Nikon 55~200 AFS

[Quovadis]

If it was 160mm with your 55-200mm lens then the prime would also be that 160mm. You don't need to be taking the crop factor into account, that would only apply if someone here was using full frame (FX) camera and told you to use 200mm and then you would know to divide that by 1.5 to get to the focal length range you would use on your crop factor (DX) body.

I still like the 60mm f/2.8G AF-S lens, but an alternative is the larger 105mm f/2.8G micro. Both will work well from the normal 4 to 10 foot distance for the bags and then work very nice for close up shots of any details (even the grain or stitching).

I only went with the 60mm as it was smaller and cheaper, but gave the detail I was looking for. For a 12" tall object I am usually about 6.5 feet (2 meters) away to have it fill most of the frame with a bit of space.

With the lights you can put additional diffusers (white fabric) between the lights and your light box.

Dave you say that with a 60mm prime you stand back 2 meters? Is your camera a full frame or a DX? Is it logical to assume that if you are using a DX you would have to stand further back to achieve the same crop?

 

[Quovadis]

before you buy a lens buy that book, or buy it at the same time. Just get it. you may not read the entire thing, but read it a little at a time and experiment with what you learn in it. ==> Light Science & Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting: Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua: 9780415719407: Amazon.com: Books

Yep thanks, bought the book and the 85mm lens, and may also get the Tokina 100mm. I want to try different things. You see I HAD NO CLUE that the lights must never move. I have been moving lights around the tent trying to get a better shot.

 

[Quovadis]

I want to thank you all so much. I am taking my first shots today without any post production in photoshop apart from a little cropping. This is a Quantum leap.
I have light Science on order, as well as a Nikon 85mm prime on order. Here is a picture that in my opinion does not need any post production (to my eyes anyway).
It feels so strange to import the image into photoshop and there's nothing to do..I shot this with the cheap 55-200, and I'm pretty sure with the new 85 mm prime this bag would look even better.
Thank you all!!!

 

[chuasam]

Not sure why you need tack sharp at 100% if it's just going to be used for a website of small sizes.

 

[Quovadis]

Not sure why you need tack sharp at 100% if it's just going to be used for a website of small sizes.

Because i have been doing 3d art for years, and the fact that something is not perfectly sharp drives me crazy. I'm also totally anal about color. I find photography and golf have a lot in common. They are both easy to do, but difficult to master. Too many variables, That perfect picture I take occasionally is like getting a hole in one!!

 

[astroNikon]

knowledge, technique and equipment matters at this point to get that hole in one.
which needs Time and Money.

 

[Quovadis]

Indeed, there are no shortcuts. It's like learning a language from scratch.
I am very confused about DOF and which direction. I am also very confused about where to place my focus point on a bag. I only shoot the bag in about 8 different positions, so it would be logical to post these positions here and tell you guys where I am focusing. All I know is that F11 is now yielding the sharpest images with the 18-55. I have put the 55-200 away for good.
Here is a picture of a bag. The red point is where I focus. Where would you focus?
I am confused if DOF goes more towards the right? Or does it go behind the bag (imagine a 3d space)?
On F11 i try not to get the whole bag in the viewfinder because I know that the left and right extremities of the bag will be out of focus. On the other hand increasing up from F11, causes blurr.

 

[Braineack]

you say youre into 3D then ask this question.

im pretty sure youve gone full troll.

 

[Quovadis]

you say youre into 3D then ask this question.

im pretty sure youve gone full troll.

Never heard of full troll? What do you mean?

 

[astroNikon]

I am very confused about DOF

read this ==> Understanding Depth of Field in Photography

look at this ==> Struggling with Focus

experiment on rulers and things that are LONG (depth) like a fence to understand better.

 

[astroNikon]

FYI, further back on your bag example it is being blown out by the lights. detail is being lost due to too much light in that area. Light needs further diffusion.

That one book Light, Science and magic would be of great benefit right about now. (and then some time to read, experiment, understand and use the knowledge)

 

[Quovadis]

Dof on a 3d canvas is depth distance. We do not have the problem of knowing if the left or right side of the image will be in focus or not depending on where we aim a focus point. In a 3d application if you want to have the mountains in the background to have bokeh you have to increase their transparency.
In this pic the DOF is created by the sky, which gives the impression of distance ans depth, when in fact there is very little.

 

[Designer]

I am confused if DOF goes more towards the right? Or does it go behind the bag (imagine a 3d space)?

Imagine the DOF has having some "thickness" in which the acceptable focus will be a range that is divided about in half between "in front of" and "behind" your focal point. This is not an easy thing to do, but with practice you should be able to wrap your head around it eventually.

In the example you posted, I might have tried to imagine the thickness of the entire subject, and then select a spot that is about half way between the front (nearest the lens) and the back (the farthest from the lens). To me, it seems that one of the string grommets could be about half way from front to back, so I would focus on that, then lock focus and reframe to include the entire subject. Before letting go of the shutter, and before the actual shutter release, move the frame over to frame the bag and then complete the shutter release.

 

[robbins.photo]

Indeed, there are no shortcuts. It's like learning a language from scratch.
I am very confused about DOF and which direction. I am also very confused about where to place my focus point on a bag. I only shoot the bag in about 8 different positions, so it would be logical to post these positions here and tell you guys where I am focusing. All I know is that F11 is now yielding the sharpest images with the 18-55. I have put the 55-200 away for good.
Here is a picture of a bag. The red point is where I focus. Where would you focus?
I am confused if DOF goes more towards the right? Or does it go behind the bag (imagine a 3d space)?
On F11 i try not to get the whole bag in the viewfinder because I know that the left and right extremities of the bag will be out of focus. On the other hand increasing up from F11, causes blurr.

Ok, so DOF. To start with imagine a plane that runs parallel to the sensor in your camera. When you focus on a specific point, any other points that are on that same horizontal plane will also be in focus.

As you start moving off that plane, either towards the camera or away from it, the focus will start to fall off and those points won't be as sharp as the points that are on the horizontal plane on which your focus point lies.

The larger your DOF, the further away from the focal point a point can be and still appear to be in focus.

Here's a little online calculator you can use to determine your DOF:

A Flexible Depth of Field Calculator

 

[Quovadis]

I am confused if DOF goes more towards the right? Or does it go behind the bag (imagine a 3d space)?

Imagine the DOF has having some "thickness" in which the acceptable focus will be a range that is divided about in half between "in front of" and "behind" your focal point. This is not an easy thing to do, but with practice you should be able to wrap your head around it eventually.

In the example you posted, I might have tried to imagine the thickness of the entire subject, and then select a spot that is about half way between the front (nearest the lens) and the back (the farthest from the lens). To me, it seems that one of the string grommets could be about half way from front to back, so I would focus on that, then lock focus and reframe to include the entire subject. Before letting go of the shutter, and before the actual shutter release, move the frame over to frame the bag and then complete the shutter release.

OMG
i have been doing it all wrong. If DOF is the same as it is in 3d, then i really understand it. However i'm pretty sure that if I aim at the string grommets to the left of the bag, that the right extremity of the bag at f11 will be slightly out of focus. IN 3D DOF only pertains to depth in a straight line and not right and left.
Let me try a shot now aiming at the left tassels.