Newbie setup for capturing objects like brushstrokes?

tinear10 · Post by **tinear10** » Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:12 pm

Hello all! I am so glad I found this forum. My goal is to create a microscopic image of objects like brush strokes on canvas or wood. I own an older Cannon EOS 20D. I would love to heat some equipment recommendations for a microscope, adapter, lighting etc. as well as some technique tips.

My budget to start out would be $800 to $1000.

Thank you.

ChrisR · Post by **ChrisR** » Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:20 pm

HI!
What field of view would you want to cover?
Would the subject be a whole painting?
Would you want only perpendicular views, or oblique too?
What lens(es) do you have that fit your Canon - including telephotos?
(Micromosaics would be interesting!)

And - it might sound odd, but how good do you want the qualilty. I mean, is it for prints a mile wide, or only for web display?

tinear10 · Post by **tinear10** » Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:31 pm

I do not need to take the whole painting. Just random and hopefully interesting sections.
I own a Cannon EF 28-135mm Lens already.

I would like to capture how the paint interacts with the canvas and with other paint. I want to see the layers of color and the pits and nooks of the canvas.

SONYNUT · Post by **SONYNUT** » Mon Jan 24, 2011 5:13 pm

first try a reverse ring...lets you hook your lens on the camera backwards....at most you'll be out 20 bucks but it may do what you need before you go nuts on other stuff

OR a macro tube set

tinear10 · Post by **tinear10** » Tue Jan 25, 2011 9:43 am

I ordered a revers ring. This makes a of of sense. Thank you for the recommendation.

ChrisR · Post by **ChrisR** » Tue Jan 25, 2011 1:28 pm

There's some stuff here about simply reversing a lens: http://photomacrography.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11491.
You may well find that the depth of field you get is less than the curvature of the field, because the lenses aren't meant to be used this close. Stacking will largely overcome that, but your camera-holding ability becomes an issue for multiplle shots. If you use a set-up nearer its designed parameters, you should be working with a flatter field which may need only one exposure of a flat subject.

You might consider a "leitz" pattern stand, as mentioned in the middle of this thread;
http://photomacrography.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=56026.
The stand fixes to a ring on the front of your lens (so would need some simple adapters etc). If you replace the legs with round head (e.g. roofing) bolts with soft layer stuck on, you can carefully hold the arrangement against a painting without damaging it, for a predetermined magnification.

tinear10 · Post by **tinear10** » Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:32 pm

Thank you for the suggestions. So much to learn!

Does a set up like this make sense? The pictures of the set up are towards the bottom.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eurythyrea/5292967415/

ChrisLilley · Post by **ChrisLilley** » Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:57 pm

tinear10 wrote:Thank you for the suggestions. So much to learn!

Does a set up like this make sense? The pictures of the set up are towards the bottom.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eurythyrea/5292967415/

How big is the painting you want to photograph? With the setup shown, which is a standard one for small objects like insects, the vertical upright does not get in the way at all. For taking close up views of a painting, you would be limited to areas near the edge of the painting.

It depends what you are doing, though. If you working for an art gallery and photographing portions of whole paintings in frames, you need a setup that allows close, stable access to any part of a very large object. If you are doing research on paint interactions and you are photographing small pieces of canvas on which you have added different types of paint as tests, you can make the samples a much more convenient size.

tinear10 · Post by **tinear10** » Tue Jan 25, 2011 3:01 pm

Very good question regarding the size of the painting. I will be doing the brushstrokes myself on canvas and then taking the pictures. I can use very small sections of canvas.

ChrisR · Post by **ChrisR** » Tue Jan 25, 2011 3:31 pm

I can use very small sections of canvas.

Ah! An answer to my question in post one line two!
For something like that you might consider using a bellows-mounted slide copier, if you don't have a macro stand or more elaborate rig.
They have the advantage of a rigid connection between the camera and subject. Something like a 50mm f/2.8 El-nikkor reversed, would be good for about 2 to 4 or 5x magnification in that setup. For more, you can use 4-5x microscope objectives. I wouldn't have thought you'd need 10x, but that would be OK too.