What Sort Of Camera Is Good For Close-Up Photos?

[Daddy-O]

Hi all

 

I'm not happy with the blurry FP photos I take on my mobile phone and my old digital camera is even worse. There is no way I can take a picture of a nib with any definition. What sort of cameras do you use and are they reasonably priced?

 

Mark

[SujiCorp12345]

I think most cameras with a macro function should be good enough.

[sexauerw]

Almost any camera that lets you turn off the autofocus. Even better if it lets you manually adjust the aperture. And . . . you need a tripod sized appropriately for the camera. I happen to have a Nikon S9100 pocket sized point-and-shoot and a Nikon D90 DSLR. I can't get a nib shot to save my life with the little camera because it allows no manual settings. But it's a great vacation camera. So I use the D90 for pen photos. I got a 60mm f2.8 macro lens for it and I get really good nib shots. It's overkill, but my wife bought a newer model DSLR so I got the D90 as a hand-me-down.

 

You really don't need to go all-out DSLR. But you do need a camera that you can focus on the spot that you want it to and not where it decides to focus. And you need to be able to control the aperture because that controls the depth-of-field of the focus. Then you need a tripod because sometimes the aperture setting you need will be f16 or f22 and your exposure time will be long and you can't hold the camera steady for the whole exposure.

[stevesurf]

Hi Mark, it's actually less about the camera and more about the lens, but even more about rendering your perception.

 

Personally I use both Leica film and digital, but it is the lens (and adjustment) that will allow you to render a nib sharp with the background out of focus, if that is what you are after.

 

That said, all these were taken with a basic iPhone 4, but edited in Lightroom, and if you actually wind up purchasing that S/W, I'll be happy to share the preset

 

[Z-Tab]

I think the biggest difference is going to come in lighting your shots better. Virtually any modern camera can take excellent pictures, and I would include virtually every camera phones in that list. If you have good lighting, it is a whole lot easier to take good pictures. Bad lighting leads to bad photos, no matter how fancy your camera is.

[ac12]

I second @sexauerw comment about the tripod.

You CANNOT hold a camera steady enough when shooting that close. The problem is the magnification when you shoot close also magnifies your body movement, so you REALLY see yourself shaking/moving. You need to hold steady in 3 axis left/right, up/down, forward/backward.

A crude but workable support is a soup can with a towel on top. Then very carefully and SLOWLY press the shutter button, without moving the camera.

[takkun]

What Steve said--conditions seem to trump actual equipment. I have an iPhone 4s, whose macro functions get a lot closer than my Nikon D3 and dedicated macro lens--provided there's enough, and good quality, light. Of course, I can't really blow up images to wall-size that way, but it's just fine for anything web-related.

[WaskiSquirrel]

A tripod is the main thing. I think you could get decent shots with a tripod and a small camera with a macro setting.

 

I managed good shots even with an iPad braced against something.

[sargetalon]

As stated, the camera is probably the least important component in the setup to taking a good macro shot. Technique is paramount. Using natural light whenever possible makes a huge difference. If you have manual control of the aperture and focus, that is ideal. A tripod is s must for sharp photos. Use the built in timer or a remote release cord to minimize camera shake which is more noticeable in macro work.

 

My typical setup is a Sony Alpha-700 DSLR, Slik U-212 tripod, remote release cord, and a Minolta 100mm f2.8 Macro lens. I use a simple sweep made of heavy white paper with a white bounce reflector utilizing only available natural light.

 

 

[OcalaFlGuy]

IIRC, I took this with my Droid X phone and my Belomo 10x loupe, hand holding both.

 

 

[EDIT] Outside lightbox for the frugal. El Cheapo mini tripod.

 

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Edited November 13, 2014 by OcalaFlGuy

[maverick777]

You can definitely get away with using a point and shoot with a macro setting, a small tripod, and using the remote timer feature to minimize vibrations. You'd still need to work on lighting of some kind though. What I use wouldn't really be considered affordable.

 

I use a Nikon D7100 and Nikon 105mm VR macro lens. Even then, lighting is equally as important as the camera/lens combination. I use 2 Nikon SB-910 flash units. Then I have a carbon fiber tripod, remote flash trigger units, and sometimes light stands. Photography is a hobby I've had for a long time and I've accumulated this gear over the course of 8 years. I wouldn't recommend buying all this stuff just to take pictures of your pens.

 

The shot below I was able to take handheld only because the lens has vibration reduction AND I had 2 flash units. Otherwise it would've been next to impossible to keep the camera steady enough without a tripod. Keep in mind that the picture below is "only" 5MP. The original is actually 24MP.

 

http://i.imgur.com/gkBwPhp.jpg

[balson]

http://www.amazon.com/Carson-HookUpz-LensMag-Lenses-ML-515/dp/B00BP5TD66
i found this at big lots or tuesday morning for $5. it wont take a beautiful photo but if you are just trying to get photo that clearly shows what is happening on the nib it will work. getting my phone to focus to the right spot is the hardest part.

