What Camera

Madalaskan · Dec 14, 2014

A little background. I am a fused glass artist who wants to produce quality photos I can present to galleries and juried events. I have done some research and have purchased some lights, a photo cube, tripod, etc. The only thing left to get is some type of quality camera that is user friendly and doesn't take a college degree in photography to understand and use. Do I want a bridge camera or a DSLR? I would appreciate some input on what camera to buy and why you think it's a good choice. thanks in advance for your help!!

sashbar · Dec 14, 2014

You do not need to be concerned about the complexity of a modern camera. They are all pretty easy to operate, and the more "serious" the camera is, the easier it is to operate, really.

There are lots of various functions in a modern camera, but you can just ignore 90% of it. You are buying it for very specific needs and will be using just a few settings to take photos of all your work.

Nevertheless you will need professional results. All you need is a couple of good quality prime lenses (depending on the size of your works) and a camera with a good modern sensor like Nikon D5200 or D5300. Both are APC-S cameras, not too expensive and both will do the job brilliantly. You can go with a full frame system, but I really do not think the expenses are justified there.

You will also need a software to convert RAW images and work with it in post production. You will need to shoot in RAW format if you want the best colours. Alternatively you will need to set the customised white balance for your setting. You will need a white or gravy card for it. There is a lot of info about it on the net.

Gary A. · Dec 14, 2014

For your needs and expectations, I think that a good processing program and being skilled and experienced with said post processing program, will be as important as the image capture. Be sure to include professional level processing program like PhotoShop (extremely powerful but complex) or Lightroom or Capture 1 or PhotoNinja, et al into your budget. A premium lens will be more valuable than a premium camera body.

In retrospect, a bridge camera would work, but most bridge cameras will not have the quality of an APS-C sized sensor and a premium lens. The larger your image the better equipment you'll need. It is all dependant upon your expectations. If your plans are only to publish on the internet ... then a bridge camera is probably sufficient ... if you plan to make an 11x14 high end, table top book of your creations, then you'll probably want at least an APS-C sized sensor with premium lenses.

TCampbell · Dec 14, 2014

I'd lean you in the direction of a low-end DSLR and avoid the compact or bridge cameras. Here's why...

The camera body simply needs to be "sufficient" to the task. More important are the lens choice... and even more important than the lens is the lighting. As soon as you get into lighting, the DSLR becomes the only "real" choice.

You can't create good "light" without good "shadow". It's the shadow & highlights that oppose each other which create the 3-dimensional detail that ours eyes pickup. If the lighting is "flat"... no highlights... no shadows... then the image looks 2D and far less interesting. But getting this 3-dmensional look requires that you get the light OFF the camera.

You could start with natural lights... taking images near large sources of light (big windows, etc.) and you can supplement with low-cost photographic reflectors (shiny fabric on a collapsible spring hoop) and this would allow you to control the light and shadow providing you have a good place to shoot.

But you can up the ante with flash (strobes). And you can get extremely creative with strobe placement... to illuminate the subject from the sides and soften the flash by using a broad diffuser (soft-box or shoot-through umbrella) which makes the light source seem very broad rather than pin-point (pin-point light sources create shadows with hard-edges which aren't as flattering.) But since you're shooting glass... you may even want to back-light the subject to give it a nice glow.

The problem with point & shoot and many bridge cameras is they lack an attachment point for external flash -- all DSLRs have a flash "hot shoe" and this can be used to trigger off-camera flash using wireless triggers (the trigger mounts to the on-camera hot-shoe and is used to tell the off-camera strobes when to fire.)

The camera itself does NOT need to be a high end DSLR. You'll be shooting a non-moving subject and you'll probably be using a tripod. When the camera isn't moving and the subject isn't moving, you can take all the time you need to get the shot right. You don't need a camera with lots of focus points... nor a blazingly fast continuous burst-speed to blast through 10 frames per second, etc.

For what you want, a Canon T3 or T5 (and these are their low-end entry DSLR models) would be fine. Even the kit lens would be fine. If you want very fine close-up detail, you might consider a macro lens (for a Canon, I'd look at the EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM... but I would't suggest this right away... get a feel for using the camera with it's "kit" lens first.)

All DSLRs (Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc. etc.) have a fully-automatic shooting mode in which they are as easy as any point & shoot camera. But the reason people tend to prefer the "look" of a DSLR photograph over so many others is because when you start controlling the light, angle of view, and depth of field, you can get some exceptionally beautiful results and you can use this to work emotion into the photograph... if you want something soft and dreamlike... or hard and edgy.... you can do all that. But getting these shots means you eventually learn to take control of the camera... get it out of fully automatic mode, and learn how to control an exposure.

I would look at a Nikon D3xxx series (that's Nikon entry-level bodies) or Canon's T3 or T5 (that's Canon entry-level bodies.) I can't offer specific Nikon advice since I'm not a Nikon shooter, but frankly you'll find that any entry-level DSLR on the market will be able to get the results you want... and at that point it's more about you learning to light and shoot creatively.

Light Guru · Dec 14, 2014

Madalaskan said:
I am a fused glass artist who wants to produce quality photos I can present to galleries and juried events.

