Anyone do product photography? Need help with lens choice

[JeffS]

[edit] Decided to go with the 100mm macro (along with the 24-70). Need to decide on lighting and spend some time getting used to the camera now.


I'm getting ready to pick up a 20D and I need help deciding on a lens for some product photography. Items will be jewelry - indoor in a light tent.

Considering

- EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro - $469.95
- EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro - $399

Or... do I really need a macro lens as opposed to something like:

- EF 50mm f/1.4 USM - $319

Not trying to be cheap... just not sure.

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I'm trying to get in on the tail end of the canon triple rebate, so considering canon lenses only. Will be buying two lenses for now, one for the product shots, and one general purpose, maybe a EF 24-70 f/2.8L

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I'm obviously a photo noob, but my wife's business has grown to the point that we can't continue to pay someone to photograph everything (sounds backwards, I know). I'll learn as I go, but figure I should at least start out with pretty close to the right lens. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[davidwhitt]

Hi
I do a lot of photography work on the side and consider myself a semi-pro. I use Minolta so I can't really comment on the quality of the lenses. The macro lenses in general will allow you to get much closer to the subject. The size of prints is something to consider, as you could probably get by with the 50mm if you can crop a lot, meaning you won't be able to print as large. If I recall correctly the USM simply focuses faster and more quietly, not supremely necessary for this type of work. The field of view would probably be best somewhere between 70 and 110mm (though 50 is not too bad). Good lighting, set up, background etc (and use a tripod) will probably make up for most lens deficiencies.One good place to ask this question is in the canon forums at dpreview.com.

David Whittingham

[10851CS]

Jeff,

My daughter has a D20 and uses the EES 17-85 Macro that came with her kit. She got it from B&H Photo in New York.

Their site is: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ . She has bought a lot from them and they seem to always have the best deals around.

Earl

[tsukiji]

The 100mm macro would be the better of the two.

[theroyalwe]

there are a few great options... there is the 50mm 2.5 macro usm from canon here
or the 60mm f2.8 macro here

they are 239 and 399 respectively. also consider getting the 'life size' converter for the 50mm and you'll be doing pretty good.

like davidwhitt said, the lighting and setup are more important than the lens. you can get excellent product photos with most lenses with the right setup.

[hoopi]

I have the Canon 20D and the 50mm 2.5 macro lens. It's somewhat slow focusing at times, but it does a great job. Remember that the 50 mm 2.5 also has a "life size converter" that adds extra elements. I have some samples from this lense if you are interested.

[hoopi]

Also, as a reminder, doing product photography, your subject isn't "moving" so a slow lens really isn't a problem. You might consider using a zoom macro lens to get the best flexibility. Usually clarity is the reason people go with a prime lense. But if you take a zoom macro and use a highe f-stop, a tripod and a flash, you should get some good results.

As an example, I had to take some pictures for my sister for Ebay, and the only lense I had available with me was a 35-80 mm, not a very good lens really (it was an old free lens). But I used the flash, placed the objects in a makeshift light box, and used a higher f-stop and the photos really surprised me. And that lens wasn't even a macro lens.

[hoopi]

I found a sample. This was the first day I got the lens, so I hadn't figured out the depth of field just yet.

[theroyalwe]

are those grains of rice?

[hoopi]

Originally Posted by theroyalwe

are those grains of rice?

Yep, that's rice! I didn't have a good flash at that time, so it's not the best picture, but it does show you what the 50 mm macro + life size can do.

[MarkS]

I agree with the comment that lighting is really critical. The light tent is definitely a good idea. I have a friend who makes and sells jewellery and does her own photography; she's gotten very good at it. Some shots here.

As for lenses, the usual complaint about relatively short focal length macro lenses (50 or 60 mm) is that the working distance is short; there's not much room between the front element of the lens and the thing you're shooting. With the 1.5x crop factor going on (at least I think that's what it is with the 20D--I'm a Nikon guy) it's not quite so bad but, depending on the size of the jewellery, it might be a problem. Something to consider, anyway.

Two alternatives to dedicated macro lenses are extension tubes and closeup lenses. Extension tubes are just hollow tubes that move the lens out from the camera body and allow closer focusing distances. Closeup lenses screw on the front of the lens like a filter. The Canon 250D and 500D closeup lenses have two achromatic lens elements and work quite nicely.

Focusing speed should be a non-issue. Focus manually.

Mark