Studio Equipment for Macro Photography

[pumbaa]

Ladies, gents, be patient with me as I'm very new to both macro and studio photography. I spent a little time looking through this section today, and also on the B&H website, and I have to say I'm confused as heck :confused:

What I'm after is something similar to what is described in the this link:

http://www.amazon.com/American-Recorder-SIB-100-Photo-Studio-in-a-Box/dp/B0009E3UUY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-2776244-9428044?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1179064518&sr=8-1

However, reading the customer reviews seems to indicate that two of the three components (tripod and lights) are pretty poor quality - what do you expect for $65 I guess.

The requirement for any setup is primarily for macro photography. It would probably be used for other purposes (like close-up shots for eBay). Ideally any setup will need to be portable. The tripod will be required to comfortably support a Rebel XT w/grip and the Sigma 150.

So, can anyone recommend some products that are worth investing in for this sort of setup? Value for money is a priority (i.e. quality products, rather than the cheapest), but i'm not sure of an overall budget right now.

Thanks in advance.

[Freff]

Have a read through this thread,
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=281524
I'm sure it's what you want and can be done very cheaply.:)

[Curtis N]

That's a good thread, albeit somewhat lengthy.

Lighting for digital pictures of small things that do not move need not be complicated or expensive.

[Swift]

I built my own lightbox (the product you're describing) from the DIY lightbox thread and it's been serving me great! I've sold lots of eBay products because of my clean photos and the detail the photo with simple backgrounds.

I bought a pair of work lights from Lowes, 250 watts both I think. They were like $10 each, very cheap here. The lights serve as the light to glow the lightbox...

Anyways, just make one yourself ! I was in the same position as you were, and it cost me very little to create my own - the size I want, the way I want it, and the equipment I want with it :).

[pumbaa]

I must say there is some excellent advice in that thread, although I haven't quite digested the full 50 pages as yet! We did some experiments yesterday using just a styrofoam box I found in the garage with no additional lighting which came out OK. Potentially saved me a lot of money, so thanks to all who contributed.