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  1. mgennone May 6, 2015

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    I have tried taking pictures and cannot seem to get great quality. Using everything from my DSLR to iPhone and always seem to come out blurry and with some dial reflection.
     
  2. Hijak May 6, 2015

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    It's all about the light quality. I use a point and shoot and get fairly good quality shots in the right (natural) light.
    image.jpg
    image.jpg
     
    TNTwatch likes this.
  3. CanberraOmega Rabbitohs and Whisky Supporter May 6, 2015

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    Are you using the macro setting?
     
  4. ulackfocus May 6, 2015

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    OP - that would be the flower button. I'd bet dollars to donuts that this is the problem.

    Also, indirect natural light as Ed mentions above is very important too. If you get too much reflection, a diffuser between the light source and subject can help. A simple sheet of tracing paper, or even regular white paper, will suffice.
     
    oddboy likes this.
  5. rwilner May 8, 2015

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    Do iphones / android cameras have macro settings also? Is there a better photo app than the stock ones?
     
  6. gatorcpa ΩF InvestiGator Staff Member May 8, 2015

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    Most smartphones have automatic macro settings. They will focus down to 6" or less.

    If you want to get really serious macro shots with an iPhone:

    http://www.olloclip.com/

    gatorcpa
     
  7. LastMan May 23, 2015

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    Shoot in daytime indoors. Otherwise set up a light box and/or put your camera on a tripod (eg. gorillapod) with a timer for more stability.
     
  8. Puma Cat May 25, 2015

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    The key to getting good photos of anything fairly small when you are shooting close-ups, e.g. watches, model cars, jewelry is sufficient 1) and 2) depth of field. The closer you get to your subject, the harder it is to get sufficient depth of field. While it helps to have specifically designed "macro" lenses for things like watch photography, the key camera setting is the aperture, also known as f-stop, which determines depth of field.
    I don't shoot watches that much as I only have a couple, but I do a fair bit of table top/product photography, and I often have to shoot at f/11 to f/16 to get sufficient depth of field. This means you will very likely have to put your camera on a tripod to obtain sufficient exposure time (with a slow shutter speed) to obtain sufficient depth of field.

    The light situation is easier to manage. Window light with your watch or subject on a table can work very well, and lend a very nice quality of light to your subject. For more control, you can use flashes, e.g. speedlites to provide sufficient light, though you often need light modifiers e.g. a soft box, to soften the light sufficient to create a nice look to the image.

    For an example, here are some model cars I've shot with a single, beat to hell Canon speed light and a piece of white foamcore inside a Giottos table top soft box.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    These are all 1:18 scale model cars, about 8 inches long. All taken with a Fujifilm X-camera, either X-Pro1 or X-T1.
     
  9. rwilner May 27, 2015

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    I downloaded an app that allows one to adjust f stop, I might try it. Natural light for me makes the biggest difference.