Decent product photos do not have to cost a fortune!
You could get around even cheaper if your smart-phone is good enough these days, but for those looking for a quick to setup solution what will work the same every time, no matter how much daylight you have available, this one is great!
Images first, details later!
Cheap used Canon EOS M camera, $190 with bag and the 18-55mm kit lens and the small flash. In this shoot, kitted with a 7artisans 25mm manual lens for about $75, new.
This is the entire kit used for these photos. Obviously, this shot and the other of the Canon is shot using a different camera. The USB-powered lightbox was $23 on eBay, came with this white backdrop, and a darker one, the powerbank is just one I had lying around.
Using a picture profile found online, for free. This one I quite like, use it for video recording as well, responds nicely to both darker and high-key shots.
Using a picture profile I've made myself for a particular lighting we have in autumn and spring here in Sweden. Works well for portrait and nature, but can be a bit cool for this kind of photo.
Using standard in-camera Neutral profile.
Set the picture profile to Auto this time.
This is another custom picture profile I use, better suited to high-key photos.
Pommegranate Closeup - Agfa RSX II
Back on the white backdrop for some high-key versions. Using the Agfa RSX II profile again. Works very well with the reds, and handles highlights and white-points well.
Not the best subject for monochrome, but here we are. This is in-camera monochrome with contrast set to... +2 i think.
Another custom picture profile, one I use for a very specific type of portraits and winter landscapes. Very high contrast and a slightly compressed dynamic range.
Just to show another camera you can get very cheap today, the Fujifilm X-E1. Got mine 2nd-hand for $250 with the 18-55mm kit lens (which is great). This is shot using a 2nd-hand XC50-230mm at 144mm to get bit more... compressed sense of depth.
The Fuji X-E1 with XC50-230mm again, full zoom. It did struggle a little with the white-balance in this. But still straight out of camera.
The complete setup for this gallery is:
- $190 USD Canon EOS M (1st gen), used
- $50 USD 7artisans 25mm lens, new
- $10 USD no-name LED lightbox, new
- $190 USD Canon EOS M (1st gen), used
- $50 USD 7artisans 25mm lens, new
- $10 USD no-name LED lightbox, new
$250 USD, or cheaper according to eBay, if I were to get all the stuff right now.
To be honest, if you have a modern smartphone with a decent camera, like an iPhone 7+, a recent S-series Samsung or a Pixel 3(a), my favourite, you don't REALLY need a "real" camera. I just happen to have a few, so here we are.
What you will find is lacking in all smartphones is proper shallow DOF, they will look more like the last two shots which are taken using a telephoto lens. A bit compressed, less "bokehlicious"... flatter. Now, that isn't in itself bad, i might just not be what you want from those nice detail-shots.
To be honest, if you have a modern smartphone with a decent camera, like an iPhone 7+, a recent S-series Samsung or a Pixel 3(a), my favourite, you don't REALLY need a "real" camera. I just happen to have a few, so here we are.
What you will find is lacking in all smartphones is proper shallow DOF, they will look more like the last two shots which are taken using a telephoto lens. A bit compressed, less "bokehlicious"... flatter. Now, that isn't in itself bad, i might just not be what you want from those nice detail-shots.
I particularly like the Canon system for the ability to design and load custom picture profiles into the camera.
To show that off, I have pictures in the gallery that aren't the best for the subject, but everything you see in here is straight from the camera. No adjustments, no cropping... copied straight from the memory card.
Camera is set to 1:1 ratio to a picture-size suitable for online use. For that instagrammability.
To show that off, I have pictures in the gallery that aren't the best for the subject, but everything you see in here is straight from the camera. No adjustments, no cropping... copied straight from the memory card.
Camera is set to 1:1 ratio to a picture-size suitable for online use. For that instagrammability.
The two first photos are shot using my other cheap ebay-camera, the Fujifilm X-E1, for obvious reasons. And the last two are also taken on that one since I do not have a telephoto lens for my Canon and I wanted to show examples of a more compressed DOF image.
Setting the scene up is super-simple. Unfold the light-box, connect to USB-power, set the backdrop of choice and start shooting. The LED-s are bright enough to be usable in complete darkness.
Have fun!