Product camera on a budget

[turnpike]

A friend of mine sells cloth toys online but wants a new budget camera to replace the old aa battery one she has now.

Can anyone suggest a decent 100-200 pound compact which will do a good job of product photos? I suppose it just needs aperture priority and macro?

Cheers!
Carl.

 

[NeilG40]

All I've read about product photography suggests that the most important thing is good lighting.

 

[turnpike]

Agreed. She's going to make a diy light tent and I'm giving her a decent light I have. She still needs a new budget compact though. I just don't want to say, go get any old compact, for her to get home and find it isn't suited to close up product shots.

 

[vaizki]

You don't need a macro lens camera for product photography unless you are really photographing small objects? Cloth toys sounds like you don't need a big magnification like you would with selling earrings etc...

I would also suggest she spend some of that budget on a tripod so that small apertures can be used and it's easier to get the lights adjusted etc.

It's usually better to shoot products such as toys with a normal or even tele focal length because with a wide angle lens up close your perspective will be weird. Also it will allow you to get some working distance between the camera (on that tripod) and the subject.

What exactly is wrong with the current compact camera she has?