 

here is a nib photo taken with my iphone and the cheep carson lens using incandescent light and resting my arms on the table for stability

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kQUy4DF9y8g/UypwIzABCJI/AAAAAAAABIQ/ZCaNY9-QkP8/s1600/s3.jpg

 

while its really good at getting a good look at the tipping, its less effective at getting a shot of the whole nib. the first photo below was taken with the 15x lens, the second one was taken with the 10x lens. even with the 10x lens the focal range is too short to get a picture of the whole nib. the image is also stretched in all directions around the edges of the photo like a fish eye lens does.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YPpo12uUhcQ/UxuY0ymRLwI/AAAAAAAABFs/wSf62WOrk0E/s1600/7a.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RXwlNFf4Bqg/UxuYSQKOFdI/AAAAAAAABFc/VWUBP_OfBz0/s1600/7.jpg

 

here is a nib photo with a traditional macro lens for a canon rebel using natural light and a tripod

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-botKImB4c_k/VFKkMnAc3pI/AAAAAAAABWU/ndB7o38g2tQ/s1600/7.jpg

 

there is something really unappealing to me about how the iphone processes the parts of the image that are not in focus.

 

i will definitely echo what others have said too, natural light is the way to go. it allows for a faster shutter speed and the colors are almost always more accurate. tripods are incredibly helpful too. i find i often have to set a two second shutter delay so that the camera does not shake from me pressing the button.

[Bo Bo Olson]

i find i often have to set a two second shutter delay so that the camera does not shake from me pressing the button.

Great idea!

Edited November 13, 2014 by Bo Bo Olson

[AZBennett]

I use two Sony Alpha series DSLRs (not really affordable but I had the cameras beforw I got into pens). I have three lenses, one has specific macro settings. I use a fu size tripod that I got used off the Bay. I shoot in natural lighting in and change my shutter speed and aperature settings with a ten second timer delay to minimize vibrations. I am not nearly as professional in my shots as some here are but i get decent enough results. I don't have decent post-production software but that's where you get a lot of the gorgeous end results when using a digital camera. My droid actually takes decent shots but I don't have the patience to mess with it since I have my camera set up in my spare room that has really good lighting during the day. I should probably invest in a few flashes but right now pens and repair supplies are taking up all my "fun" budget.

[inkstainedruth]

I don't have a tripod. I *do* however have an older DSLR (Canon Digital Rebel, 6 mega-pixel model). And a set of good closeup filters.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[heymatthew]

The Fuji X10/20/30 all have fairly remarkable macro capabilities as does the Sony RX100/II/III. You don't need to spend a ton of money to get good photos of pens/nibs. What you need (and what has been said here already) is good lighting. You can have the finest camera in the world and it won't do you a bit of good in the dark. Many entry-level DSLR's will come with a decent kit lens that will get you reasonable macro images. A Raynox macro adapter will get you even tighter results for a fraction of the cost of a dedicated macro lens. Having a camera that allows you to shoot without flash is important as on-camera flash is ugly. Also, having a camera that allows you some control over settings (most notably Aperture Priority) will help greatly, although it's not necessary as long as you can shut off the flash and shoot on a tripod. Also, the self-timer will be your friend. Click the button and wait for it to take the photo. At macro settings any camera shake or motion will be greatly exaggerated so when I shoot macro, I always use the self timer to eliminate any possible camera shake.

 

Build or buy yourself a tabletop light box and get a couple of inexpensive clamp lights (LED's work best) and you're all set. A decent-sized cardboard box with the sides cut out and replaced with parchment paper or tracing velum should suffice. Get a piece of matte (matte is key) white posterboard for a seamless backdrop (let it curve from the back to the bottom so you don't see any hard edges) and you're set. I did this in photo school for a while and got excellent results. When the box/velum tears up, go get a new box/velum.

 

Also, get yourself a good, sturdy tripod. If you have a small, lightweight camera, something like a Joby Gorillapod will work. If you're using a DSLR, you'll want something a little more sturdy. Oben makes a good entry-level tripod with a great ball head (I had an Oben ball head on a Syrp Genie Timelapse Setup for a while and it was really nice).

[bogiesan]

Visit your local library and borrow all of the books on mocro and closeup photography they have on the shelves. You will find this is a specialized type of photography that can be accomplished in many ways. You can hack good closeups using readily available gear like a phone (maybe with an auxiliary lens) if you understand the mechanics and physics of the exposure, shutter speed, focus settings, and manual overrides. Or you can go pro. But it's not the camera that makes the difference. It's the stability of your stage and image capture apparatus, the quality and amount of lighting, the f-stop available on your close-focusing lens, the available depth of field of your chosen focal length and f-stop, and your skills in designing the stage setting and then composing your image.

 

Visit Leigh Reyes's site to see her superb and inspiring fountain pen photography.

 

http://www.leighreyes.com

[KBeezie]

A tripod and any camera that lets you manually set settings (shutter, aperture, iso), and preferably the ability to manually focus (or least put the little box on where you want to focus).

