Hi folks, I am new to the forum so hello everyone. I have had my D5000 for several years. It came with a pair of standard lenses AF-S Nikkor 18-55 1:3.5 - 5.6G and 55-200 1:4-5.6G ED. I purchased a Nikkor Micro 60mm 1:2.8 G ED which I use for photographing archival documents. I would really appreciate some advice about upgrading lenses so that I get an appreciable improvement and also get good value for money. Mostly I use the camera to record casual family events, but occasionally I need to take images for historical purposes. I intend to get serious about using Photoshop and so I need good raw images to work on. I found that looking at what was available in catalogues etc was too confusing at my level of experience so the advice of folk like you who have "been there, done that" sounds like a sensible option. Regards, Jennifer
D5000
- Thread starter jaznjjj
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Englischdude
Senior Member
Hi and welcome.
Before answering your question can you explain why you think you are being held back with the lenses you have.
Before answering your question can you explain why you think you are being held back with the lenses you have.
There are lot of factors involved in archival photography. First of all what sort of archiving
1. Flat works - books and paintings.
2. 3-D works like statues.
3. Architectural works - both indoor and outdoor.
Each of these has different requirements. There are a few common requirements though
. For flat work you need a flat field of view and simple or no distortion. Complex distortion will not do.
. Low or zero chromatic aberration. Even though a lot of it can be corrected, but that degrades the over all image quality.
. Uniform illumination. For these you will need diffused light.
Now for the lenses.
. Many older manual focus lenses of F4 or smaller aperture are available for copy work. These lenses have a flat field of view and are well corrected for working at copying distances.
. Zooms are rarely without complex distortion. Though the distortion may not be noticeable in normal photographs, these show up in copy and architectural works. So confine yourself to primes.
. One method adopted by many is to use an adapter with the older enlarger lenses. These are extremely well corrected and have a flat field.
Here are some links
Studio Photography: Copying Artwork
Which Lense for Photographing Artwork??? [Archive] - Large Format Photography Forum
Canon 1Ds Mklll. Best copy lens for repro work?
The general consensus is that a macro lense is best for copy work, and the longer FL are easier to use than the shorter ones. Which means the best option is the 180 to 200mm macro. That will allow sufficient distance for uniform illumination.
For Architectural work a TS (Tilt shift) lense is best as it will correct for perspective distortion in the image itself. Though you can do it in software, you loose a lot of IQ in the process.
1. Flat works - books and paintings.
2. 3-D works like statues.
3. Architectural works - both indoor and outdoor.
Each of these has different requirements. There are a few common requirements though
. For flat work you need a flat field of view and simple or no distortion. Complex distortion will not do.
. Low or zero chromatic aberration. Even though a lot of it can be corrected, but that degrades the over all image quality.
. Uniform illumination. For these you will need diffused light.
Now for the lenses.
. Many older manual focus lenses of F4 or smaller aperture are available for copy work. These lenses have a flat field of view and are well corrected for working at copying distances.
. Zooms are rarely without complex distortion. Though the distortion may not be noticeable in normal photographs, these show up in copy and architectural works. So confine yourself to primes.
. One method adopted by many is to use an adapter with the older enlarger lenses. These are extremely well corrected and have a flat field.
Here are some links
Studio Photography: Copying Artwork
Which Lense for Photographing Artwork??? [Archive] - Large Format Photography Forum
Canon 1Ds Mklll. Best copy lens for repro work?
The general consensus is that a macro lense is best for copy work, and the longer FL are easier to use than the shorter ones. Which means the best option is the 180 to 200mm macro. That will allow sufficient distance for uniform illumination.
For Architectural work a TS (Tilt shift) lense is best as it will correct for perspective distortion in the image itself. Though you can do it in software, you loose a lot of IQ in the process.
The main reason for wishing to upgrade is peer pressure - several other more serious photographers I have come across have shaken their heads and indicated that the lenses I have (other than the micro/macro I purchased later) are just run-of-the-mill lenses which come with the package. I am not experienced enough to know the difference and not in a position to do comparisons. That is why I asked about significant improvement and value for money. If the difference in quality is minute but extremely costly then I probably don't need to upgrade.
Flat work archival: This mostly involves copying documents at the State Records Office. Often these are fragile, have been folded for over one hundred years and cannot easily/safely be flattened, even with an assistant. They are often nested together and have to be carefully separated and returned to the same position for return to storage. They are mostly photographed for later study so legibility is of prime importance, bearing in mind the writing has often faded, and the paper deteriorated.
Flat work photographs: Copying old family photographs, some of which go back to the late 1800s. A number of family snaps from the 1920s and 1930s. Need to share these around to family and other researchers as insurance against losing them. Study detail to help identification of individuals, such as closeups of badges, brooches etc. I do use a photographic-level scanner to do much of this.
Architectural: for example, photographing Lennox Bridge (oldest mainland bridge in Australia). Convict built from local sandstone, the graffiti vandals have really messed it up (as high as the creeps can reach) and that means some extensive photo-shopping. The sad thing about that is that sandstone is relatively fragile, so restoring after graffiti is damaging. Point of interest: years ago when visiting the U.K. watched artists sketching the stones on a section of Hadrian's wall. Why? They told us that photography was not accurate. Headstones and monuments in cemeteries and graveyards - often difficult to read.
