still shooting APS-c (Pentax k3 II) and getting results I and my clients are really happy with. Re starting lenses, it sounds like you're using continuous lighting, which means you'll probably want a fast zoom lens. Not the cheapest of lenses to start with A Tamron or Sigma 24-70 f2.8 would offer a good range for portraits on a crop sensor at a very reasonable price. If your lighting will manage, a 24-105 f4 would be an even more versatile choice.

Then again, if you're shooting family photos or groups, or even more traditional business headshots, you'll probably want to shoot at at least f8 for the DoF, which will mean having much more light. So could be worth investing in some studio flashes. (I can recommend the Godox AD360s if you think you'll be using some decent sized light modifiers, otherwise or in addition, some Godox V850s would do nicely). Good luck!

Edit --

Haha, OK just read your original post more carefully. photographing art work. So you can use a tripod and slow shutter and in which case a half decent standard zoom stopped down to f8 or f11 should be fine.

MindInRewind · Apr 14, 2017

peety333 said:
MindInRewind said:

peety333 said:

Personally, I recommend against any camera that's more than 2.5 years old (from a product release date perspective), or is more than one generation old (7100 was replaced by the 7200 and then by the 7500). Sensor technology, overall responsiveness, and general image quality tends to improve significantly with each iteration, so I think you're doing yourself a disservice going back so far. Granted, when shooting with studio lighting, a lot of the improvements become somewhat moot.

Click to expand...

ERR! Wrong! This is just a nonsense thought and just goes to show that our "throw-away" culture is alive and strong! I continue (not as often) to shoot art on an "old" Canon 5d MK II. By your logic, my camera should have been tossed in the tree chipper 7 years ago? I also have an "ancient" Phase One P25 ... let me guess, toss some gasoline on it and burn it because its 13 years old? Must be nice to have your kind of money to be able replace your camera every 2.5 years. However, most us live in the real world.

Yes technology gets better but no one is doing a disservice in using old camera equipment. A good image is a good image, no matter the gear it came from.

~MIR

Click to expand...

Forgive me, as I'm having a bad day at work today, but take your "ERR! Wrong!" and shove it where the sun doesn't shine. It's not WRONG, you merely disagree with my recommendation. I suggest you learn the difference.

Nah.

~MIR

Dutch Fred · Apr 14, 2017

The photography is for clients / artists who want to have prints of their own artwork. It is also for their websites and my own website.

Yes, a better lens would be ideal, i like the 85mm f1.8

I have to see what my options are because i'm not swimming in money.

I just want to keep it simple, but professional so that I can build a neat studio where I can get the work done for my clients. As for lighting, thanks for the advise for keeping it simple.

Dutch Fred · Apr 14, 2017

As for budget I am considering a used manual focus 105mm f4

that way I could get the D7100 and this lens and later invest in something like a 85mm f1.8 lens

Starting studio lens and lights setup

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