Camera for Product Photography

Gundog48 · 24 Apr 2011 at 13:44

At the moment I'm using an old Fuji S602 which takes much better pictures than the vast majority of cameras out there, including my Leica compact. However, I am doing a lot more pictures for reviews at the moment and am in need of something that is better. The problems I am having with this camera:

Preview doesn't show changes to settings such as exposure and white balance, I have to take the picture and then set it to playback to see how it looks which makes it hard to set up
Hard to see if a picture is in focus on the LCD panel
Hard to get in focus when doing close-ups
Uses AA batteries!

I am not looking for anything amazing, although I wouldn't like to get a standard compact as even the expensive ones can't match a DSLR or hybrid for lens quality. I would be happy with a hybrid like my Fuji (which is not a true DSLR) or a proper DSLR, as long as they do the things I want for a reasonable price.

Suggestions please!

Razor-BladE · 24 Apr 2011 at 13:54

I think your best bang for buck would be to find an older model body such as the Canon 350d/400d and get the 50mm f/1.8 (if the products you take photos of aren't too big). Shouldn't cost you more than £250 (? I'm unsure of the price of the body), but the lens costs about £55-60 second hand.

mangobreeder · 24 Apr 2011 at 14:01

Razor-BladE said:
I think your best bang for buck would be to find an older model body such as the Canon 350d/400d and get the 50mm f/1.8 (if the products you take photos of aren't too big). Shouldn't cost you more than £250 (? I'm unsure of the price of the body), but the lens costs about £55-60 second hand.

Im not sure what the F1.8 will be doing here assuming, the OP has proper lighting, then F1.8 wont be required, and the DOF may be too much.

I would suggest a macro lens would be the order of the day, but it wholly depends what it being photographed.

Gundog48 · 24 Apr 2011 at 14:12

I will be photographing everything from SSDs to full-tower cases. I normally take the photos in my conservatory during the day for the best lighting but it would be nice if it could work reasonably well in lower-light conditions. As I mentioned, I am happy with the quality of the lens on my current camera, it's just a case of getting it to focus and other problems that are more to do with the body. A standard lens would probably do the job, just a case of getting a good body that knows how to handle it. Then again, I don't really know what I'm talking about, so I will leave it up to you!

Stupot_ · 24 Apr 2011 at 14:17

Make a light tent first, then come back to us if you don't like the pics

A DSLR won't do everything you ask unless you spend a lot of money. You may be disappointed.

Gundog48 · 24 Apr 2011 at 14:26

Stupot_ said:
Make a light tent first, then come back to us if you don't like the pics

A DSLR won't do everything you ask unless you spend a lot of money. You may be disappointed.

I've considered building one, but with the light I get in my conservatory there is little point. As mentioned, the main issues I have is trying to get the thing to focus and the fact that when I am changing settings such as WB and exposure, I have to keep taking pictures, going to playblack, going back to camera, adjust and take another. As well as the fact it is hard to tell if something is in focus or not on the LCD display. Gets frustrating when you take a graphics card apart, take pictures that seem fine, put it together only to find that when you view the pictures on my PC they are out of focus.

Gundog48 · 24 Apr 2011 at 14:36

Oh, if I was to get something like a 350d, 400d or 450d- would the LCD display preview change when I adjust the settings or will it be the same as the Fuji?

Also, I would love to be able to do long exposures, is that possible with these cameras?

mangobreeder · 24 Apr 2011 at 14:52

yes, you can even look though the view finder to check the focus, or zoom in on the lcd screen to double check the focus.

don't underestimate the effect the lens has, IMo its more important than the body in most situations.

Gundog48 · 24 Apr 2011 at 15:32

Cheers! Having a good LCD like that will allow me to use manual focus too. My current one has it but as the LCD isn't very good, it's hard to get the crisp focus that is possible. I believe the feature I am looking for is 'live view' where you can see the effect of the white balance, contrast and exposure without actually taking a picture, I assume the 350-400d have this?

What is the Sony a200 like? They seem to sell reasonably cheaply and seem a good entry-level DSLR. As long is it has the features above, I will be happy! I am not looking for better quality than the S602 I have at the minute, just a few more features such as a 'live view' good LCD and a better auto focus.

This would be my first time with a DSLR so I appreciate all your help!

Stupot_ · 24 Apr 2011 at 16:18

Gundog48 said:
Oh, if I was to get something like a 350d, 400d or 450d- would the LCD display preview change when I adjust the settings or will it be the same as the Fuji?

