Yes it was missed. So you think it's more the optics than the light? Strobes are expensive I cannot find anything for less than $500. Would prefer to buy a lens before I get into strobes
That was his first comment. He indicated that the lenses that you have are not the best, only the cheapest.
I know where you can buy studio strobes for $50 each, so get two or three. They're not the best, but better than CFLs.
No, you don't want to mix lighting types, so turn off your fluorescent lights. The strobes have a modeling light built in.
You should not need to do a "ton" of Photoshop if you make good photos in the first place.
My comment about lighting the fronts of your handbags had nothing to do with focusing, but rather defining the bags using good lighting technique.
Yes, you will want to diffuse the light, and watch out for specular reflections. There might be some that will need to be diminished in editing, but seriously, not much time at all.
I recently photographed about 50 wooden bowls using two strobes and a light tent. My editing took about 30 seconds for each image.
When someone tells you to always use ISO 100, did that person also say to use "small files" and set to "standard" quality? I suggest you set your camera to "large" "fine" quality so you'll have something to work with in post.
A lower quality image is probably what you see and are calling it "grain" (actually the correct term in digital is "noise").
The missed focus is probably due to a thin DOF coupled with missed focus. You have a nice modern camera and lens (albeit an entry-level lens), so why not let the camera focus?
You might want to take a few minutes and review your user's manual.
You might want to take a few hours and read up on lighting techniques.
Good luck!
