topic Re: photographing paintings in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

photographing paintings

pepper32 — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 04:56:37 GMT

I am trying to take high quality photos of paintings. i would like to have 1900 pixels on the longest side. is this possible with my cannon EOS rebel t6?

Re: photographing paintings

jaewoosong — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 06:13:22 GMT

Key thing is good, even lighting. Shoot at the sweet spot of your particular lens, not wide open, usually several stops down. Use a tripod and a timer to avoid hand shaking.

Re: photographing paintings

AtticusLake — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 08:07:30 GMT

You can easily find this by looking at your camera's specs, which you can find online pretty easily (if you don't have the manual to hand). For example: https://sg.canon/en/support/6200330100

According to that, in the highest resolution mode, the pictures will be 17.9 megapixels (5184 x 3456) -- easily more than what you're asking for. And this is good, because a camera's "pixels" are actually interpolated from photosites on the sensor, so the true level of detail will be less than that.

Just make sure the camera is in the highest resolution mode, i.e. "L". RAW would be even better , if you have the software to handle and process RAW images in post.

Re: photographing paintings

Waddizzle — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 11:30:12 GMT

@pepper32 wrote:
I am trying to take high quality photos of paintings. i would like to have 1900 pixels on the longest side. is this possible with my cannon EOS rebel t6?

I would not consider 1900 pixels on the longest side to be a “high quality” photography. That is roughly the same resolution as Full HD video, which is roughly equivalent to a 2MP image.

Re: photographing paintings

unclejace54 — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 12:38:24 GMT

If you are photographing in museums that have rules about tripods, make sure your shutter speed is fixed to at least 1/focal length, i.e a 50mm focal length would be 1/60s. Good luck. I have had some success with a point and shoot, which is much lighter than a DSLR, in a museum environment.

Re: photographing paintings

ebiggs1 — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 15:29:57 GMT

" is this possible with my cannon EOS rebel t6?"

Yes it is. I would use large Raw format. I suppose you are using the kit lens. I would stop it down one stop from wide open. Use Av mode, One shot. Average WB. ISO will depend on lighting but I certainly world prefer lower than higher numbers. For the best results you need a post editor. There you can tweak the picture and set the size requirements you desire.

Whenever you take a picture the camera catches everything at its highest resolution. When you select a certain file format like Raw or jpg you tell the camera how much of that data you want to keep. If you are not at large Raw, data is simply deleted from the saved file. If you select jpg the camera in addition compresses the file and deletes all that unnecessary data. The problem here is the camera decides what to keep and what to throw away. With Raw and a post editor you decide. Canon offers DPP4 as a free option for a good editor.

Re: photographing paintings

Tintype_18 — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 23:23:09 GMT

Some museums do not allow flash, either. Good info on the tripod. Monopod OK?

Re: photographing paintings

jaewoosong — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 23:29:35 GMT

you can get away with a "string monopod" but there are grip/posture combos that can help take steady pics vs normal 2 arms out to side.

Re: photographing paintings

ebiggs1 — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 15:02:36 GMT

You should hold your arms close to your body for steady photos not out.