What matters for low-res product shots?

[Nareg]

Hello all, I own a website where I sell arcade parts.

Naturally, there is a need for product shots for each of the 250 items I stock... but I'm really not satisfied with the way photos have turned out with my equipment.

Here's the situation:
Most of the products are less than 4 cubic inches in size (2x2x2)
I'm taking all of my photos on a macro setting with a consumer grade digital camera.
I don't have a light box, but I understand I might need to get one for better diffusion.


Generally, my complaint is in FOCUS. I want to get a new camera that can actually focus on these small products and come out with good pictures. The photos all end up being scaled down to web-shots of 350x230 pixels, so if I understand megapixels correctly, they shouldn't really matter for my work?

http://www.gamingnow.net/images/bluecompetition.jpg


I guess what i'm asking is, what's a good camera for macro shots. If i can save money by getting a camera with a LOW megapixel count, I would like to do that, since it seems to me that for my applications, only the lens really matters.

[katodog]

For what you're doing, get a piece or two of white poster board and a few LED flashlights. Put a sheet of poster board under the product, and one behind the product. Shine the LED flashlights at the product at an angle. If need be, you can diffuse the lights with a sheet of white paper, just wrap the paper around the front of the light and tape it in place. Experiment for a few minutes to get the right lighting and start shooting.

Fast, cheap, easy...poster board and lights. Put your camera on a tripod and use the timer if it has one. Keeps the shakes down and makes the image sharper. For little parts like the button you showed, the sharper the better. Showing clarity in product photos is what sells the product.


What kind of camera are you currently using?

[alessandro2009]

...
Generally, my complaint is in FOCUS.
...

See the specifications of your compact camera about the minimum distance.
Put a little more distance and eventually do a small crop.

[Nareg]

My camera is a Konica Minolta DiMage G600.
I have a newer camera which is a casio exilim, but this minolta seems to take better pictures up close.
Still, i'm not really happy with it. Could it have something to do with the shutter speed?
I take all of my shots with an extremely steady hand, and i make sure to allow the camera to focus before full depression on the button, yet still, many pictures do not come out focused. I'm thinking maybe the faster the shutter speed the better for a focused photo. But then again, I know nothing about photography.


By the way, someone once told me that the Nikon digital cameras have the better lenses on the market (for the money.) Is this true?

[Jon Foster]

Try the ideas already suggested in the replies above. Good lighting and mounting the camera on a tripod and using the timer to take the shots will improve your pictures considerably. If nothing else, it will tell you if your current camera is up to the job or not.

Jon.

[golfecho]

Put a little more distance and eventually do a small crop.

I don't see a need to be right on top of the product to get the shot. The advice above is good. I would use the tripod to get a larger f-stop (F11 or F16??). Then do the crop in PP.

[Roy G. Biv]

Ta-daaa!!!

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=480210&highlight=diy+light+box

[René Damkot]

Generally, my complaint is in FOCUS.

Focus is not the problem. Depth of field is...

[Nareg]

So, I'm thinking about getting a Canon SX20. Primarily for these business shots.

Does it matter, or do you guys think a new camera would really not do very much for me, considering how low-res the photos I'm currently taking are.

What kind of difference can i expect for my applications?

Like I said, my current camera is a 6 megapixel Dimage G600 (minolta.)

Appreciate all of your wise advice.

[RPCrowe]

I would use a tripod and a light tent.

A light tent and a pair of inexpensive strobes would work just fine. Continuous lights would also be O.K. but the heat they generate might be problematic.

You can fabricate a light tent fairly easily but, I use a folding nylon tent which came with four backgrounds (black, white, gray and red) and cost about $20. It folds away easily and for that price I wouldn't mess with fabrication:

http://cgi.ebay.com/30-PHOTOGRAPHY-LIGHT-TENT-SOFT-BOX-LIGHTING-CUBE-TENT_W0QQitemZ190347679144QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_De faultDomain_0?hash=item2c519b15a8

A pair of cheap strobes like this will work fine and have the advantage of modeling lights over using hotshoe flashes.

http://cgi.ebay.com/110-ws-Photography-Studio-Strobe-Flash-Lighting-Light_W0QQitemZ360204577483QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_D efaultDomain_0?hash=item53ddddaacb

You will be shooting in manual but, that is not a problem. Just get your exposure down by trial and error and it should not change much from shot to shot.

A pair of short stands like this would work if you want to place your lights on the shooting table next to the tent If not, just get a pair of taller stands. One light on each side of the tent pointing into it will provide even overall lighting with few shadows.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Background-Backlight-Light-Stand-New-RF2054_W0QQitemZ200402242915QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_ DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2ea8e78d63

If your part is made of a shiny reflecting material, most light tents have a front panel through which you can shoot without having your reflected image showing in the part.

[EOS_JD]

I've not read everything here so apologies if I'm repeating. Looks like Depth of Field is the problem. tamke a couple of steps back from the object and take the shot and then crop to the size you want. This will increase the depth of field and you should see more of the subject in focus.

[stsva]

So, I'm thinking about getting a Canon SX20. Primarily for these business shots.

Does it matter, or do you guys think a new camera would really not do very much for me, considering how low-res the photos I'm currently taking are.

What kind of difference can i expect for my applications?

Like I said, my current camera is a 6 megapixel Dimage G600 (minolta.)

Appreciate all of your wise advice.

For these kind of shots the Dimage is probably fine. Any of these small digicams should have plenty of depth of field for these kinds of shots.

[mike_d]

You say these are for low resolution web use, but don't throw out your full resolution originals. You never know when someone down the road might want to re-crop them, print a color catalog, or do something else that will have you wishing you had more than a 350x230 image.

[EOS_JD]

No matter the resolution, you still need a capable camera and a correct light setup to get a good image. The camera actually doesn't matter very much in that respect. Your camera should be able to shoot in manual and be able to be used with strobes I'd say for product shots.