Suggestions on a camera for Product Photography

[nycstephanie]

Hello,


I'm looking to start an eCommerce website that sells mobile devices & accessories and I'm looking for a high quality camera to take product photography. Suggestions will be greatly appreciated.


Thanks!

 

[Designer]

Hey, welcome! Nearly any modern DSLR will fill the bill, so depending on your budget and how much time and effort you want to put in, you can something that will work fine. Budget in for some lights and modifiers, as well as whatever posing setup that you think will work.

 

[MGRPhoto]

Cheap DLSR, Macro lens in the 50-90mm range and a good lighting backdrop setup. You could probably spend a lot more on lighting than the DSLR and lens.

 

[KmH]

Yep, lighting and staging are keys to great product photographs.
Light Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting

What is your budget?
High quality cameras used by professional product photographers start at about $5000, with out any lenses, and go up to $40,000+.
I don't think you're wanting to spend that kind of money.

 

[gsgary]

This should do the job and they are very cheap Medium format camera systems for pro photographers

 

[JoeW]

Hello,


I'm looking to start an eCommerce website that sells mobile devices & accessories and I'm looking for a high quality camera to take product photography. Suggestions will be greatly appreciated.


Thanks!

Best of luck with this business Stephanie. Here's is my take...
1. The camera doesn't matter that much. Oh, it matters, but when it comes to product photography, there are about 3-5 other pieces of equipment that matter more. Just about any DSLR will work.
2. You'll want a very good, professional quality tripod. No, not anything you can buy for $50. We're probably talking a minimum of $150 and more likely $250-300. It needs to have a center rod that tilts so you can set up above the product and shoot down. It needs to be rock solid and ideally has a quick release head.
3. You'll want something like a light tent, light box or cyc depending up on the size of the products you're shooting. I'm assuming you're not shooting food--that's a whole other set of backdrops. Specific products (shoes, knives, jewelry) will benefit from other types of props and backdrops (like "black ice"). But at a minimum you're going to need something like a light tent, light box, light table, or cyc setup.
4. If your products won't fit in a light box or light tent, then you're likely going to need 1-2 soft boxes with stands and strobes or speed lights followed by either a camera with a commander ability (so the on-camera popup flash can communicate with the speed lights) or triggers.
5. You'll need a 5-in-1 reflector (with white, gold, silver, and black surfaces).
6. You'll need the book "Light: science and magic" which is THE bible for lighting and shooting static objects and manipulating/producing specific lighting affects (like reducing glare and reflections).

 

[DSRay]

If you really want to roll, a 4X5 with a digital back is the way to go. If you can't afford one, try a full sensor DSLR and focus stacking software.

 

[sk66]

IMO, the camera is the least important part of the equation.
A large light tent is good, otherwise you need VERY large modifiers for anything curved/reflective.
A TS-e/PC-e lens can be very useful, and expensive... there are ways to get around using one...kind of.
Of course, tripod/remote...

 

[Ihatemymoney]

Really depends on the size, shapes and texture of your products.
I own both, flash or strobe mono lights and Continuous florescent lighting, also a 5ft photo tent.

You will need more then one product photography studio setting. One table top studio set up with a white paper back drop with strobes and soft boxes.
And a photo tent set up with CFL.

.IMO your starting point is the studio and lighting. the book Light science and magic will play a key roll in how fast you get every looking like it should.
There is one problem someone mentioned it earlier (lens choice ) .
I use TSE lenses for Product Photography but the TSE 17 you are right on top of your product, point is the lens will cause shadows and you need to be some what invented to keep the shadow of the lens from being in the picture.

What is your budget.

 

[davisphotos]

I started shooting product with a Canon 30D and a nifty 50, light is definitely more important. You could get good results even with a good advanced P&S with a longish lens. For most of my tabletop work, I use 1 softbox, 11" reflector with honecomb grid, and an assortment of foamcore and metal flashing to reflect light.

 

[davisphotos]

Also, a copy of Photoshop. Even if you work really hard, it's tough to get everything right in camera, and you can do a lot with compositing and even just simple clean up to make your images look great.

 

[Roger3006]

Can you be specific as to what you are doing? I sell unique items, firearms, online. Most are high grades and/or collectables. I use one or two medium softboxes and a Nikon D300 or D7200. Most of my work is done with a 60mm micro or 105mm micro. I shoot tethered into Lightroom 5.3. Photoshop Elements does everything else I need when I use it.

If I were selling multiple units of a homogeneous item my cameras, lighting, and software would be different. Speed is a big factor with me even when photographing a $20,000 shotgun. If I were photographing a firearm for a magazine ad where the manufacturer would be selling thousands of units it would be a very different story. You can spend hours if not days on one shot. I may shoot 30 images of one unique item to accurately illustrate it. I may spend a day on something very high end. On the other hand I may spend less than an hour on something less expensive. Economics is certainly a factor; however, there is a lot more to illustrate on a high grade than a run of the mill firearm.

Things that are important to me are a camera stand, shooting tethered, good lighting, plenty of room to work, good glass, and Lightroom. Most of my images never see Photoshop Elements.

Keep in mind; I cannot digitally remove scratches, dings, wear, etc.