Chadp Loc: Virginia Beach

I am not sure you will be stepping up from an iPhone camera. I use Geniius scan on my iPhone. It automatically highlights the image outline, takes the pic and converts to pdf without my input. It will also save it as a jpg if you don’t want pdf. But pdf is usually preferred for documents. The only advantage I can think of in using a higher resolution camera and saving as an image file would be to show the imperfections or perhaps watermarks of the paper.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

I’m on Team Cellphone for this. Other than that I’d probably go with the 18-140 if all you need are the addresses. Unless it’s pretty dark it should work because high ISO shouldn’t be a problem.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Not sure what the ultimate use of these images will be. Another option: One of the Aps on my iPhone that I use most is TurboScan. It uses the iPhone camera to take three images, which it merges to optimize sharpness, and can then either create a jpg or a pdf file. These can be cropped in-Ap and then sent via message or email. I use this for receipts, contracts, etc., and then email the pdf files to store on my computer.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

BYOL! Brig Your Own Lights. You really can't depend on the overhead lighting in a storeroom or office, etc. If you want even, clean, dependable and consistent light- do it right!

See this link for good inexpensive lighting gear:

https://smithvictor.com/product-category/lighting/lights/photoflood-lights/

If you get the clamp-on fixtures, all you need is a couple of chairs and a simple improvised copy board.

Don't use a wide-angle focal length. You won't need all that much space to copy envelopes with and normal or slightly longer lens.

Stick with one lens, do all the similar size envelopes in batches. Move the camera in and out to accommodate different size batches. Establish the exposure. If some pieces are faded or darker, bracket the exposure. Keep everything flat and parallel.

When you pose a question, folks will make well-meaning suggestions, some of which do not pertain to every word in your post. Scanners are frequently used in document reproduction. Using a camera for copy work and line-copy reproduction is a good alternative method if you do it correctly. At the end of the day, you are the final arbiter of which method and gear that you use.

2 lights, each at 45 degrees, equidistant for the subject. Check for even light with a meter.
A time-honoured method used by professional photographers, archivists, museums, etc.

Good luck with the project!

fetzler Loc: North West PA

For this task you want a macro lens. Macro lenses have a flat field of focus ( this results in a sharp center and edges). Macro lenses have no barrel or pincushion distortion. A copy stand with appropriate lighting is super handy too. For your 7500 the Nikkor 60, 85, or 105mm lens should work. I would likely choose the 85mm. The subject to camera position is determined by the focal length.

Zoom lenses usually have rather bad pincushion and barrel distortion.


Having said all of this, have you considered using a scanner or copy machine? This might be much easier.

bobfitz Loc: Kendall-Miami, Florida

I use a Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro with great results.

flasfill Loc: Sandy Springs GA

Suggest you consider an LED ring light. I purchased on a few years ago for less than $30.00. It came with several adapters so it mounts to moat all of my lenses, especially my 60mm macro.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I have decades of experience photographing everything from flat art to photos to book pages and covers to stamps and coins. The following assumes you want pro-grade images.

Here are the basics:

Keep your camera parallel to the envelopes (art, photos, film, whatever). Use a tripod or copy stand. Use the self-timer for two seconds to avoid vibrations (a real problem in macro work!).

Use two identical lights, one on each side of the art, equidistant, at a 45° angle. BE SURE they have a CRI of 95 or higher if you want the best color. I use a couple of Viltrox L-116t video LED panels (around $100 for the pair), but a pair of clamp lamps and 5500K LED bulbs from Home Depot will work okay in a pinch (I have used them). If your lights are adjustable like the Viltrox, choose maximum output and around 4400K. (That uses both the yellow and blue LEDs at close to full brightness.)

METER your lights all across the surface of your copy area. Get the exposure even to 1/6 stop if possible. You can use a hand-held meter if you have one, OR, photograph a sheet of white paper as large as the largest object you will photograph, and adjust the lights until the image looks perfectly even.

Use a short macro lens if you intend to do lots of this. They are FLAT FIELD, for extremely low distortion, and made to copy flat objects. On DX Nikons, that's a 40mm Micro Nikkor.

Alternatively, test the glass you have, and use the lens that gives you a combination of closest focus, least distortion, and sharpest image.

You need little to no depth of field, so stop down between two and three stops from wide open. That is most often the sharpest aperture on most lenses.

Set the lowest NORMAL ISO possible (no "extended range" ISO).

Compose your image. Focus. Then replace it with a photographic gray card (see below).

Adjust the shutter in FULL manual mode to get a normal exposure of a photographic gray card* (Delta-1 8x10 cards are around ten bucks at B&H or Adorama).

* The exposure is normal when you fill the frame or metering area with the gray card and make a test exposure that centers the spike of gray.

Use the gray card to perform a CUSTOM, or MANUAL, or PRESET white balance. Then check the exposure to be sure you have a narrow spike in the center of the histogram.

Do not change the exposure unless you raise or lower the camera relative to the art.

Copy it! Remove the gray card, put the art back, and fire away.

For quick-and-dirty work, JPEGs based on a custom white balance and manual gray card-metered exposure should be fine. If you want post-processing control, save raw files and post-process them.

User ID

Three images merged for sharpness ? Mothball the SLR, get with the phone !

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Since the iPhone 7 Plus, the cameras in them do a GREAT job of casual close-up work. The phone has a built-in stabilizer that keeps the image sharp, even in normal room lighting. I use it all the time for grocery lists and wine bottle labels and appliance nameplates (serial and model numbers).

mrmal Loc: Saskatoon, Sask, Canada

Scanner Pro app on your iPhone. Fast, easy to use and god results without any shadow effect .

Modnar Loc: Batley' West Yorkshire, UK

This is not an answer to your question but the suggestion for an alternative. The Czur device is a terrific piece of kit for rapidly scanning documents of varying sorts rapidly and accurately. I have had one for a year now and find it indispensable.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

You are correct lots of answers.
Looks like limited time for some reason.
Use your and 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 zoom.
Before going in for the real thing do this at home and practice hand holding seeing as a tripod is not an option.
Then you will see what YOUR capability is doing this.
Then for laughs do the same thing with your cell phone.
Lighting will only be an issue if it is nearly totally dark and you need an ISO so high that the address becomes illegible.
This is not fine art but quick and dirty recording legible information.
I do similar things with my cell phone and camera with a 24-105mm to record panel box schedules and data and HVAC units data panels.
Some rooms are not lighted as the building is shut down and the flash works great.
Bottom line what you have will work wonderfully for the quick acquisition of data and remember, practice at home first.

peter.zimmerman

Many years ago I did a lot of this for a project on early ballistic missiles, V2 and some US birds. I did use a genuine Minox and copy stand and AGFA microfilm (copex). I was working from first generation drawings. Were I doing it again, I would get a good quality macro lens that fit my system.

Balanced lighting, left to right, is crucial; if you don’t know the power situation, invest in a couple of battery powered ones. You’ll use them more than you think. If you have hundreds of shots to make your back will thank you for a copy stand.

Pardon typos; I’m in the hospital for at least another week, and have lines and tubes entangling my extremities.

Why the Minox? A) Fun and B) I had to sneak in the camera;the archive made money selling xerox copies. The Smithsonian had no such hangups.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

The reason you got a recommendation for all of your lenses is that they all suck for this purpose. Zoom lenses have lots of barrel and pincushion distortion and the 35mm lens may not focus close enough and has a short working distance.