[Jome]

Hello dear fellow Pentaxians,

I will soon have the opportunity to go in a place to take pictures from old paper documents (Archives).

I will shoot with my K-3 + tripod + remote trigger. No flash are allowed.

Could you please advise on what best lens should do the job?

I presume that I would only use primes. I can choose between those:

- DA 35 2.8 Ltd,
- M 50 1.4 or A 50 1.7,
- FA* 85,

I also have Macro rings (Pentax Auto extension Tube Set).

Thank you for your help.

Kind regards.

J.

[D1N0]

The 35 being a macro is probably best. Stop down to f5.6 for optimal results, but 50 would also be OK as those have less distortion than 35's in general despite not being macro's Also shoot at 5.6. 85 seems a bit long to be practical/

[Paul the Sunman]

A short macro. The DA 35mm f/2.8 Limited macro would be ideal.

[Sandy Hancock]

No brainer. The DA 35 macro limited is perfect for this.

[photoptimist]

The 35 is probably the best choice except: 1) if the lighting interacts with subject matter (shiny stock, framed glass, etc.) such that a longer focal length lens might be useful for avoiding reflections; 2) if the tripod at minimum extension is too far away from the object to get the magnification you want or the legs of the tripod can't spread far enough apart to do what you need to do.

You might ask the archives if they have a copy stand. That can make this kind of work much easier than using a tripod. (But bring your tripod in case the stand does not work out.)

Finally, practice, practice, practice. Try taking pictures of paper objects at home to get a feel for the working distances, best apertures, and how you'll configure the tripod to see the items (of a similar size to the archive objects). Test all your lenses for field curvature (i.e., if the center is in focus, then the corners are not and if the corners are in focus, then the center is not) to help decide which to use and what apertures you'll need.

Good luck!

P.S. Bring everything to the shoot -- it's better to have an unused lens in the bag than an untaken picture.

[Wheatfield]

Hello dear fellow Pentaxians,

I will soon have the opportunity to go in a place to take pictures from old paper documents (Archives).

I will shoot with my K-3 + tripod + remote trigger. No flash are allowed.

Could you please advise on what best lens should do the job?

I presume that I would only use primes. I can choose between those:

- DA 35 2.8 Ltd,
- M 50 1.4 or A 50 1.7,
- FA* 85,

I also have Macro rings (Pentax Auto extension Tube Set).

Thank you for your help.

Kind regards.

J.

Take them all. It’s not like you have a lot of glass. Your best lenses will be the 35mm and the A50/1.7

[lytrytyr]

Just go with the DA 35 Ltd, don't bother with the rest of your stuff.

I've done this kind of work hand-held,
being in places where tripods are not allowed.

You may need to do some PP afterwards,
typically levels adjustments to make everything black or white,
especially if the paper is yellowed and the writing/print is faded.

[jatrax]

Take them all. It’s not like you have a lot of glass. Your best lenses will be the 35mm and the A50/1.7

^^^^^This^^^^^
You do not say what the size of the paper is or what distance you can achieve so the 35mm might be the best focal length or it might be the 50mm. I have done document duplication with the A 50mm f/1.7 and found the results quite acceptable. I have not used the DA 35mm Limited for that but it should also work very well assuming you can make the focal length work.
If you know the dimensions of the paper, mock up some at home and test out your process. You will then know which lens is better and you will also look much more professional once you are on site.

[johnmflores]

Bring a polarizer too to cut down on reflections if you are shooting documents behind glass or documents on glossy paper stock.

[gm4life]

This is an easy one take the 35mm Limited Macro!

[aslyfox]

with your existing collection of lenses I too would chose the designated macro lens

practice with it and the 50 mm lens with the additional macro accessories to see what does best.

the macro will have a very close focal point for 1:1 reproduction if that is what you are looking for.

will you be able to get that close

could you use your lens without going " macro " and crop to get what you want?

practicing might give you the answers

[Jome]

The 35 being a macro is probably best. Stop down to f5.6 for optimal results, but 50 would also be OK as those have less distortion than 35's in general despite not being macro's Also shoot at 5.6. 85 seems a bit long to be practical/

A short macro. The DA 35mm f/2.8 Limited macro would be ideal.

No brainer. The DA 35 macro limited is perfect for this.

Take them all. It’s not like you have a lot of glass. Your best lenses will be the 35mm and the A50/1.7

This is an easy one take the 35mm Limited Macro!

Thanks, I was hesitating between the two of them so I will take both.

The 35 is probably the best choice except: 1) if the lighting interacts with subject matter (shiny stock, framed glass, etc.) such that a longer focal length lens might be useful for avoiding reflections; 2) if the tripod at minimum extension is too far away from the object to get the magnification you want or the legs of the tripod can't spread far enough apart to do what you need to do.

You might ask the archives if they have a copy stand. That can make this kind of work much easier than using a tripod. (But bring your tripod in case the stand does not work out.)

Finally, practice, practice, practice. Try taking pictures of paper objects at home to get a feel for the working distances, best apertures, and how you'll configure the tripod to see the items (of a similar size to the archive objects). Test all your lenses for field curvature (i.e., if the center is in focus, then the corners are not and if the corners are in focus, then the center is not) to help decide which to use and what apertures you'll need.

Good luck!

P.S. Bring everything to the shoot -- it's better to have an unused lens in the bag than an untaken picture.

^^^^^This^^^^^
You do not say what the size of the paper is or what distance you can achieve so the 35mm might be the best focal length or it might be the 50mm. I have done document duplication with the A 50mm f/1.7 and found the results quite acceptable. I have not used the DA 35mm Limited for that but it should also work very well assuming you can make the focal length work.
If you know the dimensions of the paper, mock up some at home and test out your process. You will then know which lens is better and you will also look much more professional once you are on site.

with your existing collection of lenses I too would chose the designated macro lens

practice with it and the 50 mm lens with the additional macro accessories to see what does best.

the macro will have a very close focal point for 1:1 reproduction if that is what you are looking for.

will you be able to get that close

could you use your lens without going " macro " and crop to get what you want?

practicing might give you the answers

Thanks, very good advices, I hope I will have time to practice till then and they will probably have a stand but not sure.

Just go with the DA 35 Ltd, don't bother with the rest of your stuff.

I've done this kind of work hand-held,
being in places where tripods are not allowed.

You may need to do some PP afterwards,
typically levels adjustments to make everything black or white,
especially if the paper is yellowed and the writing/print is faded.

Thanks, also very good advices, I don't know how well the documents are.

Bring a polarizer too to cut down on reflections if you are shooting documents behind glass or documents on glossy paper stock.

Thanks, good Idea, I have only one for my SMC A50 1.7

[Jome]

Thanks again for your precious advices.

I will take the 35 and the A50 with the polariser, test the 50 with one or two macro rings and the tripod.
Perhaps they will let me use a stand.

Kind regards to all.

J.

[Not a Number]

What size documents are you going to be photographing? Framing may be an issue because of the crop sensor. Macro tubes limit your magnification and framing choices. I would certainly bring all the lenses and tubes. Gives you more options.

[Jome]

What size documents are you going to be photographing? Framing may be an issue because of the crop sensor. Macro tubes limit your magnification and framing choices. I would certainly bring all the lenses and tubes. Gives you more options.

Thanks, it will probably be in A4 or letter format.I will do some tests tonight.
Kind Regards.
J.