what slr for close ups

[will2ho]

hi there never owned a slr before been using may galaxy note 2 to do ebay looking for a half decent just for ebay slr for close ups of waches and gold not sure of price and was wondering if i c much diff from using my phones camera to a proper slr?

 

[Overread19 7]

Pretty much any modern DSLR will do good product shots of watches and such - in fact the kit lens that comes with most DSLRs will be more than suitable for that kind of work since the majority of the quality in those kinds of shots will come from the correct control over the lighting of the subject itself.

If you're just after product shots for web display then you can easily get by with some lesser gear and just good lighting control - if you want higher quality then a DSLR can offer you that for a higher price of course.

A few thoughts:

1) A DSLR from Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony etc.. will do this job and do it well.

2) If you have more budget a macro lens (60mm to 90mm is what I would suggest for indoor product photography) can provide the ability to focus closer for smaller objects whilst delivering a high quality result
If you are on a more strict budget then extension tubes and the kit lens with a DSLR will work well

3) Lighting is KEY - you don't need complex or expensive gear (you can and of course higher grade items will help) but you do need correct control over it.

If you go the DSLR path I'd suggest the following books:
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson
The Digital Photography Book (books 1 to 4) by Scot Kelby

These will help you a lot in learning how to control and use the camera

Whatever option you go for I'd suggest the book:
Light Science and Magic (version/edition 4 is the latest).

This will help you a lot in learning about lighting; how to light and such.


If you have a rough budget in mind (and can list your country so we know what kind of prices you'll have) people can give more specific brand and model suggestions.

 

[will2ho]

hi thanks for quick reply i looking at buying sencondhand really for 250ish pounds i in uk i just be using camera indoors taking pics about 8-10cm away from watch face

 

[Overread19 7]

With £250 I don't think you'll be getting a high end DSLR - in light of that budget I'd suggest a bridge camera or good compact camera - for watch photography they should be more than capable of getting a good quality shot. Sadly I can't suggest models or makes as I really don't know that market segment well at all.

EDIT - actually I tell a lie - the canon 450D with kit lens would fit your budget on Ebay second hand just. You could also look at the 400D, a little older, but a little cheaper and that would leave a little bit more budget room for a few other things.

Either one can do product photography - like I said the greater part is going to be good lighting.

 

[will2ho]

hi thanks for reply will i c a better pic then i take with my camera phone using the canon

 

[will2ho]

??

 

[Overread19 7]

At a technical level yes you can - at a proficiency level that is down to yourself. Starting out the DSLR will require you to take more control than just point and shoot. If you read the forums ,ask around and also the books I mentioned earlier you can improve the quality of your results significantly.

Even just doing a product photography and product photography lighting searches will net you a lot of results and material to work through.

 

[gsgary]

hi thanks for reply will i c a better pic then i take with my camera phone using the canon

Probably not if you are asking questions like this

 

[gmazz]

Any dslr will be better than your phone. You could probably find a used canon 350d or 400/450d in your price range. Not sure what the nikon equivalent is, maybe a D3000.