Product photography for magazine

Hey everyone,

I've searched through all the "product photography" and variation threads and still can't seem to make a lens decision. Basically I've been doing work at a lifestyle magazine who will send me around to stores to quickly (and I mean quickly - 5 minutes max) photograph a couple of items and move to the next store and I will be shooting anything in size from jewelry to full length dresses.

I'm currently using a 40d with the kit 17-85 kit lens, and it seems to be a decent range for what I'm doing, however even with a diffused flash I'm finding I'm sometimes shooting at 1000ISO, 1/15, f11 in order to get a decent exposure, and so I'm having a bit of trouble with grain and sharpness. Thankfully everything has turned out ok so far, but I'm worried that my luck will run out.

Do you think it would be better to fork out for something in a similar range but better quality, like the 24-70 2.8 L, or go for a combination of the 60 or 100mm macro and something else?

Any advice greatly appreciated! My head is hurting from trying to weigh up the pros and cons! Cheers

ef-s 17-55/2.8 IS lens is your answer.

If you shoot small products a prime would be good. 60 macro would be perfect

what are you shooting that you need to use iso1000 with flash?
a black cat in an oil drum in the middle of the night in saudi arabia?

I use the 100 f/2.8 macro for product photography. It's razor sharp and reproduces color well. If you may find yourself in close quarters while shooting, the 60mm Macro will do just as well and you don't have to back up quite so far with larger objects. You'll probably still want a good zoom, such as the aforementioned 17-55 f/2.8 IS for larger items such as dresses. The later lens is really ideal for going into unknown stores where you never know what the lighting is like and how much room you'll have to maneuver.

Here's a link to some shots I took with the 100mm Macro:
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=320074

The only reason to be at iso 1000 is if you are hand holding - a tripod is what you need.

If you are shooting stopped way down to F/11 a different lens is not going to be the solution. It sounds like slow shutter speeds may be causing the softness, and that high iso is causing the grain. Neither of which sounds like a lens problem to me.

A tripod + practice with the flash should get you exponentially better results.

Dorman wrote in post #8370876
The only reason to be at iso 1000 is if you are hand holding - a tripod is what you need.

If you are shooting stopped way down to F/11 a different lens is not going to be the solution. It sounds like slow shutter speeds may be causing the softness, and that high iso is causing the grain. Neither of which sounds like a lens problem to me.

A tripod + practice with the flash should get you exponentially better results.

^^^

Sweet thanks very much, and yes it all has been hand held. I've got a tripod but usually don't bring it with me due to how quickly we get in and out of stores but looks like this will have to change ha.

Thanks again for the comments

merlock wrote in post #8371410
I've got a tripod but usually don't bring it with me due to how quickly we get in and out of stores but looks like this will have to change

With a good tripod and a good QR system, setting a tripod only adds one minute to the entire process. Why the rush? Is it the stores, or your own desire to get the job over rapidly, that is pushing you to the shortcut? Don't be in such a rush, make quality for your clients higher on your priorities.

merlock wrote in post #8371410
Sweet thanks very much, and yes it all has been hand held. I've got a tripod but usually don't bring it with me due to how quickly we get in and out of stores but looks like this will have to change ha.

Thanks again for the comments

No problem - if your tripod has a quick release it really should take long to pop out the legs, slap your camera on, shoot at low ISO and eliminate the shake. At the very least you could get a small table top tripod or gorillapod to add some stability to your shooting.