Which lens for a tattoo artist?

wud

wud

Senior Member
I really dont know much about indoor photography, but been asked which lens a tattoo artist should go for. He is trying out my 50mm lens and before he had the 18-55mm, he use it on a crop camera.

He does big tattoos, like the whole back and/or a whole arm/leg.


I am thinking my 50mm wont work, that he needs something a little wider, but not so wide that it will give distortion? Could 35mm be an idea?
 
BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Depending on how much room he has to shoot the 50mm will likely work fine. My 18-105mm lives on my D7000, and will likely give him all the range he needs for everything from full body to close-ups. A little more money, but a lot more flexible.
 
Browncoat

Browncoat

Senior Member
80mm is the sweet spot for portraiture, so I see no reason why it wouldn't work for large-scale tattoo work. Any "walk around" zoom lens should do the trick, like BDH's 18-105 suggested above. I suppose a 50mm would work in a pinch, but I would definitely avoid wide angle lenses due to distortion at close ranges.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
I've shot some tattoo events and my 35mm f/1.8 worked just fine. A 50mm would have worked just as well, however.

Assuming we're talking about capturing shots of the work, specifically, depth of field is not of over-riding concern while good color rendition and detail capture is paramount. That being the case either of the above lenses would be go-to's in my opinion because they're fast and sharp, sharp, sharp.

If the the 15mm difference makes or breaks your shooting, I assure you it's not the fault of the chosen lens.
 
wud

wud

Senior Member
LouCioccio said:
Take look here. Not sure if the EXIF is stripped.

tattoo photography on Tumblr

Is this similar what he wants to present in his art more than likely a book?

Ciao,
​Lou Cioccio
Click to expand...

No, clean shots, nothing creative about it (apart from, that guy can really draw). They cut of the sides, so its only the tattoo part showing - like this: tattoo

BackdoorHippie said:
Depending on how much room he has to shoot the 50mm will likely work fine. My 18-105mm lives on my D7000, and will likely give him all the range he needs for everything from full body to close-ups. A little more money, but a lot more flexible.
Click to expand...

Around 7-8 foot. So not much space. Maybe you are right about a zoom.

Horoscope Fish said:
I've shot some tattoo events and my 35mm f/1.8 worked just fine. A 50mm would have worked just as well, however.

Assuming we're talking about capturing shots of the work, specifically, depth of field is not of over-riding concern while good color rendition and detail capture is paramount. That being the case either of the above lenses would be go-to's in my opinion because they're fast and sharp, sharp, sharp.

If the the 15mm difference makes or breaks your shooting, I assure you it's not the fault of the chosen lens.
Click to expand...

He said, he felt he had to get pretty far away, but Im not sure which range he used at his kit zoom. But maybe 35-40mm would suit him better, if not the 18-105.

​
 
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