Any DSLR on the market today will be fine. Your bigger challenge will be learning to light glass to make it look good, and minimize glare and reflection. Photographing glass is HARD.

Designer · Dec 14, 2014

Madalaskan said:
thanks in advance for your help!!

So you're a glass artist who now wants to become a photographic artist.

Seriously, how many different photographs are you going to want each year?

If you're needing only a dozen or so very good photographs for submission requirements, why not just hire it done?

Learning the art of photography (in order to do it at the professional level) takes time and effort.

TCampbell · Dec 14, 2014

Light Guru said:
Madalaskan said:

I am a fused glass artist who wants to produce quality photos I can present to galleries and juried events.

Click to expand...

Any DSLR on the market today will be fine. Your bigger challenge will be learning to light glass to make it look good, and minimize glare and reflection. Photographing glass is HARD.

The "problem" with glass (or any shiny reflective surface) is that you really need to treat it all like a mirror. What "color" is a mirror? It's not so much the mirror... it's all the things that can be seen in the mirror's reflection. Similarly... shooting any glass really means you're thinking about the angle of the surface of the glass (relative to the lens) and if that "glass" was really a "mirror" what would you see in it's reflection? Ideally you want to control what you see in the reflections.

Typically you want a supply of both black and white foam-core boards (or any solid white and solid black "card" material) that can be placed just out of frame from the camera... so that the reflections of your art are all actually off a solid surface. Getting white highlight points in your glass that you don't want? You may want to swap out the "white" for the "black". Foam-core boards (or other card material) from the craft store is pretty cheap (and you may need a few spring-clamps and something to clip them on.

You will also LIKELY need to invest in a good circular polarizing filter (this is a round filter that screws on to the end of the lens) and you rotate this to tune the reflections (it allows you to reduce reflections... but will have a much greater effect working on reflections which originate from the "sides". Polarizers have very weak (if any) effect on light originating from either directly ahead or behind you. Polarizers work extremely well for light and reflections that come from the sides.

Madalaskan · Dec 14, 2014

Thanks for the help I really appreciate it. It is no longer cost effective for me to pay for my photography. I produce a lot of items a year to which I want pictures of everything I produce to have for my portfolio. I also have a website and like I said pictures to submit to galleries and juried events so paying for all of this is expensive at $100 per hour. So what are your thoughts of the Sony A58? This is a camera that I was directed towards. It was by several sales people but it was from 2 different ones. As others have said I have already invested in Photoshop Elements 13. I understand there will be a huge learning curve but with so guidance and research I believe I am up to the task. Again thanks!!

Designer · Dec 14, 2014

I don't know anything about the Sony A58, as I'm a Nikon shooter. Whichever you choose, remember that you're going to be hitching your sled to a system, not just one camera body, so consider the lenses that will be needed as well.

weepete · Dec 14, 2014

The A58 looks fine but an initial look here

Sony 100mm f/2.8 macro (SAL-100M28) - Review / Lab Test Report - Analysis

Suggests that you may find cheaper and better results with a system from canon or nikon (nikon just edges canon at the moment on sensor performance) with the type of high quality lens you'd be looking for. I'd seriously look at the best quality glass you can get and work backwards from there.

As others have pointed out shooting this kind of product shot requires a pretty in depth knowledge of lighting to get the kind of sharp professional shots you'll be looking for to showcase your work at its best.

greybeard · Dec 14, 2014

Photoshop Elements 13 would be a good investment no matter what camera you decide on. The Sony A58 will probably do a descent job as well. However, I would recommend either Nikon or Canon because they both offer a much more extensive system to back up there cameras.

EJayD3300 · Dec 15, 2014

Madalaskan said:
A little background. I am a fused glass artist who wants to produce quality photos I can present to galleries and juried events. I have done some research and have purchased some lights, a photo cube, tripod, etc. The only thing left to get is some type of quality camera that is user friendly and doesn't take a college degree in photography to understand and use. Do I want a bridge camera or a DSLR? I would appreciate some input on what camera to buy and why you think it's a good choice. thanks in advance for your help!!

Only you can say. The best rule of thumb is to get the biggest, most expensive, system you can afford. Whether that is a $50,000.00+ Large Format View Camera with digital back system, or a $10,000.00+ Medium Format DSLR system, or a $2,000.00+ FX format Pro Level DSLR system, or a $500.00+ DX format Consumer Level DSLR system, is up to you, and your pocketbook. Relying on a Consumer Level non-DSLR will probably be a waste of time, and money. I have a Nikon D3300 Consumer Level DSLR which I like, and which produces some great looking images....as far as I-a serious amateur photographer-am concerned. If you are going to present your work to photo galleries, contest judges, etc-many of whom will be active, or retired, Professional Photographers, you may want a bit more image quality than such a Consumer system offers. The Nikon D610, or D810, or D3X, would be better-but more expensive-choices. A single focal length Prime Lens would be better than a Zoom lens. Try some shots with a moderate wide angle lens, and others with a moderate telephoto lens, and see which get the better response.