Buying a used camera: Shutter count

[RWebb]

Congrats!

If you find the working distance is too great (the 60mm you bought will act like a short telephoto of 90mm on your DX (APS-C) sensor camera) then you can always get a DX macro - IIRC, it's a 40 mm

BTW at an effective 90mm you are right at the focal length for a good portrait lens - know any beautiful women you'd like to photograph and post here?

[bleucamaro]

Congrats!!

Looks like a cared for setup.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by RWebb

Congrats!

If you find the working distance is too great (the 60mm you bought will act like a short telephoto of 90mm on your DX (APS-C) sensor camera) then you can always get a DX macro - IIRC, it's a 40 mm

Yep, you can always buy more stuff.
Or you can use what you have and learn to take the pictures you want. As Glen said, even a damn telephone can take a decent photograph if you know what you're doing.

[RWebb]

my point is about working distance - different stuff does different things

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Very busy day training new assistant and trying to get work done. Was only able to take a few close-ups. Net net, camera is amazing and with this lens, exactly what I was looking for. And then some. Last shot is a blow-up screenshot with more resolution to go.

Weber cam linkage on newsprint. Rod and nuts are M3 (nut takes a 5mm wrench) to give you a sense of scale.

Pics are with me holding the camera. Will get the tripod out.

[Eric Coffey]

[Scott Douglas]

Looking good so far.

[wdfifteen]

Wondering why you would not want the whole thing in focus.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Wondering why you would not want the whole thing in focus.

If not intentional, and greater DOF is needed, just stop it down as much as you can to maintain sharp focus for the conditions (lighting, ISO, handheld vs. tripod, etc.).

[Shaun @ Tru6]

That's easy: I have no idea how to use this camera. Combine that with a busy day training a new assistant and that's what you get.

I need a day to sit down with the camera and learn basic photography and how the camera works. I am positive this camera was the right way to go. Plus I have a unquenchable thirst for learning new things, things that matter, and this camera fits in perfectly.

This one picture and others like it cost me $1K each for my web site. I don't expect to be able to duplicate it without a full studio, but I think with some time and effort, I can both take the kind of detail pics I need for every day work and then ones approaching this for social media posting.

[RWebb]

you can duplicate it without a full studio...

do you know about PSAM?

start saving up some old milk jugs for diffusors....

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I know how to press a button. That's pretty much it. But this should be an exciting adventure learning how to use a proper camera.

[wdfifteen]

Shaun, I don't know how to attach an image to a PM, so I sent a PM to you regarding this image.

[GH85Carrera]

The reason a real photographer charged you a grand, he is a professional, with expensive equipment, lots of training, and knowledge.

You will be able to reproduce it with several thousand dollars worth of equipment, and several years of practice. Most likely you will get to a point it is "good enough" and you will be using that on your web site.

If you have lots of items to photograph, you might get the actual cost of each photo to a few dozen bucks each. Learning photography, especially studio photography is not something one picks up overnight.

The best example of that is look at any menu. Photographing food takes real talent to make it look really good. The menu at large restaurants the food looks great. At virtually all small single family owned restaurants the food photos look horrid. That is the difference a professional makes.

Good luck on you new learning experience. I have done for a living what millions of people rush home from work to do as a hobby.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Lesson #1: No HDR real estate photography!!!!!

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

The reason a real photographer charged you a grand, he is a professional, with expensive equipment, lots of training, and knowledge.

You will be able to reproduce it with several thousand dollars worth of equipment, and several years of practice. Most likely you will get to a point it is "good enough" and you will be using that on your web site.

If you have lots of items to photograph, you might get the actual cost of each photo to a few dozen bucks each. Learning photography, especially studio photography is not something one picks up overnight.

The best example of that is look at any menu. Photographing food takes real talent to make it look really good. The menu at large restaurants the food looks great. At virtually all small single family owned restaurants the food photos look horrid. That is the difference a professional makes.

Good luck on you new learning experience. I have done for a living what millions of people rush home from work to do as a hobby.

I typically can learn anything and rise to expert level quickly so won't be a problem. And to be clear, I was happy to pay $1K each for them precisely because of the reasons you listed. That and it would cost me more to do them myself.

Food pics are fun. (Lumix LX5 used in my kitchen) I'm fairly certain I'll be able to take pictures as well as I cook within a year.

I love ribeyes.

















But I also like fish and make the best lobster bisque in Boston

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I also like pasta now and again, smoke a decent brisket and like to experiment with Asian flavors.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

The real challenge with taking pics of food is you can't wait to devour it.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

I know how to press a button. That's pretty much it. But this should be an exciting adventure learning how to use a proper camera.

ok, set the knob that says P S A M on it to A for close ups (for general photography, just start out with the P setting)

A means you will set the lens opening (Aperture) yourself and let the camera do the rest of the thinking

for most closeups (not "arty" shots) you will want the most depth of field, and that means the smallest aperture, depth of field DoF is what will look sharp at what distance from the camera (the focal plane + things in front of and behind it)

so set it to A, and then crank the lens down to the smallest aperture (greatest depth of field); you should see an indicator in the viewfinder change as you do this

smallest aperture (greatest depth of field) means the largest numerical values - f/32 is smaller than f/8

take a pic at the smallest aperture, e.g. f/32 or f/16 (I forget which is smallest on that lens)

now, take another pic after opening the aperture up a couple of stops (to about f/11) - then compare the 2 pics (there is an optical effect called diffraction we want to avoid, but it may not show up)


3 things determine the exposure that the sensor will record at any given light level: the aperture, the shutter speed (for product photos, use a tripod so you can set a slow shutter speed), and the ISO (which relates to the sensor - higher ISO means you can use slower shutter speeds and bigger lens openings but will raise the noise level in the image)

Focus:
the camera is smart enough to focus by itself; but not always smart enough to decide what to focus on

you will see a focus indicator in the viewfinder - because of depth of field you will usually want to set the focus indicator not on the closest part of the image but at something a little behind it - you'll then get the closest part of the subject and (maybe) the furthest part of the subject nice and sharp

Light:
- for product photography it is easy to increase the light level

you will be concerned with getting hollows evenly illuminated and not cast in darkness - use small LEDs for that (or light pipes)

the other issue is specular reflections - hot spots on part of the subject (you have some in the pics above) - lots of ways to deal with those, some easy, others very advanced

the easy & cheap way is to put LED lights inside an empty plastic milk jugs or a piece of one you cut up - this will diffuse the light

that's your primer - have fun and take a lot of different shots while changing things - take notes to find what works best

[Scott Douglas]

I predict we'll see even better food pictures in the near future too.