If you had $5,000 dollars to set up a photo studio...

[christopher_budde]

That's my problem and I do not really a clue on what equipment I should get. I

will be shooting products in a 3x3x3 tent (this I have) and I will be shooting

mannequins (mostly shirts) against a white backdrop. I have the supports but

not the cloth. The final output is for online sales with enlargements available

via Zoomify. I also will be saving all raw images for possible print work. Of

course my employer would be thrilled if I could bring this in for less. I am

thinking of the Canon 10 meg Rebel and some Arri lights. The images are not

artistic and must reproduce color and detail accurately. I would like

suggestions for fluorescent verses tungsten and continuous verses flash. Lights

must move between tabletop and backdrop. Any suggestions are very appreciated

as I will be starting within 2-3 weeks! I have been using a $99 fuji and trying

to correct in Photoshop. I will post this in the camera and lighting forums also

 

Thanks

Chris

[steve_levine]

You need to click on LEARNING, atop this page! It is always best to be an educated consumer, before plunking down cash on what will probably be the wrong gear.

[christopher_budde]

Hey Steve, thanks for the useless answer. Yes, I did read the tutorials. This is the "Casual Conversation" section and was hoping for such. Just wondering what other people had encountered and how they would solve the problem.

[ellis_vener_photography]

the camera you mention will be fine if not overkill for online. get a high quality lens too.

 

Budget about $2000-$2500 for lighting and grip gear (stands, clamps, softboxes, booms, etc.) . I recommend Alien Bees for monolights if you are in the USA and on a tight budget. If not on a budget go with Broncolor. I also recommend Chimera softboxes. Not cheap but they are good quality and hodl their value longer.

 

NOW THIS IS CRITICAL: GET A GOOD MONITOR AND AN X-RITE EYE-ONE DISPLAY 2 COLORIMETER for making sure that what you see on your monitors is as accurate of color as possible, also get an X-Rite 24 patch color checker (about $70.00) . You need to make sure you at least have accurate color. Andrew Rodney's "Color Management for Photographers" is a good buy as well. Getting the color right on your end is very important. you can't control your end user's monitors but you need to be able to prove to your bosses that the shirt that is pink really is pink on your end and not fuchia the way your customer says it looked on his or her monitor when he or she returns it.

[steve_levine]

Most commercial studio work is done wih strobes. And it sounds like you could accomplish what you are trying to do with a $100 Vivitar flash. I don't think you would need a $5K light kit to light a 3x3 tent?

[focus mankind]

just some thoughts:

A camera body should be capable to be hooked on your computer (wireless or wired). Images will be transferred to the computer immediately, so you can control it on the computer-screen for better control -> e.g. Nikon has a software called Remote control pro (which works via USB or an additional WLAN-Transmitter).

And if you need proof prints don't forget to calculate a (semi-)pro-printer.