# Getting sharp product photography



## jimmykoli12 (Apr 25, 2016)

In the below photograph for the red spectacle, I have used a 50mm lens at F/22 and an exposure of 8sec. In the next photograph for the black one I have used at 18-55mm lens at F/9 with an exposure of 1/2 sec. 

But in both the photograph, I am not getting a sharp product photograph. Can anyone suggest why?


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## Solarflare (Apr 25, 2016)

At f/22 diffraction will kill resolution.

The 18-55mm picture looks OK to me. That lens is probably just not tack sharp.


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## yaopey (Apr 25, 2016)

Hi,

In my opinion, it could be several factors.

It could be your camera settings on sharpening, it could be affected by chromatic aberration (although I can't see anything obvious on your photos). Sometimes it could be micro vibration (did you have a tripod)?

I don't think it's to do with your aperture considering it's a relatively small object and both your aperture should be more than enough to cover the depth of field.

Most of the time, photos straight out of the camera needs some sharpening done in post-processing. Maybe that will solve the problem?


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## Watchful (Apr 25, 2016)

Use a shorter exposure and make sure the lens is focusing correctly with a few test shots. If it needs it, calibrate the focus for your lens.


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## manaheim (Apr 25, 2016)

Tripod, remote shutter release, look up your optimal zoom length and aperture (NOT F22), make sure you're not too close to the subject.


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## KmH (Apr 25, 2016)

F/22 is a very small lens aperture, being only 1/22 nd as wide as the lens focal length (F) of 50 mm, or only 2.2 mm wide.
As mentioned you've lost some focus sharpness by using to small a lens aperture.
How much focus sharpness you've lost depends on what camera your lens is on.
Most digital cameras have an anti-aliasing (AA) filter in front of the image sensor. How aggressive the AA filter is affects how sharply the camera can focus, regardless the lens aperture.

At any rate, virtually all digital photographs benefit from being sharpened, and there are many techniques we can choose from to sharpen our digital photographs.
Sharpening is a book length subject and here is a good one on the subject:
Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom (2nd Edition)

With as small an aperture as f/22 the size of each pixel on the image sensor of your camera becomes important.
Note that the pixels in a Nikon D5100 or D7000 are only 4.8 µm wide while the pixels in a Nikon D2x, D90, D300, D5000 are bigger at 5.5 µm wide.
When the Airy Disk diameter gets bigger than the pixel size focus sharpness is lost.
Resolution won't be lost until the Airy Disk diameter is 2 to 3 times wider than the pixel size.

For more information about diffraction and other basic digital photography tutorials:
Diffraction Limited Photography: Pixel Size, Aperture and Airy Disks
Photo Editing Tutorials
Learn Photography Concepts


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## astroNikon (Apr 25, 2016)

I'll reiterate:

Have a nice tripod (not a cheap one - those long exposures of 1/2 and 8 secs will show any slight movement what so ever.

Have your camera do Mirror Up (which is a feature on mid to higher end cameras, not the cleaning feature) - don't know what you have.  But this will prevent any shaking from the mirror and you doing essentially long exposures.

Remote Trigger - either wired or wireless to activate the Cameras MuP (Nikon speak) and then to take the shot.

Don't be too close.  confirm the lenses Minimum Focus Distance. And learn about Depth Of Field by using a DOF calculator.  Though if you are just getting hte width of the frame you should be okay.

Learn proper exposure.  Looks like you blasted the first one which can take away detail.
Did you manually focus this ?

Can you provide us a extremely detailed description of your setup.  Don't assume anything as we would have to review your total equipment and technique and provide suggestions.

