Do I need to go wider?

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Felix_Nights

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Hi there

I'm a graphic designer shooting artwork I'm looking to achieve overhead shots like this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uniteditions/5099255718/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uniteditions/3883652069/

and also some detail shots like this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/photographybybuild/3706248761/in/set-72157607374651867

Im using a Nikon D3100 with a 50mm 1.8G lens - which is great - but when it comes to the overhead shots it seems I'm have to go really far from the artwork to capture a shot.

Do I need to go wider?

What about the Nikon 60mm Macro F2.8?
It looks perfect for the close shots?

Thanks
 
That's two questions then. Yes, the 60 will be great for close-ups, and I'd buy the 35 1.8g too.
 
I'd say go wider, the 35mm sounds like a good idea. The macro will have better detail close up, but it has a narrower view than the 50, so you could end up being further away.

35mm or 28 is my bet! :)
 
60mm wont server your purpose. you need wider than 50mm, so you need something along what the above posts have recommended
 
Thanks for the advice everyone.

Is the 35mm 1.8G noticably wider than the 50mm 1.8G?

Or would I be better of going wider still to the Nikon 28mm F2.8D
 
Felix_Nights said:
Thanks for the advice everyone.

Is the 35mm 1.8G noticably wider than the 50mm 1.8G?

Or would I be better of going wider still to the Nikon 28mm F2.8D
Click to expand...

It's, um, 15mm wider... It should be wide enough, but only you can judge that by popping into a shop and trying one. It's a better lens than the 28mm though.
 
60mm is all you need for those - and a couple flashes to light it up properly.

Anything wider is really not justified and will cause many further problems with distortion and / or lighting. btw I have done similar work and never always used 50 or 85mm or 100mm macro primes
 
I'm a designer too and shot my printed work with a 50mm equiv. I did have to get quite high though. The problem with going too wide is it might start to distort any sort of grid you have in the actual work. I'd say 35mm would be fine though.
 
Buy a ladder, its cheaper than a new lens :lol:
 
+1 for the 60mm macro. These should be shot from a tripod / copy stand and easily lit with 45 degree angled light from 2 sides. And yes you definitely want to light these with flash or at least good 100 CRI lamps.

I would recommend shooting tethered, so you can see the image on the laptop screen and adjust focus to be exactly right without touching the camera itself.

If they are too big to shoot from overhead, just hang them on the wall?
 
Thanks for the replies.

Yes, i've got my flash lighting/colorama/ set up perfect. And i'm getting great results with the 50mm for some shots. The problem is doing overhead shots. Even with artwork flat on the floor and the tripod at full height I can only just squeeze in and A4 brochure to the frame.

I guess I'm best trying the 60mm Macro and the 35mm. Thanks for narrowing it down!
 
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