Basic Studio Setup

[PortersTahoe]

I was wondering if anyone could help me out with a basic studio setup or something that I could get started with. What I am looking for is more basic models or something someone on a budget could started with and get by with rather than having to upgrade after a few months.

Camera body and lens
Lighting - flashes / stands / remotes / battery
Tripod
Lightmeter

a friend sent me this set up but that seems a little right for my blood, any thoughts.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...&li=2B8753DF02

[Frog]

I'm not a studio guy but know what questions will be asked by those in the know.

What is your budget?
Do you have a camera now? If so, which one and what lenses do you have?
What will you be shooting in the studio?\

A lot of us without a lot of funds set stuff up by making it ourselves. Clamp lights, full spectrum lights, sheets, homemade reflectors, etc.
Like I said, I'm not a studio shooter but answering those questions and ones I haven't thought of will get you answers from those that do shoot studio.

Welcome to the forums and come back to ask more questions and then show us what you get.

[Photo-John]

Thanks for posting here. Can you tell me what you're looking to spend and what you want to shoot? I asume you're going to be doing mostly products. If that's the case, then you can get away with relatively inexpensive hot lights. If you plan to shoot people, hot lights are little more difficult because they require slow shutter speeds. It's doable, though. I only have hot lights (Photoflex Starlights) and I do a bit of portrait work with them. Mostly they're for product photography, though.

I actually made an inexpensive studio steup recommendation to a friend. I set him up for just over $1000. You can go cheaper, but I for $1000 you'll have a studio and camera that you shouldn't feel the need to replace in a year. I recommended the Fujifilm HS10 superzoom camera. It's not a digital SLR but it operates like one, offers plenty of manual control and has a very nice built-in zoom lens. It costs about $500 - considerably less than a digital SLR and comparable lens. And for studio catalog work, which I assume is what you're doing, you don't necessarily need digital SLR image quality. The HS10 or a similar camera should more than do the job. Here's a short intro article I wrote on the HS10:

Fujifilm Announces FinePix HS10 CMOS Bridge Camera >>

Like I said, I'm using hot lights. Hot lights mean they don't flash. You just turn them on and what you see is what you get. Generally, they're less expensive than studio flash and they're a lot easier to use. Studio strobes don't offer that much more for product photography and they cost tons more. I would recommend two of these Photoflex lights: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...l_1_Light.html

You'll also need a backdrop, possible a backdrop stand and a tripod. Almost any tripod will do. You can spend a fortune, but a cheapy from Best Buy will do the job, too. For a backdrop, I use white "seamless" paper. There are different sizes, depending on what kind of subjects you plan to shoot. I have a 107" paper backdrop like this that I can use to photograph complete bikes: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ackground.html

That should give you a general idea. If you give us some more information we can give you some better guidance. I'm most interested in what you need to shoot and how much you have to spend. But if you just need an inexpensive setup to shoot product, the above will get you going and I don't think you'll need to upgrade anything for quite some time.

[jetrim]

Frog was right about the questions rolling around my mind. That said, a few *general* opinions...

Camera, pretty much any camera over 6mp with full manual capability will do, but there's a much greater availability of high quality used gear/lenses/accessories for Nikon & Canon, pick your poison.
Lenses are more critical and higher quality is worth the investment. "Fast glass" isn't *as* important in the studio as you're usually shooting in the f/5.6 - f/11 range and it's hard to suggest focal lengths without knowing your shooting style (I use my 28-70 rarely, and my 200mm prime A LOT, but your style may be completely different)

Lighting, again a matter of budget and personal preference, some guys love speedlights, others won't shoot with anything cheaper than ProFoto/BronColor - get the best you can afford even if you buy it used off Craigslist.

Tripod - for model shots, haven't touched mine in 8 months.
Stands - stay away from the cheap ones, good stands new run @ $50ea but it's money well spent, if you must spend less, buy good ones used rather than cheap ones new.
Remotes - Pocket Wizards - they are the industry standard for a reason - buy them new. You don't need multimax's the II's will do just fine, and if you're on a tight budget you can use a mono cord splitter and run 2 lights off one wizard. I've shot at studios that swear by Radio Poppers, but those same studios had problems with them on every occasion I was there. In my opinion, the cost savings isn't worth the hours of aggravation.

Light meter - Don't have much experience with any brand but Sekonic, I use my 258 every single time I'm shooting studio lights, indoors and out. Everyone else I've shot with uses Sekonic as well, so some others may also be good but the 258 or 758 is a sure bet (especially with the optional pocket wizard wireless trigger).

Your link doesn't go where you intended it to, but as a rule of thumb, if you are looking at 2 head kits (monolight or pack type) to buy brand new and you are planning moderate to heavy use, anything under $2,000 probably isn't worth buying. It won't be long before you're wishing you had saved up a little more cash and got better lights from the start.

[PortersTahoe]

Sorry about the link, here is the gear that was suggested, I just need to shoot product photos and mainly laid flat no models.


