Advice for 50 mm lens? OR a new Camera?

Hello, I have a canon EOS Rebel T1i,

I am a painter, so I only use this camera to shoot work in the studio for stuff like catalogs and online documentation. This year a professional photographer documented my work and I was blown away by the quality granted he had a set up of lights, amazing high camera used primarily for objects and architecture hooked up to a computer.

In ending the session I complained my own photos are a hair blurry and he looked at my camera and lens. Off that bat he he said I needed a 50 mm lens thats full frame and that a 35 mm might be okay enough. I have a standard 18-55mm general canon lens now.

So its clear the lens it an issue of course. BUT, in walking through the local tech store I noticed all kinds of new Nikons, Sony etc and I have been reading about better sensors too etc... since my model was new.

This may be irrelevant... but lighting situation in the studio, lots of artificial light and about 40% norther daylight I used to do the two tungesten lights at 45 degrees but now I just flood the whole studio and it seemed to work okay until I saw the pros photos.

I need wisdom from this community. Budget is a pretty big deal for me I need to spend money on paint and materials and not always new camera gear. The gallery hires a super photographer for show catalogs, but I need a good option for myself. So I can send applications that look good etc on my own. I am reading about mirrorless cameras too...to open another can of worms.

Is would a new 50mm lens be okay or should I just upgrade to a new system? Lets stress the word newbie, I basically put it on the auto setting but have some manual experience.

Looking around at different 50mm lenses I am confused at which to choose. Sigma... Canon... other makes? Thoughts? I am told lens quality is actually one of the biggest issue overlooked by many.

Thanks, M

Anon_camnew1 wrote:

Hello, I have a canon EOS Rebel T1i,

I am a painter, so I only use this camera to shoot work in the studio for stuff like catalogs and online documentation. This year a professional photographer documented my work and I was blown away by the quality granted he had a set up of lights, amazing high camera used primarily for objects and architecture hooked up to a computer.

In ending the session I complained my own photos are a hair blurry and he looked at my camera and lens. Off that bat he he said I needed a 50 mm lens thats full frame and that a 35 mm might be okay enough. I have a standard 18-55mm general canon lens now.

Your camera has a smaller sensor than a full frame camera. Therefore a 50mm lens on full frame gives the same perspective as a 35mm lens on an apsc-camera like your 500D.

You can really improve your results in terms of sharpness by just updating your lens. I would suggest to have a look at 35mm f/2.0 IS USM. This lens is sharp at f/2.8, and the IS enables you to use longer shutterspeeds.

If your workflow is fast enough for you using a tripod, you don't need IS at all. You can use shutter speeds as long as you like. In this case maybe a tripod +a used 6d mark 1 and a 50mm f/1.8 stm is the bang for te buck combination for you. Select an aperture of f/5.6 or even f/8.0, make sure your camera and subject are steady, and the longer shutterspeed will make up for any lack of light. Longer shutterspeeds will also enable you to use as much as available light as possible, making you independent from artificial light.

So its clear the lens it an issue of course. BUT, in walking through the local tech store I noticed all kinds of new Nikons, Sony etc and I have been reading about better sensors too etc... since my model was new.

This may be irrelevant... but lighting situation in the studio, lots of artificial light and about 40% norther daylight I used to do the two tungesten lights at 45 degrees but now I just flood the whole studio and it seemed to work okay until I saw the pros photos.

Off camera speed lights + softboxes might be better, and are not necessarily very expensive. If you want good light, use large softboxes on your speedlites.

Light is often the most important thing to update. In a lot of cases the updating priorities should be: 1. light 2. lens 3 camera.

I need wisdom from this community. Budget is a pretty big deal for me I need to spend money on paint and materials and not always new camera gear. The gallery hires a super photographer for show catalogs, but I need a good option for myself. So I can send applications that look good etc on my own. I am reading about mirrorless cameras too...to open another can of worms.

Totaly irrelevant in your case. A mirrorless camera does not have a better sensor because it is mirrorless. Just choose the best lens+camera combination. If you buy used gear, a dslr is perfect, a mirrorless too.

Is would a new 50mm lens be okay or should I just upgrade to a new system? Lets stress the word newbie, I basically put it on the auto setting but have some manual experience.

Looking around at different 50mm lenses I am confused at which to choose. Sigma... Canon... other makes? Thoughts? I am told lens quality is actually one of the biggest issue overlooked by many.

