Camera/Lens Selection for New Product Photographers

[Dean Mcglone]

Just a beginner/intermediate in photography but have narrowed down my pursuit to macro/product photography. I need to know what the best choice for camera is for starting out… I want to begin with likely buying a medium pro range mirror-less for this and was considering the Fuji X-T3 with the 80mm 2.8 Macro which is getting great reviews but not sure if that is good for this – is an APSC Sensor at 26MP enough or could I use the Panasonic G9 with 80MP High Resolution Mode instead or do I need a Full Frame? or a 4×5 View Camera even?.. I think the new APSC Fuji is just as good as the Full Frames and the Pano G9 with the High Res Mode 80 MP should do as well for most shots. Please consider and advise.. I will be purchasing many of the courses on Product Photography but need to first resolve the camera/lens situation. Thanks for your time!

Topic

[Morten Eriksen]

Hi Dean, just a few other things to think about here.

Are you going to use your camera only in the studio doing product shots or are you going for an allrounder?
There are so many factors in cameras these days that it is hard to keep track on what and why this is the best etc. You can take a look at our recommended gear for Product photography here: /school/recommended-gear-for-studio-photographer/

[Dean Mcglone]

Sorry got no notification of your reply… Probably for doing product shots mostly, but would shoot the occasional landscape with a different lens. The Fuji X-T3 is comparable to any of the APSC and most of the FFrame cameras on the list and with its renowned 80mm macro would likely be a great fit for this. Also, the Panosonic G9 although M4/3rds is a great stills and video camera and has the 6K Photo mode to grab 18mb JPEG stills from video if required and has the 80MP high resolution mode which most are saying rivals the Medium Format Cameras for resolution and quality; could maybe get their best Pano Macro lens etc with it for this process. I could go with one of the FFrame mentions in the Gear Suggestions but most are not ove 20 MP unless going for the Advanced list and then the Fuji XT3 and the G9 come into play as above. Ideas? Suggestions? Thanks.

[Roxanne Gal]

Hi,

I’m a beginner and have just started shooting jewelry with a Rokinon 100mm macro lens, a Canon 500D camera and 3 TT600 speedlites. I was wondering if a wider lens was required to shoot large pieces like long necklaces of pearls or long chains ? Shooting rings, pendants, earings with the 100mm macro lens is perfect BTW ! Loving your courses !
Thank you.

[Alex Koloskov]

Roxanne,
Since your camera has a crop factor of 1.6x, your current lens works as 160mm lens. While it is an awesome focal length for small jewelry, it could be hard to get a frame for larger subjects, especially if your shooting space is limited.
You may consider getting 60mm macro lens or upgrading your camera to a full-frame, which will help you to have 1.6x more room to shoot larger subjects with the existing lens.