Camera recommendation for shooting artwork

SaraSakr · Dec 29, 2014

Hello, I need help with choosing camera for my artwork photography. However, a DSLR (which is generally recommended for this purpose) is way above the budget I set for this. So I'm wondering what point and shoot cameras in the market can have a filter attached to them (so I can attach a cpl to it)? Is there any other way I can eliminate glare with a p&s?

Appreciate your help,
Sara

Light Guru · Dec 29, 2014

Glare is not an issue of the camera it is an issue with how you light the artwork. Any camera that gives you manual exposure control should be fine, but your going to need to learn how to properly light the art to get good results.

snowbear · Dec 29, 2014

Diffused lighting is important, as is the angle of the light(s) in relation to the art work and camera; you shouldn't need a filter. Try to get a copy of "Light, Science and Magic."

SaraSakr · Jan 1, 2015

Thanks for your responses. I tried diffused light at 45° angle with the painting, but still the surface isn't 100% without glare.

@snowbear: will check this book, thank you.

JoeW · Jan 1, 2015

SaraSakr said:
Thanks for your responses. I tried diffused light at 45° angle with the painting, but still the surface isn't 100% without glare.

@snowbear: will check this book, thank you.

Hi Sara--Happy New Year to you!

It would be helpful to get a better idea of what kind of artwork photos you're shooting. You mention glare but I wonder if there are other challenges. And some suggestions we might have (like using a soft box/diffused lighting/scrim) might not apply if you're shooting in a gallery.

Okay--you can get cheap filters to fit over a point-and-shoot. You can even create a DIY filter system if all you want to be able to do is shoot particular art for reference purposes. If glare is a problem, that's mostly a situation with lighting. Don't use direct pop-up flashes (if you can, put it on a tripod). The angle of the lighting and that you shoot at matters too (thus the recommendations for "Light: Science and Magic").

And actually, you can get some used DSLRs that are no longer top-of-the-line but would be fine for positioning on a tripod and then doing an extended exposure in ambient light. You can buy a Nikon D70 in good shape for as little as $70 off of E-bay.