What lens and setup should I use to photograph large paintings on a Nikon D800 with minimal distortion?
Asked 11/16/2012
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I photograph my own paintings, including large pieces around 36x60 inches with visible texture. Using a Nikon D800 and a 50mm f/1.8, I’m seeing distortion that I didn’t notice as much when I used a Canon T2i with a 50mm f/1.8. Since the D800 is full frame, would a different lens help, or is this mainly a shooting/setup issue? I’m looking for the best way to capture artwork accurately with minimal distortion.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
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There's a somewhat similar question here, although it was more geared towards which camera was better I still think there's some value in looking into it for other misc info.
As for distortion, pretty much every lens has distortion, the difference is that it's sometimes a bit more obvious in certain lens due to its design. Fortunately something like this is easily fixed. Correct it in software. There's no shortage of software that helps you do this, Lightroom, Gimp, Photoshop, etc.... In Lightroom there are presets for most common lens so it makes it a snap to correct.
You could also use a different lens, probably check out some reviews online to find out if the lens has lot of distortion.
Originally by user11885. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11885
13y ago
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A different lens may help, but your issue is likely a mix of full-frame coverage, perspective/setup, and normal lens distortion.
On the T2i, the crop sensor used mostly the center of the 50mm lens, where distortion is usually lower. On the D800, the full frame uses more of the lens image circle, so distortion can be more noticeable.
Best approach:
- Keep the camera perfectly level and exactly parallel to the artwork. Misalignment causes perspective distortion.
- Step back a bit and crop rather than filling the entire frame edge-to-edge. The D800 has plenty of resolution, and this uses more of the lens’s “sweet spot.”
- Apply lens correction in software such as Lightroom, Photoshop/Camera Raw, GIMP, etc. Many programs include lens profiles that make this easy.
If you shop for another lens, look for one known for low distortion, but even then careful alignment and software correction are still important. For artwork reproduction, setup accuracy matters at least as much as lens choice.
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