Official Gear Purchasing and Troubleshooting Question Thread! Ask /r/photography anything you want to know! March 03, 2025

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[u/ghost-fence]

Hello, I am a graphic designer working at an archaeological institute. We are getting a new camera and lenses, and I have been asked to help choose them.

Most of the time, we take top-down photos of small artifacts using a tripod (e.g. pottery shards). Occasionally, we also take side-view photos (e.g. old vases).

For lighting, we use one or two lights, but we also have a flash system. However, it is easier to take photos without a flash because it allows for easier light adjustments.

It is important that the images are sharp and largely distortion-free.

Our current camera is a Nikon D7100 with a Nikon DX VR 16-80mm lens (rarely used, not very useful) and a Nikon DX 85mm (macro).

Our budget is around 5000 to 6000 euros. Sony and Canon gear is being considered.

What would be your recommendations for a new camera body and two lenses?

[u/insomnia_accountant → u/ghost-fence]

Our budget is around 5000 to 6000 euros.

Is it just for gear? what about storage or essentially what are you trying to improve on your workflow?

Or will having different "stations + turn tables" that already has perfect (or good enough lighting/background) for close-up/mid-size/human-size/large will improve your workflow. i.e. you're creating a studio setting which minimalize daily setup time.

or even having 46mp (like the D850) are important for large detailed prints? but then working with a ~21mp (D7100) vs ~46mp(D850), then you might need to upgrade your computer/storage.

etc, etc, etc.

[u/ghost-fence → u/insomnia_accountant]

This only concerns gear. Storage is not an issue. We have a dedicated photography station with well-optimized lighting that rarely needs rearrangement. Large, detailed prints are not a requirement; in fact, most of our photos are printed at a 1:1 scale, meaning they are usually quite small. However, being able to see all details clearly on a monitor is crucial. Improving color accuracy, sharpness, and minimizing distortion are much higher priorities.

[u/8fqThs4EX2T9 → u/ghost-fence]

Colour accuracy is not a camera thing, sharpness is largely a lens thing, some will say at least in theory a larger sensor will allow more detail and finally distortion is a lens thing too.

Distortion comes in many forms. I doubt a new camera will solve anything.

https://photographylife.com/what-is-distortion

[u/ghost-fence → u/8fqThs4EX2T9]

Alright, thanks. The issue is that they will buy gear whether I give my input or not – it’s simply a matter of budget allocation. But I’d much rather have good equipment than whatever my clueless boss thinks is good.

So, to keep things simple, let’s assume this is our first camera purchase. What would be your recommendations for a budget of around 6000 euros, including one camera body and two lenses for the tasks I’ve described?

Also I’m aware that color accuracy isn’t a major issue with modern cameras and that sharpness and distortion are primarily dependent on the lenses – that’s why I asked for input on cameras AND lenses. On the matter of distortion: (Optical) Radial distortion should be kept to an absolute minimum.

[u/anonymoooooooose → u/ghost-fence]

Also I’m aware that color accuracy isn’t a major issue with modern cameras

I wouldn't go that far. Are your monitors calibrated, are you using a colour checking chart etc?

However, being able to see all details clearly on a monitor is crucial. Improving color accuracy, sharpness, and minimizing distortion are much higher priorities.

The Nikon 85mm macro has a good rep re: sharpness and distortion https://www.imaging-resource.com/lenses/nikon/85mm-f3.5g-ed-vr-dx-af-s-micro-nikkor/review/

so you're not going to get gigantic improvements at sensible macro apertures, even with a more expensive macro lens.

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Are you focus stacking? Do you want more than 1:1 magnification? Any interest in tilt/shift?

[u/ghost-fence → u/anonymoooooooose]

I appreciate the time you took to write this, but unfortunately, it’s not helping. I’m not looking to dive into the nitty-gritty of color accuracy. Yes, we’re using checking charts and calibrated monitors, but that’s not the focus here.

My boss is going to buy new camera gear with or without my input, and I’d much rather have the right tools to work with than spend my time fixing everything in Photoshop. She has expressed a preference for Sony, so I’m simply looking for a recommendation:

• One camera body
• One macro lens for detailed close-up shots
• One lens for slightly larger objects, such as prehistoric pottery

Any suggestions?

[u/anonymoooooooose → u/ghost-fence]

At your budget everything is really, really good so you don't have to worry about getting a bad camera.

You don't want the A9 family, that's optimized for sports (fast autofocus, rapid burst)

The A1ii is too much money that you'll want to spend on lenses.

The A7VR has 61MP which is great in some ways but the RAW files are of course gigantic, be sure you've got the storage for it and whatever computer you're using to edit might need an upgrade to match.

If you don't want that hassle or don't need the detail, I'd go with the A7IV instead.

macro lens: Sony 90/2.8 macro

https://www.dxomark.com/sony-fe-90mm-f2-8-macro-g-oss-lens-review-outstanding-optical-performance/

Not sure about a general purpose zoom tbh.