If:

- you can use a tripod

- there is enough room for a 50mm on an aps-c camera. (50mm is a little zoomed in, so you need to be able to back up to get everything in the frame. You can test this with your zoom lens.  )

You could even use a 50mm f/1.8 stm lens on your existing camera. This is a very affordable lens. It is also usable at full frame for if you want to update your camera later. Buy it.

I would also investigat if  2 speedlites, a trigger for your speedlites, 2 tripods for your speedlites,  and 2 large softboxes will work in your case to improve the light. Yongnuo is affordable. sometimes things come in kits.

Thanks, M

Anon_camnew1 wrote:

Hello

Big welcome to the forum M!

I have a canon EOS Rebel T1i

The good news is that I can tell you from experience that the T1i is entirely capable of recording archival quality images of artwork (I shot with the 50D for years, which has the same sensor as the T1i). A few tweaks is all you might need.

That said, you might certainly enjoy all of the improvements that a new camera would bring (such as a tilt screen). But IMHO a new camera wouldn't be essential to accomplishing your stated aims.

I am a painter, so I only use this camera to shoot work in the studio for stuff like catalogs and online documentation.

Though it may seem to be a pretty straightforward task at first glance, just like the other visual arts there is a bit of competence necessary to achieve (if not the best results) then at least adequate results. Don't worry though, it's not nearly as hard as working with watercolors!

This year a professional photographer documented my work and I was blown away by the quality granted he had a set up of lights...

This may be irrelevant... but lighting situation in the studio, lots of artificial light and about 40% norther daylight I used to do the two tungesten lights at 45 degrees but now I just flood the whole studio and it seemed to work okay until I saw the pros photos.

Actually (without seeing some samples) I'd hazard a guess that lighting would in fact be the biggest consideration for you. In particular the color of the light. Being a painter, you're likely to notice that the color of the two light sources (northlight and tungsten) are very different, and can never be balanced within the same image (without something like color-balancing gels placed on the lights). It's important to maintain consistent color balance from all sources.

I'd suggest replacing the bulbs in the tungsten lights with 5000K - 6500K CFLs or LEDs. These will balance with the window light and give you nice consistent color. These are the ones I like to use (they're fairly sizable)...

105 Watt CFL Bulbs

These particular bulbs actually measure 140 watts, and have a very high (lumens) output.

You should also set a Custom White Balance in the camera (using a white piece of paper) in order to make sure the color reproduction is faithful.

Also vary the light ratio (unbalanced output) between the two lights if you want to emphasize the texture/brush-strokes etc.

Depending on your paintings' surface, you might want to put a polarizing filter on the lens in order to minimize unwanted highlights (bright spots) caused by the lighting.

And as mentioned previously, a tripod would be ideal for this type of work (I'd say necessary with the equipment under discussion).

In ending the session I complained my own photos are a hair blurry and he looked at my camera and lens. Off that bat he he said I needed a 50 mm lens thats full frame and that a 35 mm might be okay enough. I have a standard 18-55mm general canon lens now.

A lens like the 18-55 should be stopped down (aperture at ~f/8) to give you adequate depth of field and corner-to-corner sharpness, and an appropriate focal length chosen to minimize distortions. To give you the most control, shoot in Manual Exposure mode (just check your shots on the LCD as you go). Make sure you don't overexpose.

Shooting using the back LCD (with Exposure Simulation) will give you a good idea of what the exposure will be before you even take the shot. And the autofocus will be the most accurate. Don't zoom after you focus though, as this lens is not parfocal (it'll change focus as you zoom).

Looking around at different 50mm lenses I am confused at which to choose. Sigma... Canon... other makes? Thoughts? I am told lens quality is actually one of the biggest issue overlooked by many.

If the recommended settings still yield unsharp images with your kit lens, then the aforementioned 35 or 50 would be good choices. Personally I'd go with the 50mm STM (if the coverage is adequate). Shoot at f/8. Avoid wider focal lengths than 35mm so you minimize distortion.

in walking through the local tech store I noticed all kinds of new Nikons, Sony etc and I have been reading about better sensors too etc... since my model was new.

I can't lie here; these new camera are FUN to use. You might actually find lots of other applications for your new toy!

Budget is a pretty big deal for me I need to spend money on paint and materials and not always new camera gear.

Yup, those darn art supplies will break the bank! See if improvements in lighting and shooting technique can give you the results you desire. If not, then upgrade the lens first (that 50 STM provides a lot of bang for the buck!).

I am reading about mirrorless cameras too...to open another can of worms.

