Are you struggling with taking great images of your artwork to put online? Selling art online has made it easy for artists to pursue a career doing what they love to do. The other side of the coin is that if the images of your artwork are of low quality, no one will purchase your art. I have come up with a list of 4 best digital cameras for photographing artwork to help you showcase your artwork with high-quality images.
When you take a photo of your artwork, you want to make sure that it represents the original. You do not want the buyer to be surprised when they open the package. An image that does not represent the original will only upset a customer and tarnish your business
What to look for:
- 12MP or higher
- A larger sensor size will produce a better quality image, but costs will be higher
- Image stabilization helps reduce blur (I recommend using a tripod)
- Optical viewfinder is accurate to what the camera is seeing
4 Best Digital Cameras For Photographing Artwork
The cameras listed below are recommended for artists looking to photograph their art for digital display and prints.
Canon E0s 50D Digital SLR Camera
Canon EOS 50D Digital SLR Camera Body {15.1 M/P} – With Battery and
Features:
- Well rounded camera well suited for action photography
- Robust construction with generous control amenities
- 15.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor
- APS-C sensor with 1.6x crop factor compared to 35mm size sensors
- Self Cleaning Sensor Unit with a fluorine coating
- 14-bit A to D (Analog to Digital) conversion for smooth color tones and grayscale gradations
- ISO range 100-3200 (H1: 6400, H2: 12800)
- Fast 6.3 fps (frames per second) continuous shooting
- Buffers up to 90 JPEG or 16 Raw images to CF cards
- Peripheral Illumination Correction setting automatically evens image brightness
- Bright crisp 3-inch Clear View LCD screen
- HDMI Output
- E-TTL II flash metering system with Built-in flash and hot shoe
- Compatible with the extensive line of Canon EF and EF-S Mount Lenses
Sony Cyber – Shot DSC – RX1 Digital Camera
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX1 Digital Camera {24.3 M/P} – With Battery and
Features:
- Ultra premium compact camera with astounding image quality
- Full frame 35mm format sized sensor (larger than most DSLRs)
- Large low noise sensor and 14bit A to D (Analog to Digital) processing produces ISOs up to 25,600 and excellent dynamic range
- 24.3MP (MegaPixel) resolution
- Carl Zeiss 35mm f/2.0 Sonnar T* lens produces outstanding sharpness, color, & contrast
- Dedicated lens mounted control rings for aperture, focus distance, and infinity/macro range selection
- Focuses from &inf;to 24cm or 29cm to 14cm in Macro mode
- Dedicated controls for focus mode (AF, MF, Direct MF), exposure mode, exposure compensation, focus mode, video recording, AEL (Auto Exposure Lock), & Playback
Sony Alpha SLT – A99 Digital Camera
Sony Alpha SLT-A99 Digital Camera Body {24.3 M/P} – With Battery
Features:
- Sensor Size: CMOS
- Sensor Type: 35.8 x 23.9 mm
- Resolution: 24MP; 65000 x 4000
- ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 100-6400 (Extended Mode 100-25600)
- File Formats:
- Still Images: JPEG, RAW
- Movies: MPEG-4 AVCHD
- Audio: AAC
- Lens Mount: Sony Alpha/Minolta
- Shutter Speeds: 30-1/8000 sec
Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera
Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera Body {16.3 M/P} – With Battery
Features:
- Sensor Size/Type: 1/2.33″ / CMOS
- Resolution: 4928 x 3264
- ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 100 to 12800
- File Formats: RAW, JPEG (Good, Better, Best)
- Lens Mount: Pentax KAF2
- Shutter Speeds: 30 sec – 1/8000 sec
Tripods
If you are taking images of your artwork, you will want to make sure your images are not blurry. You want the images to reflect your original art so people will feel confident buying from you online.
You might want to consider purchasing a tripod.
Manfrotto Carbon Fiber 3 – Section Tripod
Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 Carbon Fiber 3-Section Tripod Legs 25-68.9″ –
Recommended Courses
31 Days to Becoming a Better Photographer
Lightroom Mastery: People & Portraits
These courses will help you get started and will have you proud of the images you are sharing online.
Conclusion:
You want high-quality images of your artwork if you are planning to showcase them online. Cameras for photographing artwork is an investment that cannot be overlooked if you are photographing artwork and selling prints of your original artwork.
You might also be interested in:
- Sell More Art with High-Quality Images
- 7 Tips Photographing Artwork to Sell
- How to Sell Drawings Online and Make Money
- How to Sell Paintings and Make Money
- Art That Sells – What Artists Need to Know
- Take the 28 Day Blogging Challenge for Visual Artists
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