Advice on camera

[engicoder]

I need some help/advice on finding a new camera. I'm not looking to become an expert photographer. My phone does what I need for outdoors photos and anywhere with good lighting. I am looking for something to take indoors photos, where phones generally suck.

My criteria:

• Primary use: Indoors photos of small to medium sized static objects. (Things for ebay, models, keyboards, etc)
• Good medium to low light (not dark or night)
• Good macro ability
• Easy to use

Cost? Rather than setting a price, tell me what will achieve my goals without excessive cost for capabilities I won't use.

[tbc]

indoors is a huge descriptor.

can you be more specific?  group shots?  circus?  food?

[tjcaustin]

Bang for you buck?  Look at the Nex series mirrorless from Sony.  Decent amount of lenses including old manual glass from minolta and if you're ok with a couple year old tech, not terribly priced at all.  I have an a6000 that seems like it's everything a cmos sensor based camera can be.  My sister has a nex 5 (r or t, I can't remember), mom an a5000 and a handful of friends have various versions in between as well.

Most of my use is with a lightbox and tripod for cable shots, btw.  I use it for everything, but that's the main thing I camera with.

[engicoder]

indoors is a huge descriptor.

can you be more specific?  group shots?  circus?  food?

Updated my criteria with an answer...basically taking photos of small static objects.

[engicoder]

Bang for you buck?  Look at the Nex series mirrorless from Sony.  Decent amount of lenses including old manual glass from minolta and if you're ok with a couple year old tech, not terribly priced at all.  I have an a6000 that seems like it's everything a cmos sensor based camera can be.  My sister has a nex 5 (r or t, I can't remember), mom an a5000 and a handful of friends have various versions in between as well.

Most of my use is with a lightbox and tripod for cable shots, btw.  I use it for everything, but that's the main thing I camera with.

Do you mean something like this?

[tjcaustin]

Bang for you buck?  Look at the Nex series mirrorless from Sony.  Decent amount of lenses including old manual glass from minolta and if you're ok with a couple year old tech, not terribly priced at all.  I have an a6000 that seems like it's everything a cmos sensor based camera can be.  My sister has a nex 5 (r or t, I can't remember), mom an a5000 and a handful of friends have various versions in between as well.

Most of my use is with a lightbox and tripod for cable shots, btw.  I use it for everything, but that's the main thing I camera with.

Do you mean something like this?

(Attachment Link)

I do.

[tbc]

This is going to be a 'medium' level comprehensive guide to product photography equipment:

First thing first, the equipment you'll need to buy; you may find LOWER prices that what I'm showing here, but you do NOT need to pay more:

Sony A6000 - $650 : http://store.sony.com/-alpha-6000-mirrorless-interchangeable-lens-camera-zid27-ILCE6000//cat-27-catid-all-alpha-advanced-amateur?vva_ColorCode=BC008
30mm Macro - $280 : http://store.sony.com/e-30mm-f3.5-macro-e-mount-macro-lens-zid27-SEL30M35/cat-27-catid-All-Alpha-NEX-Lenses?_t=pfm%3Dsearch
Tripod - ~$50 -> $100
Ball-Head - ~$100
Lightbox - $70
Lamps - $50

Total: $1250

For your tripod and ballhead needs, I recommend Sirui.

What does this get you?

1: Product shots with a mostly white background.  The lightbox with the lamps and possibly the tripod are needed for this.

2: Product shots in settings around the house.  You will use your tripod and set a long exposure to get the correct brightness.

3: Macro shots.  You can easily get shots where a keycap will fill 1/3 of the frame.  You can get even closer, but it gets kinda awkward using a fullsize tripod pushed against the table where your subject is.

What will you need to learn?

You need to get comfortable using manual mode to make good use of your equipment and get professional looking shots.

You'll be using long exposures (1 to 5 seconds likely - but I don't actually know how dark your setting is) and medium apertures (around F8) on a tripod.  But do NOT take these suggestions as gospel, you should still take the time to learn the exposure triangle.  This isn't really hard though, the a6000 is a mirrorless camera (NOT a DSLR) and the screen and viewfinder are WYSIWYG; on a DSLR, your viewfinder shows what your eye sees, what the camera sensor sees is entirely different.  Since this is technically a studio setting, keep your ISO at 100 to minimize noise.

Other accessories?:

Joby Gorillapod (table-top tripod) - used for tight spots such as under a table or for close-up 1:1 magnification shots.

Ring Light/Flash - adds a ringlight effect to the eyes of sculptures/dolls.  Otherwise, it's handy for full macro shots, but you already have a gorillapod and can use a long exposure ; don't buy this, just save your money instead.

HVL-F32M Flash - This will allow you to more nimbly use your camera; you'll get proper exposure without needing to use your tripod, giving you faster setup/clean up times and better angles for your shots.  Set your shutter speed to about 1/50, your aperture to your taste, and flash compensation to +0 (adjust and retake photos as necessary).  Make sure it's pointed at the ceiling and you're good to go.  This won't help you with macro shots of keycaps because the lens will be VERY close and block out light; you'd need a 50mm or 100mm macro lens before the flash can kick in.




EDIT:

Counter-point:

no one suggests using 30mm, why did you recommend it?

Answer:

Since this is a product photography usecase, it's convenient to be physically closer to your product, than you would be using a 50mm or 100mm lens, to readjust things.