Primary benefits are size and usability. All these cameras are perfectly capable for what you are doing. It really comes down to personal preference. Try the various cameras out before you buy though!

I basically put it on the auto setting but have some manual experience.

Keep shooting Manual. You'll love the consistency, customizability, and repeatability.

Happy shooting to you! Best of luck,

R2

Anon_camnew1 wrote:

I am looking into the softboxes too. I see flash diffuser sets, this is probably not difussed enough for larger paintings?

Me personally I'd use "hotlights" for this (and BIG softboxes).  Six foot minimum.  Fill them with the aforementioned CFLs.

You want to make sure you have even illumination on objects that big.  Not just corner to corner, but also edges to center (inverse square law).

R2

Anon_camnew1 wrote:

Okay all order put in, a question though regarding speedlights. I sure appreciate the expertise and feedback from everyone! I am not sure I need to open a new thread but I'll continue the conversation.

Speedlights always confused me when a photographer would come over, if you had to choose an affordable kit for my 500d, what would you choose?. And what do those little boxes do. Using them seems intimidating.

I would also investigat if 2 speedlites, a trigger for your speedlites, 2 tripods for your speedlites, and 2 large softboxes will work in your case to improve the light. Yongnuo is affordable. sometimes things come in kits.

I am looking into the softboxes too. I see flash diffuser sets, this is probably not difussed enough for larger paintings?

Thanks again for all the feedback!

M

I use speedlites + triggerr of the brand Yongnuo. YN685 speedlites with trigger YN622C-TX. They came all together in a set. But maybe the advice from other forum members is more usefull here than my advice. I use them for family pictures, and i don't worry about color temperature so much.

What i like about my speedlites and trigger is the trigger stears directly the speed lites without the need of receivers (and batteries for that etc.). And i can use TTL and still make exposure compensation adjustments to each flash individually.

For your job TTL might be not so important as your art work (i assume) won't walk away so there is time enough to try for the right settings.

Anon_camnew1 wrote:

Thanks Thunderstorm, very helpful. Ha, and yes, the works will not be walking away.

But if you want control of the color temperature to avoid to big differences in color temperature with the available light something different could be better, but i don't have the knowledge or experience to help you with this.

Canon makes an EF-S 60mm macro lens which might be better for what you’re doing. Macro lenses tend to have better “flat field” performance — that is, consistent edge-to-edge focus across something flat, such as a painting.

The lighting is obviously critical, and you should get a super-solid tripod — if you have room, get an old used beast of a tripod, and use sandbags to stabilize the legs even more. Make sure it won’t vibrate from when you walk on the floor. Use a timer or cable release. Use mirror lockup if your camera supports it.

Anon_camnew1 wrote:

Thanks R2, when you say big softboxes, do you mean something like this? Im based in Germany thus the .de url. But you can see the pics.

https://www.amazon.de/Fotostudio-Dauerlicht-Tageslicht-Energiesparlampe-Transporttasche/dp/B00B5IB2MG/ref=sr_1_20_sspa?s=ce-de&ie=UTF8&qid=1535898755&sr=1-20-spons&keywords=softboxes&psc=1

Thanks, M

I always recommend using a light source at least as large as your subject. For instance, for full-length portraits I use 6 foot softboxes (180cm). They provide a nice soft even light, as exhibited here.

They come in different styles and I use the one stuffed with the aforementioned big CFLs (I use "hot lights" for stationary subjects, and strobes for moving subjects). If you use these for your 9' paintings, you'd need to move them far enough away from your painting in order to distribute light evenly (likely what the pro did).

With a smaller softbox (like the one you linked to) you'd have to be even more careful to get the light distributed evenly. If you can, use 4 of them for best coverage, or move them yet further away.

If you do use smaller softboxes and have trouble getting the corners lit evenly, you might try shooting multiple exposures, with the lights in different positions, then combine during Post Processing. This gets to be more complicated though (and you need to have a darn stable tripod).

Actually I am switching my studio lighting all over to 5000k, but right now its mixed between that and the whitest neutral light I could find previously but at least it stays away from blue hues.

Just make sure the light temperature is consistent between All  sources. This is paramount.

I am using the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Photo system which works pretty well and saved me hours of minor adjustments.

Bingo. Glad to hear it. Also do the Custom White Balance thing to speed your workflow even further.

That said I still have yet to calibrate my computer screen with a Spyder or thing like that.

Spyders are fast and easy!  A must-have.

Best of luck to you,

R2

"a hair blurry"

Are you using a tripod?

Steve