I am researching my next camera purchase (from my shop pics you will see why), and would like some feedback from this team. What camera do you use to take your shop photos? Would you recommend it?
lighting and composition are way more important than an expensive camera for someone who has never used one. don't buy a fancy camera if you're unable to take great shots with a point and shoot first. once you get that part of it down, then you're ready to drop a few more bucks on a good camera.
i use an olympus vr-320 point and shoot with supermacro. love it!
Yes - if you get good lighting and composition you'll be eons ahead.
A higher priced camera will give you more options that can help in situations of low light, but when you're shooting for your shop, you can control those things. (Wait for a sunny day, use a light box, etc.) It's not like you're shooting a portrait session outside and are at the mercy of a scheduled date and the weather.
Just make sure you've got a Macro option for your up-closes (normally depicted as a tulip). True you can always crop to "zoom in" but in doing that you will begin to see extra "noise" and lose quality.
Honestly, though, it's not all about the camera. I think a couple of other people have said it's a lot to do with lighting, etc.
My first suggestion would be to use a tripod and set whatever camera you are using to self timer, or use a remote shutter release if you have one. This will eliminate any camera shake and potentially blurry shots.
oh, i have a canon power shot digital elph. it's 3 years old, but i think once i learned how to use it (along with natural sun light), it can be a really good camera. of course, i'd LOVE to have a fancy one.....
I have a Casio exilim. It doesn't have a macro mode, it's cheap, I need a new camera so I'm reading this thread with a LOT of interest! I even have a lightbox with full-spectrum bulbs and my photos are still just... really lacking.
I use a Canon PowerShot A2200. It's amazing for jewelry closeups. You can shoot just inches away. I bought a red one....big mistake. Red reflections everywhere. Silver is a better option.
I have a Nikon D40 -- it's an oldie, but I love it! I use it for all of my product photos. I also have a Canon ELPH 300, and I love that one too. If you're looking for a point-and-shoot, I recommend spending a little extra money.
I have Nikon D5000 with the default 18-55mm objective, which is not very good for macro shooting, although the images are large at 12Mpix and you can see great detail even in pictures taken a bit further. I can only imagine the photos a macro objective could produce! I'm just starting to actually learn my camera, so I still have a lot to discover, but so far it's been great. And what I probably love the most is, that there's no noise even when shooting in dim light! :)
