A Good Camera & Lens for Basic Car Photography?

[natechie]

I am starting a new online business where I will list vehicles on consignment, and I am looking for a new camera and lens that will get decent closeups, as well as shoot at a wider angle (shooting car at 45 degree angles, etc).

I'm thinking about the Nikon D3200. What is your advice on this camera, and what is your suggestion on a lens?

Total budget for now is $1k.

Thanks!

 

[2WheelPhoto]

skills/lighting > camera

 

[SCraig]

To be honest if that is all you want to do, if you have no aspirations of going any farther with photography, I'd just get a bridge camera. Resolution is meaningless since you'll be reducing the size for the web. You won't be post-processing the images much so RAW capabilities are meaningless. I'd just get something simple to use and go with it.

 

[natechie]

To be honest if that is all you want to do, if you have no aspirations of going any farther with photography, I'd just get a bridge camera. Resolution is meaningless since you'll be reducing the size for the web. You won't be post-processing the images much so RAW capabilities are meaningless. I'd just get something simple to use and go with it.

Thanks for the reply. I have a Canon G11, but just wanted to see if a SLR was worth investing into...

 

[SCraig]

Thanks for the reply. I have a Canon G11, but just wanted to see if a SLR was worth investing into...

A DSLR will certainly give better shots once you learn to use it and get the best out of it, but just for taking photos of a car for sale I'm not sure it's worth it. If you do have plans to further an interest in photography then by all means the DSLR is the way to go. I'd just try your G11 and see how it works. If it doesn't then look at alternatives.

 

[MK3Brent]

I am starting a new online business where I will list vehicles on consignment, and I am looking for a new camera and lens that will get decent closeups, as well as shoot at a wider angle (shooting car at 45 degree angles, etc).

I'm thinking about the Nikon D3200. What is your advice on this camera, and what is your suggestion on a lens?

Total budget for now is $1k.

Thanks!

A good pair for the 3200, would be a sigma or tokina wide angle lens. You could pick up a 12-24 f/4 these days for <$500.

Before posting this, I looked up a price of a D3200 body only for $580, and a tokina 12-24 f/4 for $449. $29 over budget, but a fantastic combination in my opinion.

 

[domu221]

skills/lighting > camera

Yeah... get a camera that works great in low light (the D3200 has low noise at around ISO 800-1600) and a lens that fits your needs.

Then buy lights... lots of lights and strobes.

 

[JakePhoto]

Here's what a serious car photography set up looks like.

You won't do too much better with a DSLR than a G11, although a wide angle could give you cool shots.

 

[Roger3006]

Hello Natechie



I am opening a company that brokers firearms. I did this on a temporary basis for another company to help reduce inventory. I learned a whole lot about online sales.

In my opinion, the better job you do presenting your product, the easier it is to sell and you will get more money for it. Anyone can take a snapshot of a rifle and very few look good. In my opinion, it is very important to illustrate exactly what you are selling in the most professional way possible. It sets you apart from your competitors. There is an old saying, "you do not sell the bacon, you sell the sizzle", and that is a fact. I retried a couple of years ago. I have owned several businesses and have about thirty five years experience in sales, marketing, and promotion. You can have the best product in the world but you do not put grits on the table until you sell it. I bet the ad guys at Ford do not use pocket cameras and they deal with a generic product, meaning new cars. All new XYZ models are the same. A used car, like a used firearm, is unique. I do everything I can to make my product, more attractive to buyers, than competing products that are in a practical sense, the same. The Winchester Model 1895 Grade 1 is not the only one out there for sale. My job is to make them want this one.

Why do you think car lots have all the lights shinning on their cars?

I could not have shot the image above with my Nikon pocket camera. One similar will go on my website as an example. There are a couple if things I do not like about it so I am going to shoot it again. I would not go to the trouble in a listing but you get the picture.

There are a lot of instructional videos on YouTube about photography. I am sure there are some good books written about photographing cars. This website is great if you are interested in learning and it is fun to boot. In my opinion, it will pay you big dividends to buy an adequate DSLR with appropriate lenses. In my opinion, some commercial lighting equipment would also benefit you. Invest in some kind of editing software. I use Lightroom 95% of the time. It is a good organizer, it handles your basic editing well, and it is fast. In my opinion, you need good tools if you use them to make a living.

As mentioned above, learn as much as you can about photography and in particular, photographing cars. In my opinion, photography is like many other things, 10% theory and 90% practice.

I wish you the very best in your venture. Knock 'um dead.

All ya'll have a great weekend.

Roger

 

[rokvi]

the better job you do presenting your product, the easier it is to sell and you will get more money for it. Anyone can take a snapshot of a rifle and very few look good. In my opinion, it is very important to illustrate exactly what you are selling in the most professional way possible. It sets you apart from your competitors. There is an old saying, "you do not sell the bacon, you sell the sizzle", and that is a fact.

I second this, My wife Volunteers at our local animal shelter (RSPCA) and she fosters cats and kittens of all ages etc. The people at this shelter liked the photos of the animals that I "practiced" with and have let her set up her own listings of her cats on their site.
These photos of the cats that I did to practice my lighting etc on are the ones that are selling.
If you had two shots of the exact same car, one done by someone who knows about photography and one who doesn't and gave two different phone numbers for each.
i know which number would get the most calls.

Good luck!

 

[Roger3006]

Right on rokvi. Very well stated.

Roger

 

[MLeeK]

Any good point and shoot or DSLR will achieve the basic car shots including close ups. You don't have to have an amazing lens or camera to do that. Just a little basic composition skill and to understand how the camera works a little.
True car photography is not what you are looking at here. You want good, sharp, clean, clear images of the cars with no background clutter. I wouldn't bother investing in a DSLR and lenses and all that if you aren't wanting to do true car photography with a bank of lights and all kinds of insane stuff.
There were some awesome images of a car posted here yesterday (can't remember who) that the guy had shot with his point and shoot. It's all in a little bit of knowledge and paying attention-not in the camera.

 

[Roger3006]

Why did NASA send a Hasselblad to the moon rather than an a Kodak Instamatic? From what I am reading here, the Kodak Instamatic would have done just as well if Neil Armstrong had known anything about photography? I am sure the film could have been taken to a quick photo processing place rather using the best in the world which was most likely Kodak. They could have gotten by.

My point is, if Natchie comes in second place he does not accomplish his goal which is to make money. He becomes another "also ran" and gets mighty hungry.

Roger

 

[JDFlood]

I was just reading this string for fun. I must complement you on your responses. Great point, you are absolutely correct. I should have thought of this point of view, I did not. Good post! My skills as a photographer did not get any better the day i put down D700 and picked up my D800, but honestly, my photos got a whole lot better. JD