Context shots: For instance, you have located a particular grave in a large cemetery so you take location shots which include landmarks to enable you to correlate it to a map, and to be able to find it again. These do not necessarily need to be of high quality.
It looks like I have some reading to do so thank you for those links. Jennifer
Flat work archival: This mostly involves copying documents at the State Records Office. Often these are fragile, have been folded for over one hundred years and cannot easily/safely be flattened, even with an assistant. They are often nested together and have to be carefully separated and returned to the same position for return to storage. They are mostly photographed for later study so legibility is of prime importance, bearing in mind the writing has often faded, and the paper deteriorated.
Flat work photographs: Copying old family photographs, some of which go back to the late 1800s. A number of family snaps from the 1920s and 1930s. Need to share these around to family and other researchers as insurance against losing them. Study detail to help identification of individuals, such as closeups of badges, brooches etc. I do use a photographic-level scanner to do much of this.
Architectural: for example, photographing Lennox Bridge (oldest mainland bridge in Australia). Convict built from local sandstone, the graffiti vandals have really messed it up (as high as the creeps can reach) and that means some extensive photo-shopping. The sad thing about that is that sandstone is relatively fragile, so restoring after graffiti is damaging. Point of interest: years ago when visiting the U.K. watched artists sketching the stones on a section of Hadrian's wall. Why? They told us that photography was not accurate. Headstones and monuments in cemeteries and graveyards - often difficult to read.
Context shots: For instance, you have located a particular grave in a large cemetery so you take location shots which include landmarks to enable you to correlate it to a map, and to be able to find it again. These do not necessarily need to be of high quality.
It looks like I have some reading to do so thank you for those links. Jennifer
For copying flat work - both documents and old photographs, consider acquiring an old film enlarger. These should be available for a song. The enlarger gives you a perfect flat bed for documents and a vertically traveling rig to hold the camera. A bit of modifications and you can take the enlarger head assembly out and mount your camera. Regarding lenses, macro lenses are your best bet, and side mounted soft boxes will give a uniform light. Please search the net and you will find plenty of similar DIY projects. You can also invest in a good flat piece of glass to hold the old documents flat. In case you are allowed to bring in the rig to the library, consider modifying it, so that you can either fold it or dismantle and reassemble it easily.
For Architectural work, nothing replaces TS lenses, but if finances are an issue the kit 18-55 can work. I suggest that you also photograph the graffiti. Though from the point of view of the structure it is an abomination, look at is as art, and preserve it.
For location shots the 18-55 kit lense is good enough. In fact it gives you tremendous versatility, you stand at a cardinal location and take a series of shots at 18, 24, 40 and 55mm. For precise location you can get the GPS accessory D-SLR Camera Accessories from Nikon | DSLR Video Accessories & More. Then each shot will be geotagged.
Regarding peer pressure.
People will try to give advice from their perspective, which may often not match with yours. Yes it is extremely desirable to have excellent well corrected primes and super telephotos, as they are the best for the job at hand. But life does not always give you unlimited funds and that is when you try and get the best use of what you have. I have used the kit 18-55 lense in a variety of situations, and realised that in certain cases it is excellent for the job at hand provided you know its limitations. Your camera and lenses are the best as long as you can wring the last ounce of utility from them. None of your requirements are for a fast lense, so search for older slower lenses which are well corrected at F4 to F8. Lense reviews of older lenses are there in plenty. Study them and find the most VFM lense for your hobby.
I love the idea of the GPS accessory!
While I do my homework I'll "wring the last ounce of utility from them". An enlarger sounds like a good thing to have available - even if not portable.
The image was just a "happy snap" and I've only attached a low res version. I intend to go back to the bridge and do a better job of it.
I find it very difficult to appreciate urban art in situations like this where it is so damaging. I'd appreciate it better on the walls of the vandals' own homes where it does no harm. Bridge dates from 1833. I'd hate the situation to arise where it has to be made inaccessible to protect it.
Again, many thanks.
While I do my homework I'll "wring the last ounce of utility from them". An enlarger sounds like a good thing to have available - even if not portable.
The image was just a "happy snap" and I've only attached a low res version. I intend to go back to the bridge and do a better job of it.
I find it very difficult to appreciate urban art in situations like this where it is so damaging. I'd appreciate it better on the walls of the vandals' own homes where it does no harm. Bridge dates from 1833. I'd hate the situation to arise where it has to be made inaccessible to protect it.
Again, many thanks.
Welcome to the forum, Jennifer.
If you could fill out the rest of your profile, we can better answer any questions that you might have.
You can do that at http://nikonites.com/profile.php?do=editprofile
FAQ
Some useful links
http://support.nikonusa.com/app/ans.../nikon-product-manuals-available-for-download
Nikon | Imaging Products | Digitutor
Thanks
Become a Contributing Member
If you could fill out the rest of your profile, we can better answer any questions that you might have.
You can do that at http://nikonites.com/profile.php?do=editprofile
FAQ
Some useful links
http://support.nikonusa.com/app/ans.../nikon-product-manuals-available-for-download
Nikon | Imaging Products | Digitutor
Thanks
Become a Contributing Member