I did get this from the first EXIF
Camera: Canon EOS 1100D
Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Exposure: Manual exposure, 8 sec, f/22, ISO 100
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Focus: Manual Focus (3), with a depth of field of from 0 m to infinity.
AF Area Mode: Single-point AF


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## jimmykoli12 (Apr 25, 2016)

astroNikon said:


> I'll reiterate:
> 
> Have a nice tripod (not a cheap one - those long exposures of 1/2 and 8 secs will show any slight movement what so ever.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the in detail reply. I am currently using a light tent for photography. This is the link for the setup.
CowboyStudio Table Top Photo Studio Light Tent Kit in a Box - 1 Tent 2 Light Set 1 Stand 1 Case: Amazon.in: Electronics

My camera is a Canon 1100d, with one 18-55 lens and the other is a 50mm lens. I have not used flash as such for the photo. Any more info you require from my side.
Is there any book from where I can learn this product photography. Since the terms Minimum focus distance and DOF Calculator too new for me.


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## jimmykoli12 (Apr 25, 2016)

This is the look I am trying to achieve. How sharp is the photography!  What kind of lens they must have used.

*Please do not post images to which you do not hold rights.  You may post a link.*


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## manaheim (Apr 25, 2016)

Minimum focus distance is just how close you can get to your subject before the lens cannot focus anymore. Look it up for your lens. Don't shoot closer than that.

DOF calculator is a calculator that will help you determine your depth of field. Depth of field is how much distance before and after the point of focus that will be in focus when you take your shot.

Generally a smaller aperture (larger number) will have a large depth of field, but will have increased refraction (light bends around the edges of the aperture blades, which causes blur and other effects).  A larger aperture (smaller number) will have a clearer picture due to less refraction, but will suffer from a smaller (more shallow) depth of field.

Every lens has an optimum aperture for clarity, which you can look up in lens test results. Same goes for focal length for zoom lenses. Generally, though, if you're two stops down from widest aperture (so not 2.8 but rather something like 5.6), and if you're zoomed in about 1/3 of the way on the lens, you're in a good spot.

You do NOT need high quality lenses to get relatively sharp photos. YES a higher quality lens will give you sharper photos more easily, and NO a low-quality lens is generally not going to be able to be AS sharp as a high quality one, but the real key in ALL cases is you need to know your lens, know it's strengths and limitations, and then work within them.


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## KmH (Apr 25, 2016)

The product photographers bible, at least the front 2/3 of the book.:
Light Science & Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting

Other wise general digital photography technique is used and the Cambridge in Color links I posted above would form the foundation of your product photography knowledge base.


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## jimmykoli12 (Apr 25, 2016)

Here are some of the shots I have shot recently. In the same the image is coming out sharper than before, but the light around is giving it a yellowish tinge. Is it due to the yellow lights of the bulb or due to improper white balance.Should I change the bulb. They have been all shot in AWB.


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## manaheim (Apr 25, 2016)

White balance issues. Set your white balance. Use better lighting. Or both.


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## astroNikon (Apr 25, 2016)

Don't know if you are using software to do any Post Processing such as Adobe LIghtroom.

But it would be advantageous to use a 18% grey card to set white balance, such as this ==> Amazon.com : White Balance Card 18% Gray Grey Card. Use for Video, DSLR and Film. Custom Calibration Camera Checker Cards. Premium Exposure Photography Card Set. Free Ebook Included + Instruction Guide : Camera & Photo

The use Lightroom to correct the WHite Balance in the software.  ie, take a photo of the glasses with the card as the first shot,  Also shoot in the RAW format for best WB flexibility.
Then use software such as Lightroom to correct your light balance.

Also learn about how to set WhiteBalance in the camera by using a grey card


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## fmw (Apr 26, 2016)

Go back and read AstroNikon's response again.  Since you are using hot lights, you cannot get sharp images without a tripod.  Hand holding the camera causes motion blur at the relatively long exposure times required.  High ISO produces digital noise which also hurts sharpness.

The color issue is caused by the color temperature of the lights.  You can correct that by setting your white balance manually by lighting a white background with the lights.


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## jimmykoli12 (Apr 26, 2016)

fmw said:


> Go back and read AstroNikon's response again.  Since you are using hot lights, you cannot get sharp images without a tripod.  Hand holding the camera causes motion blur at the relatively long exposure times required.  High ISO produces digital noise which also hurts sharpness.
> 
> The color issue is caused by the color temperature of the lights.  You can correct that by setting your white balance manually by lighting a white background with the lights.