Sekonic RT-32 Digital Radio Transmitter Module

Manfrotto 190XPROB Tripod Legs (Black) with 804RC2 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head

Interfit Umbrella Box with 8mm Shaft (40")

Impact Compact Air Cushioned Black Light Stand - 8' (2.4m)

Dynalite Special Pro Value Roadmax 3 Head Kit (120VAC)

Dynalite Special Pro Value Roadmax 3 Head Kit (120VAC)

Sekonic L-358 Flash Master Meter - Silver

PocketWizard Plus II Transceiver/Relay Radio Slave - Combined Transmitter or ...

Canon EOS 50D SLR Digital Camera with 17-85mm IS USM Lens

[jetrim]

If you're shooting products only, I'd look into a setup like PhotoJohn suggested, either hot lights (tungsten) or cool lights (florescent). However if your heart is set on strobe lights, I would take a very serious look at the ProFoto D-1 Air kit, for virtually the same price as the Dynalights with far superior quality.

If you decide to go with hot or cool lights, you can also eliminate the pocket wizards and RT-32 transmitter from your list, you won't need them and it knocks an additional $700 or so off the total price.

[Photo-John]

That's a nice setup, for sure. But it's total overkill for shooting products. Did you work out the cost on the whole kit? I prefer hot lights to strobes because what you see is what you get. Strobes are great for taking pictures of people. But for products that aren't moving they really aren't necessary. One of the guys who posts here sometimes uses strobes because he wants to work faster and doesn't want to have to use a tripod. But they work fine for me.

The 50D is a nice camera - I had one. But if your purpose is studio work, I'd go with a camera that has a tilt-swivel LCD. There aren't a lot of options right now, but I hate *not* having a tilt-swivel LCD in the studio. If you do want that feature, your choices are Sony, Olympus and the Nikon D5000. Or a compact superzoom like the Fujifilm HS10 I already suggested. The 50D is all about speed. You're not gonna need a fast frame rate in the studio. Based on my own experience, I'd recommend the Olympus E-620. It's got a tilt-swivel LCD, image quality is great and it's reall small and light. So if you do want to take it out on the bike or skis, it won't destroy you. I also love the Olympus 12-60mm lens. It's one of my all-time favorite all-purpose lenses.

[Brad Trent]

Photo-John...HA!!! What does that guy know about lighting anyway?!!

BT (tongue firmly in cheek)

[Photo-John]

Whoah - who let the celebrity in??!!

What brings you here, anyway, Brad? I checked and your last post was in 2004. Do you need our help with a Donald Trump shoot or something?

[Brad Trent]

I wuz actually checkin' things outs for a friend who wants to make the move from old-skool film to digital, so I figured I should see if this place still has it goin' on!!!

And while I may not have posted in all that time, I do actually stick my nose in here every once and a while! Hey...ya never know, I might come back more often!

BT

PS: Keep yer eyes on my website.....I'm resizing jpegs like a muther***ker and the new design should go live later this week.

[ianjenn]

The original poster.

Dynalite stuff is cheap and works well. We shoot hundreds to thousands of items a day at my work and the color shift of the bulbs over a year is very small if at all. You can pick up a 2 head pack combo for about $1500 then a few C stands and shooting table and done. Maybe get an original 5D for about $900 and it should be good.

[flintlock62]

If your product is small enough, you can purchase or build a light box. You can also use an umbrella and bounce the light.

[flintlock62]

That's a nice setup, for sure. But it's total overkill for shooting products. Did you work out the cost on the whole kit? I prefer hot lights to strobes because what you see is what you get. Strobes are great for taking pictures of people. But for products that aren't moving they really aren't necessary. One of the guys who posts here sometimes uses strobes because he wants to work faster and doesn't want to have to use a tripod. But they work fine for me.

The 50D is a nice camera - I had one. But if your purpose is studio work, I'd go with a camera that has a tilt-swivel LCD. There aren't a lot of options right now, but I hate *not* having a tilt-swivel LCD in the studio. If you do want that feature, your choices are Sony, Olympus and the Nikon D5000. Or a compact superzoom like the Fujifilm HS10 I already suggested. The 50D is all about speed. You're not gonna need a fast frame rate in the studio. Based on my own experience, I'd recommend the Olympus E-620. It's got a tilt-swivel LCD, image quality is great and it's reall small and light. So if you do want to take it out on the bike or skis, it won't destroy you. I also love the Olympus 12-60mm lens. It's one of my all-time favorite all-purpose lenses.

Sorry for not posting back sooner. I have been pretty busy.
Photo John, I seem to trust your comments more than some others. I read one post, spending $1,500 on lights. I do not need that, nor will I ever! No offense intended.

I have just purchased an economical purchased tent and need to know the color spectrum to use. Should I use daylight, cool white, or full spectrum?

[ianjenn]

Sorry for not posting back sooner. I have been pretty busy.
Photo John, I seem to trust your comments more than some others. I read one post, spending $1,500 on lights. I do not need that, nor will I ever! No offense intended.

I have just purchased an economical purchased tent and need to know the color spectrum to use. Should I use daylight, cool white, or full spectrum?

Depending on the flashes you got.

Dynalites run about 5400K
Profotos about 5600K.

So if your camera has custom white balance use that according to the light manufacturers suggestions. If you use the other WBs maybe think about a Color Chart to balance with. No offense taken I didnt buy the stuff the company did.