Newbie - Camera for product photos and video recommendations

[AndyAcute]

Hi all......
My first post here and wonder if I can get some much needed advice as a newbie.
I have the task of choosing a camera (on a tight budget) to enable me to take high quality e-commerce product photographs and product demonstration videos.
Now I know I could spend ££££'s but I need to start from the lower end budget wise.
Have a macro facility is important and picture quality is also a must.
I also have to create video in 1080p for product demonstrations.
There must be thousands of camera options, but advice from others that have had a similar need may point me in the right direction.
I also need a tripod for the camera.

Many thanks in advance and look forward to any advice.

Thank you
Andy

 

[akr]

Hi all......
My first post here and wonder if I can get some much needed advice as a newbie.
I have the task of choosing a camera (on a tight budget) to enable me to take high quality e-commerce product photographs and product demonstration videos.
Now I know I could spend ££££'s but I need to start from the lower end budget wise.
Have a macro facility is important and picture quality is also a must.
I also have to create video in 1080p for product demonstrations.
There must be thousands of camera options, but advice from others that have had a similar need may point me in the right direction.
I also need a tripod for the camera.

Many thanks in advance and look forward to any advice.

Thank you
Andy

I can't help on this but I think you will need to state your budget range - one person's low budget is another's high budget!

 

[Phil V]

Learning to light, and buying lighting gear ought to be a higher priority than cameras.
Start with s look in the lighting section for similar questions re product photos. It’s a common question (surprisingly for newbies too)

Would you believe that people with no photography experience seem to join forums just to ask about photographing products for e commerce

 

[TheBigYin]

the short answer is that pretty much any half reasonable camera will do the job, getting presentable results is down to the lighting, knowledge of how to present an item, and your technique in set building if you're not going for the massively tedious "item on a white background"

as Phil said, go have a look around the lighting section and read a few threads - take onboard what they say, and, at that point you'll be in a position to actually ask questions in a meaningful manner - including all the salient information you'll need to give regarding the look you're going for, the size, shape, material, reflectivity and other properties of the items you're shooting.

But, again, pretty much any camera with a sensible lens size, and facility to trigger studio flash units will do the job these days...

 

[HoppyUK]

Just to reiterate what's already been said - the camera is almost irrelevant given the modest demands of e-commerce. It's all about the lighting.

That's not expensive really, but there's a learning curve.

 

[AndyAcute]

Hi Guys - Thank you for your replies and you are all correct. It makes sense to concentrate on the lighting to get the best results.
Most of you seem to be saying that any DSLR camera would do the job, does this include for video too?
Budget would be around £250 mark i expect.
Thank you
Andy

 

[Cagey75]

Hi Guys - Thank you for your replies and you are all correct. It makes sense to concentrate on the lighting to get the best results.
Most of you seem to be saying that any DSLR camera would do the job, does this include for video too?
Budget would be around £250 mark i expect.
Thank you
Andy

It'll be hard to find a decent all-rounder for both stills and video for £250 tbh, most cameras now can manage decent video but if you require a flip out screen, and decent video AF you may need to add some to that. SInce you want macro capabilities in the mix I think a bridge camera would be the best suggestion here. But I think you'll need to up your budget a bit for a decent one.