Any David Baileys?

[Geoffuk]

I've just been told by the boss to get a new digital camera for photographing products.

We've got the full set-up now; a light pod for small items, a couple of professional lamps, screened area for larger items, tripod, etc. At the minute we're just using someones cheap digital camera which works fine but not always available!

Ideally we want to pay under £100 but I really havn't a clue what we need!

Any advice welcome!

Cheers.

Geoff

[Cheapdvds]

if u have all that equitment then i would have thought you would spend more than £100 on a camera.

saying that , my sister just broaght a 6 million mega pixal from asda for £45 , and the pictures are cracking , its small and slim with a 2 and half inch screen , great bargain.

Asda also had a 7 or 8 million mega pixel (cant remember the make but it wasnt cheap rubbish) like a SLR with changable lens , original price £200 , reduced to £99

[swifty7]

I got this camera - Buy Samsung S1050 10MP Digital Camera. at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for Digital cameras.

on saturday, really good, does what it says on the tin! And... its really simple to use!

managed to get some cute pictures of Monkey - my kitten...

[SimonA]

For Under £100 I would see if you can find a mid range Canon Ixus. As point and click cameras go, I've never had better (I've tried Olympus, Samsung and Sony).

Avoid products that have unbelievably high specs for the money - you don't need a 10 million pixel camera unless your planning on producing images for billboards. Your better off getting a camera that can cope with versatile lighting and take reasonable indoor shots. If you have to compromise anywhere, make it on battery life, as if its in a work enviroment you get plenty of opportunity to charge it (as opposed to someone going on day trips).

I don't know this model but it looks a pretty good buy based on spec and knowledge of others in the range.
Currys - Shop for Digital Camera - Canon IXUS 75 Black Digital Camera

[Geoffuk]

Cheers for the recomendations! Definatly worth a look.

I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with photograpy specifically of products. We do a lot of crockery, stainless steel stuff etc. Are there any functions or accessories I should look for to deal with this kind of stuff?

Geoff

[stu-art]

I've filmed a number of products for retailers and with your type of work I'd say the lighting is all important. A couple of lamps as a minimum - one for the key light and the other for fill to take out the shadows, possibly 3 as a backlight can really add to some items. A diffuser is handy for a softer light. Just watch your reflections in those shiny items! If the budget allows, a dslr like the Sony a100 offers a lot for the price but with decent photo software you can achieve a range of nice effects without the need for filters etc. Metallic items can also look nice in B&W.

[Rachna06]

Originally Posted by swifty7 managed to get some cute pictures of Monkey - my kitten...

Hey Geoff,

I don't know much about cameras, but I wanted to mention that Monkey is a cute little kitten!!

[swifty7]

She is cute, but a cheeky monkey (hence the name)

Hannah

[Geoffuk]

Here's us trying to have a serious disscussion and all you two can think of is cute kittens! Women!

That Sony is a bit out of our range and to be honest I don't think we know enough to put it to proper use! I think much of this has to do with us learning how to take the photos properly!

Cheers again,

Geoff

[justhomdotcom]

Geoff im pretty much in the same situation as you (although our camera needs are more high spec) what i've been doing is checking out the local community colleges to see who is running some day courses on digital photography and i've found a few in our area and chances are there are in yours as well.
See if your boss will stump up a few quid for you to go on a course it would probably be worth it

[Geoffuk]

Yea a photograpy course is definatly a good idea. One of those things I'll probably never find the time for unfortunatly though.

Ended up getting a Nikon P50, looks good, hope it'll do the job!

[Jamesc]

Hi Geoff

Buy floodlight. Its a great publication for night courses (inc photography).

I did not think I would have the time to go on a course but I found a great night photography course that took up 2 1/2 hrs a night once a week. Did that for three years - great fun.

Check ramblingdogphotography.com for some of my work

James