I am using the hot lights provided with the tent box. BTW I am using a tripod for the shoot. I will try to set the white balance today and then shoot the pics.


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## fmw (Apr 26, 2016)

jimmykoli12 said:


> I am using the hot lights provided with the tent box. BTW I am using a tripod for the shoot. I will try to set the white balance today and then shoot the pics.



As an example, I threw a pair of sunglasses in my light tent and shot it.  It isn't what I would consider a marketable image but it does illustrate what a sharp image should look like.  In this case, the camera was hand held because the light tent is lit with studio strobes at 1/32 power.  That is an exposure of about 1/32,000 sec.  In your case you need a very stable platform.  You should be able to get the same shot with your equipment with some care and practice.


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## jimmykoli12 (Apr 26, 2016)

I don't have strobe lighting but have a halogen lamp setup. It throws a continuous yellow light. Attached is the sample photo of my setup.


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## fmw (Apr 26, 2016)

jimmykoli12 said:


> I don't have strobe lighting but have a halogen lamp setup. It throws a continuous yellow light. Attached is the sample photo of my setup.



Yes, I understand.  I wasn't trying to get you to buy equipment.  I was simply providing a sharp product shot as an example for you to emulate.  Your equipment will get the job done.  It will take some care and practice.  It won't be as quick and easy as the  shot I uploaded but it can be done.

You have the tripod.  You need to correct your white balance for your lights and get a feel for camera position and adjustments to get what you want.  Try to fill the frame with the subject.  Your camera position should be at the point where that occurs.  My strobes don't work better than your lights.  They simply work faster and easier.  The only difference between your images and mine is that you are learning and I've made 10's of thousands of product shots.  Keep working at it.


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## Derrel (Apr 26, 2016)

I looked at the first two images, and what I think is _the major issue_ is not shooting at f/22--but shooting with a very substantial amount of blowback light that is flooding through the lenses and frames, and coming right into the lens. I can see the blowback...the basic issue is that you are using a light tent, and simply FLOODING the shooting area and the product with massive amounts of back-light, and the lens is being flooded internally, with light that is causing a major loss of contrast.

Most lenses, when  located physically too close to the light that is flooding the light tent, will suffer from overall _*veiling glare-*-an overall softening and flaring of the image_. A significantly longer lens, located three times farther away, would help dramatically lower the intensity of the light. Also, a really GOOD lens hood, like a compendium lens hood, or even a cardboard makeshift hood would help.

 Another thing that would likely help is to position *three black cardboard gobos*, to block light that is hitting the tent area from hitting the lens front. In this type of shooting scenario, you need a GOOD lens shade, and also, you need to minimize the amount of light that is reaching the camera position; gooseneck arms clamping to the front of the shooting table are the cheapest solution, using blackened styrofoam, which is the most light-weight, most-rigid, easiest-to-support material you're likely to find at a good price. Gobo is short for go-between. Get two for the sides, one for above the lens.


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## fmw (Apr 26, 2016)

Jimmy,  the first thing I can say to be specific is that you are way too far away from the subject assuming the shots of the light tent are what we are seeing.  This results in excessive cropping.  Remember what I said above about filling your frame with the subject.  I tried to clean up the images the best I could.






Now that we can see things more clearly I can also tell you that you have a problem with the light placement and exposure.  The frames were washed out as Derrel mentioned above.  I gave them a healthy dose of contrast and you can see the correction on the red frame is excessive.  Photoshop has added some black areas because I had to overdo it.  It needs to be reshot.  The entire frame should probably be placed behind where your lights strike the tent.  You can see that the rails are overexposed relative to the frames.

You need to experiment with your light and subject placement and the exposure and get that camera closer to the subject so that it can fill the frame.