Also, I would love to be able to do long exposures, is that possible with these cameras?

1. No, you can only check your shots after.

2. Yes. Up to 30s, or as long as you like if you buy a £5 remote.

Gundog48 · 24 Apr 2011 at 16:49

How come the 'live view' is so rare on DSLRs? Find it quite strange as it is very useful when adjusting settings and can be found on most compacts. I suppose with a good LCD display it is not so much of a problem. Great to know about long exposures too, love some of them shots you can do on rivers and beaches.

Any input on the a200?

Razor-BladE · 24 Apr 2011 at 16:55

mangobreeder said:
Im not sure what the F1.8 will be doing here assuming, the OP has proper lighting, then F1.8 wont be required, and the DOF may be too much.

I would suggest a macro lens would be the order of the day, but it wholly depends what it being photographed.

Not really for the aperture but for the sharpness and price, as the op didn't put down a budget. But it will be too long for taking photos of tower cases and such.

Stupot_ said:
1. No, you can only check your shots after.

Not sure about the 350D and 400D but the 450D has the live view feature and can be had quite cheaply second hand.

Gundog48 · 24 Apr 2011 at 17:20

450D is out of my price range. Sony A100 seems ideal for what I want, what would you opinions be on that?

Gundog48 · 24 Apr 2011 at 18:16

Any opinions on:

Sony A100
Minolta D5
Canon 1000D

?

Von Luck · 24 Apr 2011 at 20:36

I've just started taking pics for my wife's jewellery business and it's certainly an art, not nearly as easy as I'd hoped it would be.

I'd definitely go for a DSLR and would recommend the use of a zoom lens rather than prime, especially if you'll be shooting varying sizes of object, otherwise you'll be shifting your setup all over the show to get things framed.

Lighting is probably more important than the camera you use - so it's worth investing in some lights/stands and backdrops/diffusers.

I didn't spend a lot but starting to get some reasonable results using a tripod mounted 40D with 18-55 IS II (I found my 50mm too long), two daylight lamps, white softbox, coloured backdrops, reflective acrylic risers and I also tend to bounce my 430EX II in addition to the lights. Unless you're trying to be arty, it's probably better to use a higher DOF so that all of the product is in focus.

You'll definitely benefit from decent live view and a high pixel count screen. Although I love the 40D I find it impossible to get a good idea of how shots have come out due to the comparatively low pixel count screen. I use live view for framing then switch if off to use AF.

Here's an example which I'm fairly happy with - some of my earlier stuff was awful in comparison, still lots of room for improvement though!

2011-04-10-18h30m17 by 68auto, on Flickr

Gundog48 · 25 Apr 2011 at 01:58

Thanks for that info, very useful for what I want.

Been doing some reading and am I right in saying you always get a 'live view' when looking through a viewfinder? Will te viewfinder on any DSLR give me the same contrast, White balance etc as what I would see on the actual picture? If so, it's perfect as I normally use the viewfinder anyway, I can just check the LCD for focus. Am I right in thinking this?

The_TailGunner · 25 Apr 2011 at 14:06

you wont get the 'pre adjusted' image through the viewfinder on any dslr, as you are getting the image straight through the lens bounced off a mirror to the viewfinder.

the live view on my 50d definitely shows how the image looks with white balance adjustments (i just tested it). live view is where the camera moves the mirror out of the way and displays the image from the lens on the rear screen.

as for recommendations from your list, ive owned a 1000d and it was a very capable little camera. id definitely recommend it.

bigredshark · 26 Apr 2011 at 15:42

For product photography why bother worrying about the camera screen? Just hook it up to a laptop and shoot in tethered mode...beats any camera screen hands down. Works particularly well if you have a live view capable camera but it's not insurmountable if you don't either, just frame it then shoot and adjust setting from the laptop..

The_TailGunner · 26 Apr 2011 at 19:57

bigredshark said:
For product photography why bother worrying about the camera screen? Just hook it up to a laptop and shoot in tethered mode...beats any camera screen hands down. Works particularly well if you have a live view capable camera but it's not insurmountable if you don't either, just frame it then shoot and adjust setting from the laptop..

this +1

neil_g · 26 Apr 2011 at 22:59

bigredshark said:
For product photography why bother worrying about the camera screen? Just hook it up to a laptop and shoot in tethered mode...beats any camera screen hands down. Works particularly well if you have a live view capable camera but it's not insurmountable if you don't either, just frame it then shoot and adjust setting from the laptop..

provided youre happy your laptop screen is showing the true colour of the shot (i.e. calibrated)