A lens upgrade recommendation?

[Roy.T]

I use my D7500s for product photography. I mostly photograph A/V cables and small cable accessories. The camera is permanently mounted on a tripod, and the photos are taken using a shooting tent, so I have complete control of the lighting. I also can adjust the tripod position, so a zoom lens isn't required.

This is the only purpose of the camera, and it's used for nothing else.

Since the quality of the pictures has a crucial impact on selling, I want to use the best possible lens for this purpose. I'm currently using a Nikkon AF-S DX 40mm F/2.8 Micro lens paired with the D7500 camera.

Is there a lens that would be considered a significant upgrade? Or is this pretty much the best it can get using the D7500 camera?

Thanks in advance.

 

[cgw]

Not quite sure what the 40mm isn't delivering for you. I have the lens. No beefs.

 

[Stevedevil01]

The lens you have is a great one, you can of course get faster with a Nikon 35mm f1.4 prime lens, but if your controlling the light then the faster lens is a big cost, A rule I have always used is never use the lens at its fastest or widest, so an f2.8 I would use at f4 etc

 

[JBPhotog]

You don't mention the shooting angle of the subject. For example if you are shooting straight down a regular Micro lens will work just be cautious of f-stops past f11 where diffraction can play a role in less sharpness. However, if you are shooting a 3/4 angle to the subject then a tilt shift lens would make a significant difference. It would allow you to employ the Scheimpflug principal to gain DOF on your subject. The Nikkor 85mm F2.8PC is a great choice for this type of work and used ones pop up from time to time. The 45mm F2.8PC-E is another great choice.

 

[cgw]

Those are pricey lenses. Think the OP was after macro optics--not PC lenses. There's a bunch of Chinese-made optics on the market now that are good value--Laowa and 7Artisan for starters.

You don't mention the shooting angle of the subject. For example if you are shooting straight down a regular Micro lens will work just be cautious of f-stops past f11 where diffraction can play a role in less sharpness. However, if you are shooting a 3/4 angle to the subject then a tilt shift lens would make a significant difference. It would allow you to employ the Scheimpflug principal to gain DOF on your subject. The Nikkor 85mm F2.8PC is a great choice for this type of work and used ones pop up from time to time. The 45mm F2.8PC-E is another great choice.

 

[JBPhotog]

Macro lenses don't solve the scheimpflug issue. The older 85mm f2.8 PC non-E version could be had used for a decent price. It's all a matter of what quality is one looking for.

Those are pricey lenses. Think the OP was after macro optics--not PC lenses. There's a bunch of Chinese-made optics on the market now that are good value--Laowa and 7Artisan for starters.

 

[cgw]

Macro lenses don't solve the scheimpflug issue. The older 85mm f2.8 PC non-E version could be had used for a decent price. It's all a matter of what quality is one looking for.

So? OP wanted a macro upgrade. Not sure why your NPS affiliation matters here,,,

 

[RAZKY]

I use my D7500s for product photography. I mostly photograph A/V cables and small cable accessories. The camera is permanently mounted on a tripod, and the photos are taken using a shooting tent, so I have complete control of the lighting. I also can adjust the tripod position, so a zoom lens isn't required.

This is the only purpose of the camera, and it's used for nothing else.

Since the quality of the pictures has a crucial impact on selling, I want to use the best possible lens for this purpose. I'm currently using a Nikkon AF-S DX 40mm F/2.8 Micro lens paired with the D7500 camera.

Is there a lens that would be considered a significant upgrade? Or is this pretty much the best it can get using the D7500 camera?

Thanks in advance.

Not many lenses will equal that lens - you might consider upgrading the camera.

 

[JBPhotog]

So? OP wanted a macro upgrade. Not sure why your NPS affiliation matters here,,,

Your comments suggest you have an opinion but zero knowledge on the topic of product photography. I guess you should do some homework, the PC lenses I mentioned focus down to 1:2 and with an extension tube they can do 1:1.

As far as the NPS affiliation, I'm a working pro since 1981.

 

[cgw]

Your comments suggest you have an opinion but zero knowledge on the topic of product photography. I guess you should do some homework, the PC lenses I mentioned focus down to 1:2 and with an extension tube they can do 1:1.

