Taking good pictures...

[Chris1974]

Can some of you guys share what kind of camera you are using to take such good pictures of your watches? I get so frustrated because I can never get such close up crisp pictures. I have a few cameras to choose from starting with my iPhone to a Casio Exilim to a Canon EO2 Rebel T2i and no matter what I do or what setting I use I can not get good pictures like what I see on this forum.

I'm slowly getting into buying and selling watches and I need to be able to take good pictures. I wouldn't buy a watch from anyone with the pictures I'm ending up with. LOL

[sea-dweller]

We use a Canon EOS Rebel also. My wife is a professional graphic designer, so that probably helps my photos. Some are retouched.

[Dan Pierce]

Chris,
It's not the camera, it's the photographer. Here's a couple tips:
1-macro setting
2-natural lighting
3-tripod
4-check angles for the least amount of glare
5-practice
6-practice
7-more practice.
dP

[Chris1974]

Originally Posted by Dan Pierce

Chris,
It's not the camera, it's the photographer. Here's a couple tips:
1-macro setting
2-natural lighting
3-tripod
4-check angles for the least amount of glare
5-practice
6-practice
7-more practice.
dP

Oh I'm with you on the problem being the photographer. Though one thing I would not label myself as is a photographer.

I do use the macro setting, natural light, different angles to reduce glare. I don't however use a tripod. My biggest problem is when I try to get a close up it's blurry leading me to believe either the camera with the fixed lens simply can't get so close and the Canon maybe has the wrong lens.

sea-dweller.....can you ask your wife what lens she is using to take close up watch pictures?

[Chris1974]

I think another problem is the environment such as back drop, display stand etc. I think I'm going to order one of these mini table top photo studios.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271195336485

But....some of you guys are taking stunning wrist shots as well and I know you didn't set up a tri pod and all that other crap for those right?

[Alex4]

Originally Posted by Dan Pierce

Chris,
It's not the camera, it's the photographer. Here's a couple tips:
1-macro setting
2-natural lighting
3-tripod
4-check angles for the least amount of glare
5-practice
6-practice
7-more practice.
dP

Totally agree with that!

I always shot with my iPhone 6, here are two examples:

[Chris1974]

Holy crap those are good pictures from an iPhone. I have the 4 and the pictures suck. My wife has the 5 so maybe I will try with hers.

[Mikey C]

99 percent photographer , 1 percent camera. It is actually funny... I have accidentally taken better photos with my iPhone messing around in boredom rather than when I used my DSLR. It is all about creativity and in some cases adjusting the settings, which can now also be done on the iPhone's creativity mode, versus using something like photoshop, which is a whole other baby. Please note, many "great" photos you see, people sometimes modify in something like photoshop prior to posting, so don't always think it is the camera! ;).

[Andad]

Originally Posted by Chris1974

Oh I'm with you on the problem being the photographer. Though one thing I would not label myself as is a photographer.

I do use the macro setting, natural light, different angles to reduce glare. I don't however use a tripod. My biggest problem is when I try to get a close up it's blurry leading me to believe either the camera with the fixed lens simply can't get so close and the Canon maybe has the wrong lens.

sea-dweller.....can you ask your wife what lens she is using to take close up watch pictures?

Hi Chris,

I see you are using the macro setting.

A common error is to use the macro setting and then zoom up on the subject -on most P & S cameras this will cause an out of focus pix.

If you have good natural lighting and a steady hand a tripod is not a neccesity.

I take nearly all my pix with a $70 Sony N2.

Let me take a quick one (and only one) of my 114060.

Overcast (raining) and perfect lighting (no direct sunlight), auto setting, macro, hand held.

First pix is untouched just resized.
Second is same pix untouched but cropped to the same size as the first.

[Chris1974]

Originally Posted by directioneng

Hi Chris,

I see you are using the macro setting.

A common error is to use the macro setting and then zoom up on the subject -on most P & S cameras this will cause an out of focus pix.

If you have good natural lighting and a steady hand a tripod is not a neccesity.

I take nearly all my pix with a $70 Sony N2.

Let me take a quick one (and only one) of my 114060.

Overcast (raining) and perfect lighting (no direct sunlight), auto setting, macro, hand held.

First pix is untouched just resized.
Second is same pix untouched but cropped to the same size as the first.

Thanks for the tips! And that 2nd picture is amazing especially if you took it with a point and shoot type camera. I think some of my problem is I don't have a steady enough hand. I'm going to experiment with a tri-pod and see what happens.

[Andad]

Put some pix up here and others will chime in.

[robie]

IMG_0831.jpg wrong section sorry