Advice on taking close up product photos

[marcedhk]

Hi,

I'm a total novice who needs to be able to take good quality close up shots of electronic devices like MP3 players, digital cameras, GPS units and so on for my website. They need to be nicely detailed and sharp. I know literally nothing about photography, only having used point and shoot cameras in the past. I've tried taking some shots using my 4 megapixel Canon Powershot A520, but after fiddling with the settings and only ending up with
blurred, horrible looking photos I'm wondering if the camera just isn't up to the task. So I'm thinking about moving up to a digital SLR, and am seriously considering the Nikon D40X. What I'm wondering though is do I even need a camera like that, or should I be able to get a good result with my Canon or some other better point and shoot camera? Grateful for any advice you could give me re settings and adjustments I should use and so on.

Thanks,

Marc

 

[Atropine]

Honestly I think your Canon should be more than enough for low resolution internet use. Getting sharp and detailed product photos will however require good lighting and a tripod regardless of camera type. Did you use that? Did you use the macro mode as well? Post some examples and it will be much easier to point out what you are doing wrong.

 

[JerryPH]

No need to use macro mode for the most part, but lighting is VERY important. Size of the object you want to capture plays a big factor. Since it is for web use, high-res is not needed. For you, more than anything, maybe a steady hand or a tripod and care focusing are the keys.

Proper lighting, background color and bokeh, cropping and angle to capture the object properly are all considerations.

In the pic above, I just wanted to practice taking pics of objects as if my goal was to take a picture of something that I wanted to present for sale on eBay or similar.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

Here's the setup shot with notes on how to do it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenwoodimages/2287061241/

2 plane lighting would work best for electronics to keep everything clean becuase a white cloth would look awful.

The texture at the bottom is from the granite tile the sockets are sitting on, we didn't have plexiglass or anything like that, the tile was the best we could get on short notice.

 

[STINKY PICTURES]

You should also see if you have a timer on your camera. Set it so your shutter will go off about 2 or 4 seconds after you depress it. That way you also don`t have any extra camera shake and of course as someone else said using a tripod is a must. You can pick up a small table top kind for under $10.00 for your camera.

Read your manual, and keep it in your hands as you set your camera to the proper settings. Refer back to it if you need to. You should be able to get some close up shots.

 

[sultan]

Follow the others suggestions. Also try manual focus. Go to program mode and press the down button twice. Then use the sideways buttons to move the setting to the right distance indicated on the scale (i.e. if your gadget is 10 cm away from the camera, set it at 10 cm). In some cameras (like mine), the scale is off (by a huge margin). If you have one of those cameras, try lots of different focus distances till you find one that works. Hopefully yours is properly calibrated so you don't have to do that.

 

[marcedhk]

Hi everyone,

thanks for the advice so far. As requested please see the photo below. This is the best I could manage, and I'm using the following settings:

Camera Model: Canon PowerShot A520
Resolution: 1024 x 768
Flash Used: Yes (manual)
Focal Length: 7.8mm (35mm equivalent: 49mm)
CCD Width: 5.69mm
Exposure Time: 0.0050 s (1/200)
Aperture: f/6.3
ISO Equiv.: 100
Whitebalance: Auto
Metering Mode: matrix
Exposure Mode: Manual
Exposure Mode: Auto bracketing

 

[JerryPH]

I think you are trying to fit too much into a tight area and are focusing beyond the camera's abilities. Back up a few inches and then later on, crop the picture to your desired size in a photo editing software.

You want all parts of your "subject" to be sharp and in focus. Behind you can do what you want (I put it *slightly* out of focus on purpose behind the ipod... as for the dust, well I wasn't paying attention... lol):

 

[Dubious Drewski]

I'm using the following settings:
...
CCD Width: 5.69mm
...

Please, tell me where I can change that setting in my camera! 35mm, please! Hehe, I kid. :greenpbl:

please see the photo below. This is the best I could manage

Could you please post it again? I think your image url broke, and I'd like to see what you've done.

 

[DwainDibley]

It does look like you're a bit too close to the MP3 player, as what's behind it being used to prop it up is more in focus.

I'd echo the previous posters who suggest backing up an inch or two, and when taking Ebay pictures I try to use plenty of natural light - I find artificial light introduces more noise to the picture (though I have no specialised lighting equipment) and the flash overexposes whatever you're taking a picture of.

 

[JerryPH]

I find artificial light introduces more noise to the picture (though I have no specialised lighting equipment) and the flash overexposes whatever you're taking a picture of.

Not if done right. My shot is taken with an off camera strobe set to it's lowest power setting. You can tell by the reflection in front of the iPod.

 

[JerryPH]

Here's the setup shot with notes on how to do it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenwoodimages/2287061241/

2 plane lighting would work best for electronics to keep everything clean becuase a white cloth would look awful.

The texture at the bottom is from the granite tile the sockets are sitting on, we didn't have plexiglass or anything like that, the tile was the best we could get on short notice.

Awesome results, but complex as heck (**5** strobes?). I doubt he will be able to recreate this... lol.

 

[DwainDibley]

Not if done right. My shot is taken with an off camera strobe set to it's lowest power setting. You can tell by the reflection in front of the iPod.

Good point, I don't currently own a flash unit so have to rely on the built-in ones. I think a flash unit will be next on my wish list!

 

[Sw1tchFX]

Awesome results, but complex as heck (**5** strobes?). I doubt he will be able to recreate this... lol.

If people want to make high-quality, magazine-quality product images, well....:er:

You've got to be able to buy and learn the equipment to do it.

The above shot of the wrenches is far from magazine quality, but it gives you an idea. For a magazine, i need a softbox to replace the two bounced strobes, and a larger space to control ambient spill. I shot those wrenches on a dining room table in a white house in about 20 minutes. But for web use, it's perfectly fine.

 

[JerryPH]

If people want to make high-quality, magazine-quality product images, well....:er:

You've got to be able to buy and learn the equipment to do it.

I agree and can respect that, but under his circumstances which were:

"I'm a total novice who needs to be able to take good quality close up shots of electronic devices like MP3 players, digital cameras, GPS units and so on for my website."

...your complexity and knowledge level and his needs, knowledge and current equipment are vastly different, thats all that I was trying to say.