Cameras for product photos

[Petersen28]

Hi guys! I wanted to get some feedback. My husband and I own a small LED lighting company (4+years). We are looking to take our own product pictures and my experience with cameras is summed up from the photography class I took in high school, and the two courses I took in college. I understand that embarking on product photography is a feat of its own, but I want to start with the proper camera. I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for a camera that does well capturing light output. It's my understanding the main thing is I will need the ability to set the shutter speed (i.e have a camera that offers longer exposure times) in order to properly capture light. Suggestions? Thoughts? Please keep your answers civil as I am just starting in this whole process.

 

[astroNikon]

What do you mean by "does well capturing light output" ?
All cameras capture light output. I don't know if you mean making the "light beams" from the bulbs stand out from the surrounding light/background, which is more of a setup configuration than the camera being used.

Most DSLRs and many mirrorless cameras have a Program Mode, Shutter & Aperture Priority and Manual exposure modes. You can set the Shutter, Aperture and ISO independently if needed. (Point & Shoot cameras do not have this ability).

Of course there's budget for a camera?
and more importantly the "setup" for taking the images you are after.
and, of course the most important the skill to use the equipment to get the target final product.

Can you provide a link to a competitor/example image that you are after (do not post images that are not yours, thus provide a link).

 

[Derrel]

Nikon D7200 has a new-tech sensor that allows you to severely under-expose bright light sources, and then to massively brighten up the darker majority of the image area in software, all without getting "banding" in the formerly almost-black areas. This is relatively new to digital imaging, and cameras or sensors trhat can do this amazing trick are called "ISO invariant".

THIS ONE, SINGLE capability has changed the way we shoot digital images. SONY is the maker of the sensors that can do this, and they sell them to pentax, Nikon, and Hasselblad. This is *****the***** main differentiating factor for extreme uses, between a Canon camera, and a Sony, Nikon, or pentax or Hasselblad medium format back camera. This is the difference between the Nikon D7100, and the D7200. This is the HUGE difference between a Canon 5D Mark III, and a Nikon D7200,D610, or D750, and so on. The ability to "protect the highlights", the bright areas, by under-exposing them in the camera, and "holding the highlight detail", and then being able to take modern software, like Lightroom, and manualy "lift the curves", bringing almost black areas "up", and setting the way the picture looks, in software: all of this without the need to do multiple shots off a tripoid, and then process and combine the multiples in what's called HDR- or multi-shot exposure stacking. and all with almost no shadow pattern noise.

I personally, would look for a highly-skilled professional photographer who could show you some techniques. EQUIPMENT has capabilities, and that is why I emphasize the Sony-made sensor tech, but knowing how to utilize equipment is the province of the professional. and when I say professional, I mean a real commerical photographer, with at least 10 years' worth of experience, not some Craigslist shooter who started tw years ago and thinks Kelvin is some ska band from Jamaica.

 

[Petersen28]

astroNikon- you are correct in that I'm looking to make the light beams cleanly stand out. Our budget is around $1,000 give or take depending on what we find. I have just done a google search of an image that I appreciate. Derrel- thank you very much for your input. I completely agree that a good camera isn't going to fully do the work for you, it is about the user capabilities and many different factors. As with anyone though, you have to start somewhere which is why I am glad to have found this forum and thankful for any input!

LED light pictures - Google Search


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[astroNikon]

So you want to do "Volumetric lighting" or "crepuscular rays"
for simplicity, that to work there needs to be something in the air, such as high humidity (light fog, dust)which makes light posts lights create visible "rays"

There's a lot you have to learn leading up to that point to simulate the effects though. I've played with it using dry ice as the heavy air/fog agent.
Though I'm not sure you are asking for that specifically.

 

[Derrel]

Looked at the pictures. One issue will be resistance to flaring and ghosting on the part of the lens. Flaring is a big issue. Ghosting is another. You would likely want a lens that can be "shot into the light", or "shot against the light", meaning a lens that resists flare and ghosting. Cheap lens UV or protctive filter can create BAD secondary reflections.

18-55mm cheap kit zooms would likely not be the best lenses for photographing LED lights. If you do research on lenses, first stop by the Ken Rockwell.,com site, and look at his tests of shooting the sun against palm trees, and seeing what flare is, and what "ghosts" are.

At times, ghoting can be neat: we see it occasionally in movies, when we see 16-20 hexagonal iris diaphragm blades on long shots, often from a helicopter, as the heros fly in for a mission, against the sun...those 15-20 colored spots are "ghosts", or images of the iris's outline, imposing themselves on the picture area.

A Nikon or Sony camera and a GOOD, modern 50mm or 55mm lens would be a basic tool for high-grade images.

 

[astroNikon]

FYI, I looked at the one specific picture in the viewer, as other than what Derrel said of the hundreds of photos on that google search page.

the one image in the google viewer ==> http://www.semlight.com/UploadImg/2013/11/309104273.jpg

 

[Petersen28]

Thank you very much for your input to both of you, I appreciate it very much!


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[Designer]

..I'm looking to make the light beams cleanly stand out.
LED light pictures - Google Search

If you wish to emulate the example, you should be aware that the photographer chose to take the photo on a foggy night. The thin fog is what has defined the light beams.

So any camera, really.

 

[Dave442]

And post process the image in PhotoShop.

Generally for product photography pictures I see two basic areas, one is usually the product shot in a studio type set-up and second is the product in use in its environment. Your link was to a picture of the product in use and I expect that unless you are manufacturing the LED lights then that is the type of images you want to go after.

So a camera that has good manual controls and gives clean images in dark locations with a lens that is resistant to sun flares, but gives good sunstars. I would probably go with a Nikon D750 and the 24mm f/1.4 lens. Although some people like Canon as some of their lenses give 8-point sunstars while some of the Nikon lenses do 18-point sunstars (8 aperture blades vs 9 aperture blades). To get the sunstars you usually have to use a very small aperture (large f-stop number). The 16-35mm f/4 is probably another good option that is good against flaring and offers zoom over a fixed prime lens. The wide angle of either of these two lenses can let you include both the light and what the light is hitting within the image area.

I would also use a tripod and remote shutter release, I expect most your shots will be after sunset.