Comments on: Can you take decent product shots with a low end camera?

By: Boo's Jewellery

Boo's Jewellery — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:20:46 +0000

Thanks Marianne – delighted if you found it of interest and value. For those that are already finding product photography difficult, spending on a more sophisticated camera is unlikely to make them any happier. You need some basic controls to make it manageable – for example, the basic camera I used didn’t allow you to turn off the flash, which fired automatically if it felt the light level was too low (and the resulting shutter speed was too slow), which would spoil photos and make it very irritating if you didn’t have enough light.

Probably the best solution for most people would be an intermediate camera like the Fuji S5700 I use – which I paid very little for when a new model came out and they slashed the prices of earlier models – always a good time to buy.

Enjoy you camera – it certainly makes it more fun – and successful creatively – when you understand a bit more, so well worth doing a bit of learning.

By: Marianne

Marianne — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:10:45 +0000

I agree wholeheartedly with your point that technique is your most valuable asset.

What's the point of buying a DSLR if you don't know how to use it?

Thank you for the blog entries on how to improve your technique. It was a very interesting read, and it kindled my enthusiasm for taking photos.

I have a Canon Powershot S5 IS, that I don't know how to use properly.
Your blog entries made me realize that I should get a book explaining the basics of photography and take it from there.

By: Boo's Jewellery

Boo's Jewellery — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 11:34:53 +0000

If you already have a DSLR and know how to use it, a macro lens will certainly make life easier as it allows you to work much closer to your subject and is no doubt better quality too.

But for those that wouldn't know what to do with a DSLR, it would simply be overkill to spend that much money and then have to wrestle to learn to use it. A mid-range digicam that allows the user some decent controls (like custom white balance, exposure compensation and a range of ISOs) is more than adequate for most people.

By: Kirsty.a

Kirsty.a — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 09:14:24 +0000

Interesting. thanks. I was thinking of asking for a macro lens fo Christmas

By: Boo's Jewellery

Boo's Jewellery — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 09:57:06 +0000

Many thanks – I’m glad that it (and earlier blogs too) was useful for someone – I wanted to illustrate that even with very modest equipment, a little know how and care can still get decent results – because not everyone has the funds for expensive gear or wants to be bothered having to learn how to use it. People can usually improve their results and overcome problems without having to spend any dosh at all.

By: SummersStudio

SummersStudio — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:56:39 +0000

Excellent. I really appreciate you having gone through the exercise. I use a point and shoot for product photography and while I could use improvement, it has been fine for my needs with minimal post shoot processing. While I do long for a dslr like my daughter uses, I think you can get perfectly usable photos if you account for your lighting and the range you focus in. I’ve learned a lot from your previous tutorials. I thank you for those as well.