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## oxo (Apr 26, 2016)

Watchful said:


> Use a shorter exposure and make sure the lens is focusing correctly with a few test shots. If it needs it,* calibrate the focus for your lens*.



How is this done please?


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## Watchful (Apr 26, 2016)

It depends on what camera and what lens you use. If it's a Sigma lens, most if not all of them can use the usb dock and be calibrated there, but you need to know which way to correct the focus, ie back or front focus. you do this by taking test shots (at each marked focal length if it's a zoom and just one shot if it's a fixed length) and seeing which way it focuses. Some cameras will have a focus trim setting that will let you make only one adjustment to the camera body for that lens.


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## oxo (Apr 26, 2016)

Thanks for the reply, i am new to the game and i have a very basic Nikon 
D3100 with the double lens pack, had it a couple of years now only now am i using it more and more just curious to how it was done really.


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## jimmykoli12 (Apr 27, 2016)

Thanks for the replies Derrel and FMW. Going by the replies by Derrel  and FMW I think I am too close to the subject. The distance between the camera and subject is less than 2 feets. And at that distance, I am shooting at 50mm. This is the reason it seems the photo is overexposed. 

Also I did the white balance setting yesterday. I had a query for the same. When i click the snap should I adjust the exposure to make the white sheet completely white or should I shoot it as it is without changing the exposure.


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## fmw (Apr 27, 2016)

jimmykoli12 said:


> Thanks for the replies Derrel and FMW. Going by the replies by Derrel  and FMW I think I am too close to the subject. The distance between the camera and subject is less than 2 feets. And at that distance, I am shooting at 50mm. This is the reason it seems the photo is overexposed.
> 
> Also I did the white balance setting yesterday. I had a query for the same. When i click the snap should I adjust the exposure to make the white sheet completely white or should I shoot it as it is without changing the exposure.



I misunderstood.  I thought you were too far away because of the other images.  I agree with Derrel.  I think you produced some lens flare that washed out the contrast.

When you adjust white balance manually, just light the white subject with your lights and  shoot it in auto mode.  You may have to put the lens or camera in manual focus to avoid failing focus confirmation.  Focus doesn't matter for this purpose.  Your camera manual should explain all of this.


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## mcap1972 (Apr 27, 2016)

Get a nice prime lens. Use tripod and focus manually with live view.


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## Braineack (Apr 27, 2016)

You don't need a prime lens for this

using tapatalk.


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## Designer (Apr 27, 2016)

oxo said:


> Thanks for the reply, i am new to the game and i have a very basic Nikon
> D3100 with the double lens pack, had it a couple of years now only now am i using it more and more just curious to how it was done really.


Unfortunately, the entry-level Nikons do not have that feature.  I think you have to be in the mid-level range (D7200) to fine-tune the lenses.


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## jimmykoli12 (May 16, 2016)

Hi all here are some of the recent pictures I have taken. Any feedback will be valuable.


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## Braineack (May 16, 2016)

Those aren't bad, but they still look like they are being overwhelmed with light.   Still look like they could use more DOF.  And you need to bring down the blacks level when processing.


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## tirediron (May 16, 2016)

Braineack said:


> Those aren't bad, but they still look like they are being overwhelmed with light.   Still look like they could use more DOF.  And you need to bring down the blacks level when processing.


Yep... lighting is still out of control here.  Look especially at the last one with the case.  The highlights on the ends of the case are blown, the are horrible cloudy reflections in the glasses...


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## jimmykoli12 (May 17, 2016)

Yes I too think the photos are over exposed. I have shot all the images at f8. Any suggestion on how to improve the same.


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## jimmykoli12 (May 17, 2016)

Hi all this is the original image which I had shot. It was shoot at f16.


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## <error> (May 18, 2016)

Just as a general observation, it appears to me that many product shots suffer from the "amazon fever" : white background at any price. During the shot they throw too much light on the scene, concentrating on the background. I claim guilty of having done that.

It's better get the product sharp out of the camera, and take care of the white in post.


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