I don't own a decent camera.. and shots from my smartphone just isn't cutting it at all. A lot of the watch shots on the forum are spectacular, I'd like to be able to do the same. I think its time to invest in something that will allow me to take high quality photos. Can someone point me in a direction here. I'm not afraid of spending a few bucks, nor am I of having to learn - but I don't plan to make this a new hobby, nor do I want it to become a time suck. I want to learn just enough to take good shots in various conditions and get on with it.

 

Here's the easy way: get a Canon G series. You can put it on full automatic and use it as a point and shoot or do all your settings manually like a full out DSLR.

 

Hi,

i have a Olympus OM-D E5 this one here: http://www.olympus.de/site/de/c/cameras/om_d_system_cameras/om_d/e_m5/

I do like it that it is waterproof and dust resistant - because i am a miner ...
Big advantage: It starts raining, everybody needs to stop - my Olympus can still go on with doing photos or movies outside!
If its durty - i clean it in the sink with water - no problem!

And: I enjoy the full automatik modus! I yust need to select the clipping or what i do want to be photographed and press the red button
Nothing more if I dont want to, but with that camera if you enjoy the way doing photos automaticcaly but want to get more in detail as you thought before - no problem, you have a absolute good camera with everything possible for amateurs - too!

And: Because of its classic looking body - no one ever think its a digital new camera - result: nowbody will rubb this cam!

Have a nice day,
Hans

...see some of the pictures i have done with automatic mod:

http://cdn1.omegaforums.net/attachments/p5280267-jpg.57518/

http://cdn1.omegaforums.net/attachments/p4280468-1-jpg.52618/

and there are a lot more which are good Yust search in my posts ..
Hans

 

Ah, a Speedie in the Basil garden.

Seriously though, nice photos!

 

I'll come out and defend the smartphone, in my case an iPhone 5 and all my pics are taken with it.
Hopefully some will agree they are usually passable, the secret I would say is to pay attention to light and reflections.
Agree I could spend cash on another lens for my Canon eos 500D that would take watch pics to another level but that would eat in to watch funds.
iPhone it is for the time being.

 

I sometimes prefer to use my iPhone.... Crazy as it may seem!

 

I´ve had a DSLR for many years, from before the days of high powered smart phones. I have the Canon 400D which with the kit lens was taking adequate watch pictures but nothing special and they needed an awful lot of cropping for a decent close-up. I did this for 6 or 7 years and was happy enough.

Since I´ve had a Galaxy S4 I´ve been able to take reasonable phone snaps, which are just about as good, actually probably better, than the Canon with kit lens. I found that quite annoying as the DSLR was then made redundant so I decided to go the whole hog and get a Canon macro EF 100 2.8 which makes the whole job easier and gives excellent results. It wasn´t cheap though.

I think lighting and stability are the most important aspects of watch photography whether using a smart phone or a macro lens. Without these two things under control it will be very hard to achieve a satisfying result.

 

The most important part of a camera is the six inches behind it.

+1 on the iPhone. NOT he Samsung, though I haven't tried the new 5.

for me it's a Olympus M4/3 with a macro 50mm. And a light tent and two, (not four, not mixed, not daylight...) lights.

I am am far from the setup, but I can post details in week.

 

+1 on your clever 'screen name,' Spacefruit.

 

Proper lighting and a tripod are the biggest factors for macro photography. With the small depth of field in macro work, even a slight movement will throw you shot out of focus. Any good point and shoot or DSLR with a lens capable of close focus will work great. I would suggest a cable release or shutter timer release to minimize the movement of the camera when the shutter opens.
If you are loaded with cash may I suggest a Canon 5D Mk3 with either the MP-E65 macro or the 100mm macro. (around 5000.00US)
If you are not cash heavy the Nikon 9500 point and shoot is a great all around camera. (around 300.00US)

 

+iPhone with the clothes pin attachement

Macro

Fisheye

White dials are tricky

Guess I am taking advantage here


Going all in

All 3 of my current Omega

 

Awesome !!

 

really good info guys, thank you. Sounds like I'd be well served by a quality point and shoot. Although I can stretch for a DSLR and lenses, I'd rather spend that kind of money on my next grail quest), mostly I think I would get bogged down with the size/weight/complexity and time required to master a pro setup. A high quality point/shoot that is good at close up work, given proper lighting, etc. would serve me well.

Oh, and I have a Motorola Android phone (RAZR Maxx HD), which has a pretty lousy camera, I'd love to have a better smartphone/build-in-camera solution in the future but I also LOVE optical zoom for sporting events, so I don't think a camera phone will ever satisfy me.

For quality close up photography of watches, what kind of lighting arrangement works best? Do I need to purchase something?

 

one of the best cameras I've has is the Panasonic Lumix TMC-TZ30.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/9134713958/panasoniczs20review

It has 20x optical zoom for sporting events and stuff.
40x intelligent zoom
GPS
Point and shoot and manual over-ride
And Macro down to about 30mm from the subject.

Here's 2 quick snaps I took without doing and centre focus or manual stuff, just point and shoot.

 

I think the key is just even lighting. You can use studio lights, small led panels, on camera flash or just diffused lighting indoors or out.

 

Another option is to let me wear your watches for a few months and I promise to take nicer, sharper pictures!! ;-)

 

I am a working professional photographer. I have a huge studio lighting system and cameras from the Nikon D4s to the Nikon D810 and lots of lenses. For most of my casual/posting watch pictures I use my iPhone 5. As Spacefruit said above "The most important part of a camera is the 6 inches behind it". Also, as Tpatta said above, "Proper lighting and a tripod (stability) are the most important thing..."

A camera will not make your photos better. Before you invest in a camera look at some good watch photos and think about how they are lit. Practice keeping your camera/phone still when you snap. Practice getting your focus point in the right place. You can take really bad watch pictures with a $10,000 camera system and you can take fine pix with a camera phone. Here a few iPhone shots. These are taken in window light when the sun is not shining directly in the window. Sometimes I use a reflector (white paper) to create a highlight or balance the light. The Zenith was taken in a motel room just after I bought it.

If you get the light and focus right and keep your camera/phone stable your can take good pictures with anything. If you buy an expensive camera it won't take good pictures unless you think about the light and a way to hold it steady.

JohnCote

 

Since I take so much from you guys.. i'll contribute here.

I'm not very articulate, so bear with me..

The only thing we can control besides composition is how much light we let in (aperture) and shutter speed.
These 2 settings go hand in hand/affect each other. 1 stop in aperture is equiv to double/half the shutter speed.
i.e. If set to f2 and the shutter is 1/500 sec, then f2.8 the shutter will be 1/250sec, etc.
Simply put, the aperture controls the depth of field (area of focus) and the shutter speed controls blur/motion.
The focal length of the lens also affects the depth of field... ie. at a certain distance, an 85mm f2 will give you several inches of focus where as a 28mm at f2 will give you tens of feet(?).
In close up photography the depth of field shortens dramatically. In extreme close ups unless you have enough light to close down your aperture, your depth of focus is only a small fraction of an an inch... Unfort, this will most likely necessitate a tripod.


Basically all I'm trying to convey is- if you need the whole dial to be in focus and dont have enough light to close down the lens, just make sure that the watch dial is parallel to film/sensor plane.
lol