Product Photography-which camera

[coldrain]

Why on earth are you considering an ultrazoom for product shots??? Tele range is to bring far away subjects closer. That is the LAST thing you need.

The ultrazooms also do not have the best lenses for what you need, and their colour and material reditions are ok-ish at best.

What you need is a simple camera with good colour and material renditions, with an optically good lens. You do not need a hot shoe flash, you dont light something with flash (because what you are photographing is not something that moves, you do not need to freeze movement... you just need enough exposure) but with good lighting, be it from normal lamps, studio lamps or daylight.

Buy yourself a Canon Powershot A530/540/610, a good tripod for it, and you are set. Make product photos with its ISO 50 or 100 setting. They also will have more than enough macro capability for you. And they have a good custom white balance, very important with product shots.

No need what so ever for ultrazooms, we are not talking about product shots of roof tiles on top of churches, we are talking about clothes that are in your possession and vicinity.

[Paulo]

Hi Coldrain,

You will have to stay with me here as this is pretty new to me.
From what I have gathered so far, you need a hotshoe to trigger studio flash. It sounds like tungsten and any continuous lighting doesnt really get used for product shots anymore due to the heat and poor colour quality.

Isn't this the type of lighting I would need
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Portaflash-STU...QQcmdZViewItem

[coldrain]

You are going to make photos for an online store. That means you do not need a lot of resolution magazine style. Not all lightning is flash, and you do not need to flash because your subject will not move, the exposure time does not have to be very short.

If you DO want to have pro lightning equipment, then you better also think about getting a DSLR with good lenses. Else it does not make much sense. A Canon EOS 20D/30D/XT or Nikon D70s/D80 would then seem the way to go.

I think that with a camera with good white balance control and some creativity on your side with lighting the subjects (can be with indirect sunlight too) and a tripod you can get decent results. Else some good continous studio lights would be good too. Flash light is complex and for good results you need experience, and a good camera like the DSLRs I mentioned above.

[Paulo]

That sounds like a good way to go then. I imagine I will need a decent tripod and a cable release too?

Could you recommend another point and shoot, with a good manual white balance other than Canon- and a which can be used with a cable release?

Thanks
Paulo