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Re: [OM] Legacy lens for copy work, a little more explaination

Subject: Re: [OM] Legacy lens for copy work, a little more explaination
From: Bill Barber via olympus <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 2015 11:37:51 -0500
Cc: Bill Barber <nsurit@xxxxxxx>
Perhaps I should have provided a bit more explanation about what I am doing.  I 
, along with 7 others, have recently opened a gallery in the tourist town of 
Gruene, TX.  Most of the art work is two dimensional. Several of the artist 
would like to make smaller copies of their original art pieces and need digital 
files of there work.  Briefly, the set up I use is Tota lights at 45 degrees 
from the art work, with polarizing filters in front of the lights, lights and 
cameras at mid-point of of art work with everything level and polarizing filter 
on camera.  Capture in raw and converted to tiff. White balance corrected. 
Currently using e-5 and could use Sony NEX 7. Although I have a variety of 
lenses native to the digital cameras, it occurs to me perhaps an OM prime might 
offer better results without the compromises of a zoom lens.  Yes, I know I can 
test the various OM options and thought perhaps others might have some specific 
suggestions. My choices in the OM line might include the 50mm f2 macro, 50mm 
f3.5 macro, 85mm f2, 100mm f2, 100mm f2.8. Also could use the Tamron SP 90mm 
f2.5.  As noted by Moose, there is an issue with the set up causing problems. 
My concern is with lens distortion rather than the mechanical set up.  Bill 
Barber



-----Original Message-----
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Olympus Camera Discussion <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sun, Dec 20, 2015 1:05 pm
Subject: Re: [OM] Legacy lens for copy work

On 12/20/2015 9:40 AM, Jim Nichols wrote:
> Bill,
>
> I'm certainly no expert, but I have done a little of this type of work, 
> strictly for my own use. 

I have done quite a lot, most recently helping a friend prepare slides for 
University art classes he taught. Longer ago, 
I actually had a huge, custom designed/made camera built and a room built 
around it to make 4x5 slides from flat 
originals from tiny to maybe 8x10 feet. I also conceived of, helped design, had 
built and installed custom projectors to 
rear project these slides on 6x7' screens at several magnifications. I mention 
this to give my credentials for knowing 
that centering and film/subject/projection alignment is THE KEY!

> I think any lens 50mm or longer will work. 

Yup. The reason not to go shorter is that one enters retrofocus optical design 
territory, which is always less suited to 
this use. In particular, a lot of them have field curvature at closer 
distances. The 21 mm OMZs, for example, have quite 
a lot of that.

> But, more important than the lens is the alignment of the subject matter and 
> the plane of the sensor, or film, as the 
> case may be. To minimize distortion, the subject and the sensor must be 
> perfectly parallel, and the lens should be 
> level with, and centered on, the center of the subject.

Yes! Bill, it may be just the way you wrote the question, but it sounds like 
you are confabulating two quite different 
types and causes of distortion. Unsquareness, or perspective distortion, is 
near 100% caused by centering and alignment 
failure in the taking. Other lens non-linearity is solved by using lenses 
specifically designed for flat copy work.

The OMZ 50/3.5 is just excellent in this regard, as is the Tamron 90/2.5 macro 
lens. I used these two extensively.

> I find that small errors in alignment can be corrected in most photo editing 
> software, but at the expense of slightly 
> distorting the subject.  It is better to get the alignment right when taking 
> the photograph.

True today, and I do a lot of that. Near perfection may be reached even with 
pretty bad originals. This, 
<http://galleries.moosemystic.net/Brooklyn/Things/All%20Things/slides/_MG_3244corcr.html>
 for example, is the skylight 
over this stairwell. 
<http://galleries.moosemystic.net/Brooklyn/Things/All%20Things/slides/_MG_3243.html>
 Absent 
board(s) to put across the railings at the top, and permission from the guards, 
there is no way to take it straight on.

But when I was making lots of slides, it had to be right in the camera. I used 
an enlarger base and upright, converted 
to hold cameras, checked with levels for alignment. A wide range of original 
sizes and limited travel are why I used two 
lenses regularly.

With originals too large for that kind of set-up, I found the floor and a 
tripod with lateral extension useful. For 
something on the wall, levels and tape measures are your friends. Getting the 
camera/lens right vertically is fairly 
easy with them. Horizontal is trickier, and most often depends on a good 
eye.Even the slight lean forward from the 
vertical of a hung picture can make a difference, so watch that, too.

Then again, if this is digital, or to be scanned, small errors are easily 
corrected without noticeable image IQ 
deterioration.

Lighting is the other big issue. Unless working to enhance surface texture, 
lights on both sides at 45° to the subject 
seem to work best.

I know little about 4/3 lenses. For µ4/3, the 80/2.8 Macro is da bomb, but at 
160 mm eq. may not work for all 
situations. In any case, most all µ4/3 lenses (except the 80/2.8?) depend on 
correction of optical distortion in 
firm/software*, so you are never looking at the actual lens output unless using 
a converter such as DxO, with correction 
turned off, RAWTherapee, DCRaw, etc.

Been there, Done Moose

* This is an intentional part of the overall design, letting linear distortion 
go a bit to allow better correction of 
other things that can't be corrected later.

-- 
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
-- 
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