 

My little Olympus TG-610 does work with it's "Super Macro" but it has next to no controllable features, especially if I want to use external lighting sources.

 

For most of my pictures I use my Olympus E-P3 with a variety of different prime lens (ie: lens that do not zoom, they have one set focal length, as prime lens tend to be faster/brighter/lighter/sharper than their equivalent priced zoom lens).

 

For most of my pen pics if I don't need to be very close I use the Sigma 60mm f/2.8 DN-Art lens which is natively mounted to the Olympus Micro-4/3 mount (meaning it was made specifically for that mount). Probably my sharpest lens for close to mid range, but it's closest focusing distance isn't as close as my older Pentax-M 50/1.4 or Tamron SP 90/2.8 1:1 Macro, both of which are mounted via adapters (Pentax-K to Micro-4/3rd adapter, and Adaptall-to-Micro 4/3 adapter), as such they're manually focused and manually set on the aperture.

 

These were with the Sigma 60/2.8 on the camera.

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/sheaffer/tuckaway/gold_striated_valiant/uncapped.jpg

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/sheaffer_trio/uncapped.jpg

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/M250/uncapped.jpg

 

And these are with the Tamron 90/2.8 1:1 (meaning Lifesize) macro.

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/collections/german/nov_2014.jpg

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/parker/ellipse/nib_close.jpg

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/montblanc225/2.jpg

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/pilotelitemini/nib_top.jpg

 

But what also helps is an external flash unit, either one that can go into the shoe mount of the camera and bounced off a ceiling or white board, or what I Typically use, a pair of Photogenic Powerlight 750s with 32" umbrella soft boxes (you can see a reflection of one in the Pelikan M250). Which allows me to shoot most of the pictures around f/5.6 to f/8 giving a greater depth of field. But I can always turn down the power of the strobes so I can shoot at around f/2.8 for more dramatic effect (ie: more blur front and back of the object).

 

A cheap DLSR will work, and even some of the older manual focus 50mm f/1.4 lens do have pretty close focusing distance, enough at least to get a shot of the whole pen, but not necessarily capable of 1:2 or 1:1 macro photography. I prefer to work with Mirrorless systems, I've done so much better work with them especially with older manual focus lens adapted than I've done with DSLRs (I still have my old Pentax K-10D DSLR, but almost never use it).

 

But what seems to be essential for indoor product photography:

- A tripod

- A camera that lets you manually set shutter, aperture, and focus (the shutter should be placed at the top flash sync speed if using flashes)

- External lighting source, be it a flash unit that can slide into the shoe on top and bounce off a ceiling or sheet, or a light tent with lights being diffused on the side, or strobes like I use.

- A decent lens if using a DSLR or mirrorless system, *you* may be able to get away with those crappy 18-## f/3.5-5.6 zoom kit lens, but you will probably want a dedicated macro lens of least around half life size 1:2 ( meaning the object being captured is about double the sensor size, 1:1 means you can capture an object that's the same size as the sensor, in essence much closer ) So I recommend a dedicated prime macro lens which usually has just one focal length (50mm, 60mm, 90mm, 100mm etc, and is usually one set aperture like f/2.8 or f/3.5, f/4, only cheaper zooms have varying apertures).

 

An old 50mm f/1.4 adapted (since the older ones are much cheaper than paying $400 or so for a new one, but least for a Canon DSLR you can get a thrifty 50, Canon 50/1.8 Mk II for around $6) can yield stuff like this at f/1.4 on my Olympus E-P3.

 

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/147/b/3/b39add5d51f10c4e76db7156a1eee1a6-d51c23h.jpg

 

The "Thrifty 50" I mentioned is what I used to use on an old Canon Digital Rebel (the first 6.3Megapixel one), which resulted in this image.

 

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs14/f/2007/090/7/5/Ethan___Brick_and_Vines_by_kb244.jpg

 

I wasn't into fountain pens back then, so I don't really have any example with that or the Canon system.

[Tenkai]

Take a reasonable decent camera smartphone (iphone 5s and above, later series of android phones 8MP and above), take a straw and put a drop of water on the lens. DIY macro lenses for taking photos!

[KBeezie]

Take a reasonable decent camera smartphone (iphone 5s and above, later series of android phones 8MP and above), take a straw and put a drop of water on the lens. DIY macro lenses for taking photos!

There are better ways of doing that without messing with water, ranging anywhere from about $5 up to $99.

 

Or this $50 one for example that's pretty high grade optics. But you still need a decent external light source such as a light tent with halogen lights (obviously an iphone won't work with an external flash).

 

http://www.olloclip.com/product/

 

http://www.olloclip.com/wp-content/themes/olloclip/images/iP4_1.png

 

Do-able, but wouldn't be my first choice.

 

Least the macro gallery looks pretty decent, may want to shoot the pen outside though, preferably on an overcast day (reduces harsh shadows).

 

http://www.olloclip.com/fpngallery/macro-lens/

Edited November 16, 2014 by KBeezie