what's the ideal prime lens for museums

<p>Hi,<br>

I am heading off to Europe and don't know what prime lens to take for low light shooting in the Louvre and various churches on a full frame.<br>

What's the ideal focal length for indoor shots like that? 24mm, 35mm, or 50mm?<br>

Ideally I'd take one because of weight restrictions.</p>

Depends on your preferred field of view. Last time I visited a museum I took a Nikon F4S with a 50mm f/1.2; the time before, a Leica MDa with a Voigtlander 12mm f/5.6 and a pocketful of Neopan 1600. Both times I was more than happy with the results.

 

I do find 28mm to be a good all-rounder.

<p>Art, as in life, is quite varied. For one lens, a fast 35mm is good, but really to do a nice job of it, a wide, normal and short tele kit is great. A high quality "walk around" type zoom is great and not too heavy.</p>

<p>I found that a Leica M4 with a 35 or 50 Summicron was fantastic.</p>

<p>I've done some museum photography using my 105 Micro Nikkor lens. Since a tripod is not allowed in most places (except with special permission), I wished that I had had the later VR version of this lens. Often you are limited as to how close you can get to the subject so for small artifacts the longer lenses are desirable. When photographing in glass cases a polarizer may be desirable, in spite of the reduction in image brightness.</p>

<p>I also find that a 35 or 50 works well in a museum.<br>

<img src="http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/8696/musee.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>This is an impossible question to answer for two reasons :</p>

<p>1) there is no one ideal focal length</p>

<p>2) you are not me (and vice versa)</p>

<p>But for what it is worth I was photographing in Canterbury Cathedral the other day using a 28-70 zoom and most pictures were either at one end of the range of the other.</p>

<p>And : what do you want to shoot? details of the painting? So maybe a macro lens would be good and a string monopod to hold the camera steady.</p>

<p>Full pictures of paintings: that depends on their size, does it not? A laaarge Rubens might be in a small room and so you would need a wiiide lens .<br>

Environmental shots: paintings on walls and kids in strollers with daddy etc?<br>

Architecture shots: the grand staircase in Vienna, maybe ...</p>

<p>Infinite possibilities so take all your lenses and try what works where.</p>

<p>People seem to suggest 50mm is a good choice. I'll take 50/1.2 and 24-105/4 and hopefully that should be enough. These two lenses and the camera are already pretty heavy to lug around all day.</p>

<p>Like others have said, it all depends. For a FF camera, I would take a 24mm and a 50mm. If I could take only one, it would be a 50mm 1.8. I would put them in my pockets; no camera bag. Museums do not like bags. Joe Smith</p>

<p>The Louvre has some stunning internal vistas, so it would be a pity to miss these by not having something at least mildly wide. On the other hand, nothing too wide to make candids difficult. The last time I was there I did very well with my Pentax DA21mm (FOV c. 32mm), and, as I recall, kept my 70mm in my pocket.</p>

<p>As an example of why you might want something wider; if you go to Milan and want to shoot "The Last Supper" you will absolutely need a wider-fast lens. Back in the film days I useda small 24mm f2.8 lens, I suspect you would need a 20mm min now.<br>

PS. If you do go to see "The Last Supper" you will need to phone ahead at least a day.</p>

<p>The ideal lens for every use is a 28mm, preferably a Nikon 28 1.4 AF-D</p>

<p>Use your 24-105/4 IS. There's no need for fast primes in museums. I've shot the same Van Gogh self-portrait at the Orsay with my Tamron 17-50/2.8, handheld, no flash of course, at 800 iso or so and it came out tack sharp. Note, this lens does not have IS/VR/VC. This is an easy shot with modern gear. IS and iso-on-the-fly rocks. Some churches get really dark and you may have to brace on a pew.</p>

<p>In museums there's usually restrictions as to where you can stand. Some canvases are large, some are small. One prime won't do it all. Furthermore, with fast primes you'll lose sharpness due to thin dof. Use your zoom - just turn up the iso a bit and rely on IS. </p>

I have been to Paris twice in the last couple of years, the first with a 3 prime kit and the second with a Tamron 17-50. I

much preferred the convenience of the zoom, so if you have or can get a fast standard zoom, that's my recommendation.

Relatively fast lenses are useful in museums where flashes are prohibited, and they give you flexibility for dawn/dusk and

inside churches.

 

If I had to choose one prime only, it would probably be an f2 or f2.8 24 or 35. Something reasonably close to normal for

documenting scenes and everyday life, but wide enough that it would be easy to flip vertical to shoot a couple of pics to

string into a panorama.

<p>I really prefer IS capability and a zoom with a constant f/2.8 aperture for museum shooting. However, I don't know of a lens of this type that can be used on a full frame camera.<br>

The reason I prefer the zoom is the versatility. You cannot always zoom with your feet in a museum.</p>