As far as the NPS affiliation, I'm a working pro since 1981.

That's not what they're after.
Enough of the NPS stuff--it's not an award or membership-by-invitation.
How much do you pay annually?

Nikon Professional Services | Home

Support for professional Nikon photographers. Learn about Nikon Professional Services (NPS) and find out if you qualify for membership.

www.nikonusa.com

 

[JBPhotog]

That's not what they're after.

Actually, you don't know what they are after, only they do. But as a product photographer for 40+ years using all photographic formats, a flat field lens such as a Macro lens is not that useful unless you want to use focus stacking. A TS lens gives you much more flexibility in DOF using scheimpflug which is why commercial photographers use them.

FTR and to clear up your delusions regarding NPS, only in the last couple of years have Nikon set up a 'paid' program which still requires minimum equipment restrictions. Prior to that it was on merit requiring published tear sheets and minimum equipment guidelines.

 

[cgw]

Actually, you don't know what they are after, only they do. But as a product photographer for 40+ years using all photographic formats, a flat field lens such as a Macro lens is not that useful unless you want to use focus stacking. A TS lens gives you much more flexibility in DOF using scheimpflug which is why commercial photographers use them.

FTR and to clear up your delusions regarding NPS, only in the last couple of years have Nikon set up a 'paid' program which still requires minimum equipment restrictions. Prior to that it was on merit requiring published tear sheets and minimum equipment guidelines.

Malarkey. Merit? Seriously? Delusional if you think it's anything other than what it is now. Faded glory+self-congratulation. Give it a rest. "Minimum equipment guidelines?" Please...

 

[greybeard]

The only thing you might consider would be a longer focal length to give you more distance between the camera and subject. The Nikon AF Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 would match up nicely with your D7500 and would give you more distance to work with if that is something you need. If not, I see no reason to move on from your 40mm. Dxomark rates you 40mm very high. The latest Nikon macro prime lens put to the test: Nikon AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G

 

[21limited]

The role of macro lenses is to reduce distortion. Always a good idea in product photgrpahy. I’d check yourl ens to see how mcuh distrtio it produces. It would be one area a macro might be better. I haven’t seen distortion cahrt for that lens, spo I don’t know. Still soething to maybe look at.

The scheimpflug effect is reduced only with a tilt sift camera, a view camera. Some of us understand tilting the focal plane and film plane.
However, that’s not current practice as far as I know. For many doing product photography, they have a direct link to their editor for approval of images, or instructions for reshooting if necessary. I know of no tilt shift cameras capable of this kind of digital linking. SOme digital cameras having tilting lenses to tilt the focal plane, none that I know of have the matching tilting film plane, necessary for maximum control of the scheimpflug effect. It’s pretty much irrelevant. View cameras are not an efficient use of time.

I’m guessin like others, that 40mm is a nice focal length to work with. SO without addressing a specific problem, I’m not sure where to go with this one. To propose a solution, you have to understand the problem.

For product photography, DoF is important. Good fast glass is not necessary. There would be no advantage to going faster than ƒ2.8. As note above, ƒ4 would probably do.

What makes you think other lenses better than your current one actually exist? I find a difference of 200 lw/ph is barely noticeable in the final output. But it can cost a small fortune. It is increasingly rare when the top of the line lenses are more than 200 lw/ph better than the kit lenses. With computerized designs, many kit lenses will out perform older premium lenses. Product photography is usually not dependant on high resolution. The opposite may be true. Over sharpening may cause distracting unwanted detail. After all, your image will likely be so much reduced in size in the catalogue, and increase in resolution will be lost when the size is reduced. There’s no difference in my K-5 (16 MP) and K-1 (36 MP) omages reduced to 2160-3840 for my 4k TV. If you’re shooting for a 4k output, the K-5iis used is about $250. A K-1 ii about $2500… You can pay a lot of money for nothing if you don’t pay attention to what you actually need.

I’m tempted to recommend the Super Focus function in Topaz Photo AI. But, it’s till in it’s infacny and results are varied, sometimes bang on, sometimes a complete mess. And it really slows down your work flow.