[engicoder]

This is going to be a 'medium' level comprehensive guide to product photography equipment:

More

First thing first, the equipment you'll need to buy; you may find LOWER prices that what I'm showing here, but you do NOT need to pay more:

Sony A6000 - $650 : http://store.sony.com/-alpha-6000-mirrorless-interchangeable-lens-camera-zid27-ILCE6000//cat-27-catid-all-alpha-advanced-amateur?vva_ColorCode=BC008
30mm Macro - $280 : http://store.sony.com/e-30mm-f3.5-macro-e-mount-macro-lens-zid27-SEL30M35/cat-27-catid-All-Alpha-NEX-Lenses?_t=pfm%3Dsearch
Tripod - ~$50 -> $100
Ball-Head - ~$100
Lightbox - $70
Lamps - $50

Total: $1250

For your tripod and ballhead needs, I recommend Sirui.

What does this get you?

1: Product shots with a mostly white background.  The lightbox with the lamps and possibly the tripod are needed for this.

2: Product shots in settings around the house.  You will use your tripod and set a long exposure to get the correct brightness.

3: Macro shots.  You can easily get shots where a keycap will fill 1/3 of the frame.  You can get even closer, but it gets kinda awkward using a fullsize tripod pushed against the table where your subject is.

What will you need to learn?

You need to get comfortable using manual mode to make good use of your equipment and get professional looking shots.

You'll be using long exposures (1 to 5 seconds likely - but I don't actually know how dark your setting is) and medium apertures (around F8) on a tripod.  But do NOT take these suggestions as gospel, you should still take the time to learn the exposure triangle.  This isn't really hard though, the a6000 is a mirrorless camera (NOT a DSLR) and the screen and viewfinder are WYSIWYG; on a DSLR, your viewfinder shows what your eye sees, what the camera sensor sees is entirely different.  Since this is technically a studio setting, keep your ISO at 100 to minimize noise.

Other accessories?:

Joby Gorillapod (table-top tripod) - used for tight spots such as under a table or for close-up 1:1 magnification shots.

Ring Light/Flash - adds a ringlight effect to the eyes of sculptures/dolls.  Otherwise, it's handy for full macro shots, but you already have a gorillapod and can use a long exposure ; don't buy this, just save your money instead.

HVL-F32M Flash - This will allow you to more nimbly use your camera; you'll get proper exposure without needing to use your tripod, giving you faster setup/clean up times and better angles for your shots.  Set your shutter speed to about 1/50, your aperture to your taste, and flash compensation to +0 (adjust and retake photos as necessary).  Make sure it's pointed at the ceiling and you're good to go.  This won't help you with macro shots of keycaps because the lens will be VERY close and block out light; you'd need a 50mm or 100mm macro lens before the flash can kick in.




EDIT:

Counter-point:

no one suggests using 30mm, why did you recommend it?

Answer:

Since this is a product photography usecase, it's convenient to be physically closer to your product, than you would be using a 50mm or 100mm lens, to readjust things.

Thanks for the thorough reply and recommendations. Everything points towards tripod/lightbox/learning combination.

[hwood34]

You could also get a lens extender if you want a somewhat cheaper route for macro shots. Something like this

[JaccoW]

This is going to be a 'medium' level comprehensive guide to product photography equipment:

First thing first, the equipment you'll need to buy; you may find LOWER prices that what I'm showing here, but you do NOT need to pay more:

Sony A6000 - $650 : http://store.sony.com/-alpha-6000-mirrorless-interchangeable-lens-camera-zid27-ILCE6000//cat-27-catid-all-alpha-advanced-amateur?vva_ColorCode=BC008
30mm Macro - $280 : http://store.sony.com/e-30mm-f3.5-macro-e-mount-macro-lens-zid27-SEL30M35/cat-27-catid-All-Alpha-NEX-Lenses?_t=pfm%3Dsearch
Tripod - ~$50 -> $100
Ball-Head - ~$100
Lightbox - $70
Lamps - $50

Total: $1250

tbc is right. Tripod + lightbox + lights is where it's at.

You could save some money by buying a slightly older generation Nex and using vintage macro lenses off eBay but for that you have to know what you are doing.
I'm still using a 5 year old Sony Nex-5 for most of my shots on here with manual lenses and as long as you set it to ISO 100 it will be really sharp.

The a6000 + Sony macro lens should be a great and sharp combo.

[tbc]

here's one important point to going with sony, you get capture one pro 8 for $30USD.

c1v8 is a competitor to lightroom.  everyone knows what photoshop is; lightroom is a more specialized tool for digital photography with catalog support and a simpler set of tools (photoshop is a general digital image tool, not just for photos).  lightroom is where pros spend the vast majority of their time processing their pictures.


the full life time version for $30.  good luck finding that deal anywhere else.

[Altis]

+1 for Sony NEX / e-mount cameras. Absolutely fantastic. If you can score a NEX 6 for a decent price, it has an exceptional digital viewfinder (better than the a6000) and the pop-up flash that can be tilted to fire at the ceiling -- great for indoor events.

Nice thing about those Sony cameras is the sensors are large APS-C sized and they have the hybrid PDAF.

[LarsMarkelson]

Agree with others, a little lightbox is one of the best things to buy for this purpose. You want it to be big enough to fit whatever you might shoot but small enough so it's not annoying for your space (unless you live in a studio).

Also, a point and shoot with a pop up flash that can be angled is really really cool (NEX 6). Great feature.