Budget purchase of DSLR camera and flash

[charlotte_gaskell]

<p>For my business I need to take photos of oriental rugs which will be used posted on the internet. Due to their size and weight most of them will be photographed on the floor and can be up to 3x2 m (10' x 7') in size. I have been considering buying the nikon d3200 and for light was advised to buy the SB-700. I had not appreciated how much this flash costs and would really like to go for something cheaper but still will do the job. Perhaps the SB-600? I am happy buying second hand. Your thoughts would be much appreciated as I am feeling rather stuck. Thanks</p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>The advantage of the SB700 is that it has a quite easy to use interface; the information on its LCD is clear and pretty logical. Plus, it's well made, but as a result, it isn't the cheapest.<br>

There are several other brands too, though, among which several Chinese brands which do cost a lot less (but the build quality and ease of use tend to suffer). Look for Nissin, Yongnuo for example. Alongside a SB700, I do have the Yongnuo YN568EX for Nikon. It costs half of what the SB700 costs, has a bit more power and a fraction less zoomrange. It's pretty sturdy, and the controls are pretty easy (the user guide less so). It supports all features the SB700 does, except for being a "CLS Commander".</p>

[charlotte_gaskell]

<p>Dear Woutner,<br>

Many thanks for your very prompt feedback. The Yongnuo YN568EX for Nikon does look a suitable option when budget is tight. Could you explain the implications of it not being a "CLS commander". Thank you</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>If you want to find a less expensive flash, go to <a href="http://www.strobist.com">www.strobist.com</a> and look at some of the recommendations he makes there.<br /><br />But to be honest it takes more than a camera and a flash unit to produce photos of your rugs that will be high enough quality to entice customers to buy them. At best you are going to be able to show the overall pattern. Getting accurate color of a textile product is very difficult. Showing the texture and other features are additional challenges.<br /><br />I would highly recommend finding a professional photographer who specializes in product photography. You're running a business and the ROI could be well worth it.</p>

[charlotte_gaskell]

<p>Craig, I am fully aware of the difficulties of producing photos of rugs of any quality. It is not cost justifiable to have them professionally photographed especially when each one is a one-off. Only those at the top of this business do so. The rest of us do the best we can and tend to only use professionals for printed material. </p>

[fred_strobel1]

<p>Since the rugs are presumably not moving, you could get a good tripod and use a long shutter speed instead of having to deal with the flash.</p>

[peter_simpson1]

<p>"CLS commander" refers to the ability (or lack thereof) to trigger slave flashes, probably not an issue for you.<br /> Buy a good Bogen/Manfrotto or similar tripod (check KEH for these) and head.</p>

<p> </p>

[Hector Javkin]

<p>I agree with the suggestion by Fred and Peter. As long as you can get reasonably even illumination with light coming in from windows, I believe it will be easier for someone not familiar with flash to get good results with natural light. Should you decide to use flash, try bouncing the light off the ceiling so that it will spread out evenly. In either case, leave the room lights turned off. Light coming in, or the flash, will have a different color from your regular indoor lighting.</p>

<p>There is another issue. With a rug lying on the floor, aiming the camera down, the near edge of the rug will look larger than the far edge. (Although this can be corrected with a program like photoshop, I doubt that you have that available.) If it is possible to hang the rug on a wall and have the camera centered, with the back vertical, the image will retain the shape of the rug.</p>

[jerry_gitomer1]

<p>If at all possible you should hang your rugs rather than lay them on the floor. Shooting large rugs laying on the floor will result in highly distorted images (keystoning) and uneven lighting (leading to distorted colors). Ideally you should have your camera mounted in a tripod and positioned so that the lens is centered both vertically and horizontally. <br>

As far as lighting is concerned, in my opinion, your best bet is to use flash rather than either daylight or constant lighting because it is more consistent (light bulbs change color value over their lifetimes while flash light values are constant from first use up to the day the flash dies). <br>

As far as hanging rugs is concerned the mechanism for a shade wide enough for a pair of sliders should be able to handle the weight and are available with a geared mechanism.<br>

Jerry</p>

[jcuknz]

<p>If you want to save money then you will find excellent bridge cameras with built in flash which are completely capable of accurate photography... cameras such as Panasonic FZ70 for instance. Though I doubt if a single flash will give you more than an amateurish snapshot and multiple flash or hot lights is the answer. Either two or four equally powered lights depending on the size of the carpet.<br>

The big problem you will have to face in selling on the web is the complete impossibility of knowing if the customer is seeing an accurate color rendition of the carpet or any object. That is one of the facts of electronic life.<br>

Indeed you would be well advised to include a waiver pointing this out on your website.</p>

[charlotte_gaskell]

<p>Hi all, All your informed responses very much appreciated. Natural lighting only comes from one set of windows so when a rug is on the floor the light is uneven. This is why I believe I would need to use flash. <br>

Jerry, I am exploring the option to hang the rugs from the top of my wall. As the rugs are so heavy I would need some form of pulley system to lift the rug up. The initial research I have done suggests that they are very pricey. One rug dealer I know paid £1,000 for a more heavy duty than I need. The mechanism has clips showing at the top of the rug which is not ideal visually. Another way is to use post production tools such as photoshop (I have version CS2 so probably would need to get something more sophisticated ) to make the rug appear to be hanging on a wall. The difficulty with this is that the rug than appears shorter in length. I had even wondered whether there was any mechanism to photograph from above (eg. a tripod on a table with a weighted arm and some form of camera remote control). I could no longer bounce the flash off the ceiling as advised here and I have not seen any tripods at reasonable price. <br>

JC UKnz, I will follow your suggestion of a waiver on my website regarding colour accuracy. <br>

Any other flash recommendations much appreciated.</p>

<p> </p>

[jack_black9]

<p>I was going to ask a question but you guys answer me already lol thanks guys </p>

[jcuknz]

<p>For this job, assuming the carpets are hung, you do not need a tripod ... just a firm support for the camera and use of the ten second delay release while not touching the rig. I have perched my camera on flimsy cardboard boxes for sharp result using the delay to allow the rig to settl down after pressing the trigger , as suggested.<br>

A mini tripod from B&H in New York costs you around $30 and it sitting on a firm support, chair or table would be better than my cardboard boxes :-) , and will do the job for you. That is the tripod I use most and have with me most of the time. My MFT is likely as heavy as the cheaper DSLR you will get.<br>

Knowledge and lateral thinking is more important than gear :-)</p>