DIY lightbox first attempt at product photo

Hey yall I posted this in the "setup, before and after" thread but I want some major CC on this.

This is my DIY lightbox prototype, far from finished, and my first attempt doing this type of photography! I am pretty pleased with the results, but C&C is still definitely needed since I am a beginner with this stuff!

Shot on 7D with 50 1.4 at f8 and f11 1/250s 100 iso. 580ex2 on right and yn-565ex left. I dont have a tripod yet but its in the mail! I think I need a longer lens too...

Setup:

The lighting looks pretty good, but they could be a tiny bit sharper.

PhotosGuy wrote in post #16528101
The lighting looks pretty good, but they could be a tiny bit sharper.

How would he go about making the image sharper?
A smaller F stop to have more in focus or is it a lens issue?
I am wondering for future references when i do my own light box images.

looks like you are slightly back focused, the furthest parts of the lens are sharper than the nearest. That will fix your sharpness issue.


so are the sides of the box cut out and you're shooting through the white paper? I'm impressed with the light, but one other thing that is distracting in this shot is the reflection on the lens' front element, the inconsistencies of the paper make it look like a smudge on the lens. Some frosted acetate would do great imo.

something like this: http://www.grafixarts.​com/product/DuraLar-2

edit: Just looked again. It seems you have more DOF on the second image. I would check your focus and consider manual once you get your tripod.

PhotosGuy wrote in post #16528101
The lighting looks pretty good, but they could be a tiny bit sharper.

Exactly what I was thinking. Maybe close down your f stop or use a wider angle to increase DOF.

Nice job though.

hes gone wrote in post #16528755
=he's gone;16528755] something like this: http://www.grafixarts.​com/product/DuraLar-2

This diffusion material has a lot of uses in the studio, but the most obvious is to shine a light through it to get a larger source. I hang the roll & can control the size of the light by the distance the source is away from it.
Translum - 54" X 18' roll $39

Good effort.

A bit more light power and a slightly smaller aperture will see the sharpness sorted.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I have recently sold my 7D and 3 zooms and purchased a beautiful used 5Dc, a 35/2, 85/1.8 , 70-200/4L and the "Goldfinger" 24-85 3.5-4.5. I also got my tripod today: MF 055XPROB/498RC2.. so when I get the rest of my gear (hopefully by Saturday) I'll get myself set-up and give this another shot

I shoot similar 'product' shots.

The settings I use 99% of the time are as follows:

Camera/Lens
ISO - 100
F/16
1/160

Flash - (2) old Canon 420EZ's
24mm (widest setting)
1/4 power
positioned up against the diffusion material

Sample -

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Byte size: ZERO | PHOTOBUCKET ERROR IMAGE

The overlap in the paper is a tiny bit distracting - there's a distinct delineation there, with visible texture in the front paper. It's like you're using two different pieces of paper.

nathancarter wrote in post #16540217
The overlap in the paper is a tiny bit distracting - there's a distinct delineation there, with visible texture in the front paper. It's like you're using two different pieces of paper.

Hey i noticed this too after i posted. I actually had the second peice flipped over on wrong side. After i flipped it right you cant tell

Positioning is nice and lit well.