Indoor Michelangio works of art photo's: I am traveling to Italy and obviously with the history in that country I want to capture the best photo's of the paintings in the museum's.

virtualman

I am traveling to Italy and obviously with the history in that country I want to capture the best photo's of the paintings in the museum's. What is the best lens to shoot with along with filters flash( if possible at times) using the Nikon D810 for now. Is there a specific portrait lens perhaps?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

virtualman wrote:

I am traveling to Italy and obviously with the history in that country I want to capture the best photo's of the paintings in the museum's. What is the best lens to shoot with along with filters flash( if possible at times) using the Nikon D810 for now. Is there a specific portrait lens perhaps?

Welcome to our forum!

Flash may not be allowed, so be prepared for that. If you think you can get close, a 50mm lens should be good, or even a moderate zoom lens. Without a flash, you will need a large aperture and higher than normal ISO. Let's see what others suggest.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Ditto what Jerry said - the fastest lens possible. Due to the crowds you will not be able to use a tripod, and many places prohibit them. For many things you will have to fight to get to the front of the crowds to get an unobstructed photo.

repleo Loc: Boston

virtualman wrote:

I am traveling to Italy and obviously with the history in that country I want to capture the best photo's of the paintings in the museum's. What is the best lens to shoot with along with filters flash( if possible at times) using the Nikon D810 for now. Is there a specific portrait lens perhaps?

I think a tilt lens might help with keeping the picture square. Most museums won't allow use of a flash or tripods so a fast lens would help. Trying to deal with reflections off of glass is a common problem too.

There are a lot of more important things to think about for a trip to Italy like carrying the smallest lightest simplest gear you can muster. A heavy camera will make you miserable in the heat. You will need a fast wide lens for exterior shots. Streets are narrow and dark.

cdayton

It will be very difficult (i.e., impossible) to get well framed images of individual works in the museums so pretty much any lens in the 50mm range will do - faster would be better if high ISO is too noisy. For the Sistine Chapel, you'll need something wider and you could get some pretty good shots.

hj Loc: Florida

Like jerryc41 said, flash may not be allowed. I believe I've read concerns that repeated flash over time may degrade the artwork.

queencitysanta Loc: Charlotte, North Carolina

Nikon 35mm 1.8

kvanhook Loc: Oriental, NC

When I was in Milan a couple of years ago they would not allow ANY photographs at all. I was watched like a hawk even though I was not trying to use flash.

fourg1b2006 Loc: Long Island New York

Hi and welcome to the forum....have a wonderful trip and enjoy.

Just Fred Loc: Darwin's Waiting Room

hj wrote:

Like jerryc41 said, flash may not be allowed. I believe I've read concerns that repeated flash over time may degrade the artwork.

This.

I'm a patron of the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. Unlike some museums, they DO allow photography in the galleries, but DO NOT allow flash. Be prepared.

cdayton

Just Fred wrote:

This.

I'm a patron of the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. Unlike some museums, they DO allow photography in the galleries, but DO NOT allow flash. Be prepared.

If you enjoy the Dali museum in St Pete, and haven't already gone, you must visit the Dali museum in Figueres, Spain that he designed and where he is buried. The St Pete museum has typical art hangings; the Figueres museum reflects Dali's mind.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

repleo wrote:

I think a tilt lens might help with keeping the picture square. Most museums won't allow use of a flash or tripods so a fast lens would help. Trying to deal with reflections off of glass is a common problem too.

There are a lot of more important things to think about for a trip to Italy like carrying the smallest lightest simplest gear you can muster. A heavy camera will make you miserable in the heat. You will need a fast wide lens for exterior shots. Streets are narrow and dark.

I was thinking the same thing. A tilt shift may even allow you some ability to shoot from higher or lower, if the crowd is a little tight while keeping the sensor parallel to the picture.

Depending on your budget Samyang has a 24mm f3.5 around $700.00 Nikon T/Ss start closer to $2K.

TomiGami

I took photos back in the film days in the Sistine Chapel. I used a six inch tripod that I held against the wall. Compose the shot, use the timer, snap image, hold the tripod steady until the snap completes.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

virtualman wrote:

I am traveling to Italy and obviously with the history in that country I want to capture the best photo's of the paintings in the museum's. What is the best lens to shoot with along with filters flash( if possible at times) using the Nikon D810 for now. Is there a specific portrait lens perhaps?

Many places will not allow photography period, and many more places will not allow Flash. Think about it, what would millions of flashes do to the colors of these old painting? Yes, you are right, they would fade in quick order if everyone was allowed to FLASH. So, I use a portrait length lens, 80-150 MM in length. I color correct for the light being used to light the work of art, up my ISO, many works of art are not covered in glass so filters are not necessary, auto white balance is for non-pro's. Make sure you color temp. is correct and shoot away. (if you are allowed)

Mainiac65 Loc: Maine

In the Sistine Chapel, photographs are not allowed and there are multiple security personnel to ensure that policy. This started after the last restoration.
Each museum has its own policy, but count on no flash or tripod.