Camera and Lens advise for business product photography and video

[avoaze]

Hi,

I'm new to the forum and I have a slightly confusing dilemma I hope you can help me resolve!

I'm looking for a camera for my work organization. We need something good to take photos of our surveillance cameras (product photography), and also to record videos of these products. Something to keep in mind is that we will need some of these photos to be printed on large banners such as 100x200cm.

I currently own a Canon 250D which is great, but we would potentially like an upgrade. I was looking at the Canon EOS 6D Mark II which seems lovely, however, even though it is a full frame camera, it only produces 6240 x 4160 resolution, whereas my 250D can produce 6000 x 4000. It is such a minimal increase in resolution that I'm not sure it is worth the large increase in price. I understand that the large sensor will improve the light consumption levels, however, maybe we should look for an APS-C that is more recent and can produce more megapixels for the same price, or is the larger sensor worth it?

Please could you advise regarding this and I'm also quite new to photography so I haven't looked into what lens would be the most appropriate for our needs, if you could recommend on this also I would very much appreciate that!

Thank you in advance.

 

[ancient_mariner]

You need to consider viewing distance - will your banners be scrutinised up close or viewed from a couple of feet?

Resolution isn't the issue, rather lens quality, sensor quality, correct exposure, post processing, upscaling for print, finally printing. In that order. I have no idea what output quality either of these cameras is capable of, but if they are both the same age & level of development then the camera with the best lens and then best sensor will give the best output. A bigger sensor will give a higher quality image, all other things being equal, because the image will need to be magnified less for a given size picture.

If you don't have an excellent lens, that is the first thing to consider, then worry about camera body - unless the one you have sucks.

Things to consider for lens selection: how close do you need to be (does it need macro) or can you be at a distance (moderate telephoto). Also do you need to blur background (need large aperture) or should it be sharp front to back

Some videographers use very wide angle lenses for 'walk around' shots -15-24mm. That will give a distorted look to closer stills.

It sounds like you want a couple of different lenses (one for video, one for product shots) or possibly a zoom - canon have a 24-105L that has a good reputation.

 

[sk66]

For most product photography and videography I use a Nikon1 V2 with a 16MP 1" sensor, which is way lower spec than your 250d. And for "generic" product photography I often use a Fuji X20 with a 12MP 2/3 sensor.

Most product images are presented on the web at no larger than 2-3MP; what matters much more than the camera/sensor is the lighting.

And "banners" don't really require any more... your 250d can produce a banner 1500cm at 100ppi natively; which is more than is necessary for standard viewing (you can ignore the 300ppi required nonsense you read everywhere).

And 1080p is still the standard for video... it may be just above the minimum standard (720p), but it is more than adequate for most uses.

 

[ah5168]

The camera you have is more than good enough.

You would be much better off spending you money on some good lighting and a learning how to use that. Some months I take thousands of product photos for a Europe wide high street retailer and use a 10 year old APS-C camera. The client is more than happy with the shots and they use them for on line sales and point of sale material.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

You are talking about two areas of distinct expertise,
They are associated with a great deal of necessary experience and professional knowledge and skill.
It is not something a beginner photographer could succeed in, with out an equal grasp of the skills involved.

Cameras and lenses possess none of these skills. they are dumb machines.
It would be far better to hire professionals for both these tasks.

 

[Nod]

(you can ignore the 300ppi required nonsense you read everywhere).

For anything other than prints to be held in the hand for viewing.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

For anything other than prints to be held in the hand for viewing.

It is now difficult to find a camera that can not achieve an excellent A3 print.
Banners are seen at a greater distance and are less demanding still.

I agree with @sk66 if I want to show an item on the web my Fuji X30 is more than adequate. Lighting and the necessary PP are the main issues.

 

[sk66]

For anything other than prints to be held in the hand for viewing.

Even for handheld viewing of prints... somewhere around < 150ppi for an 8x10 in the hand is where it starts to become apparent for most people w/ normal/corrected vision (not the "can you discern a miniscule difference w/ your nose against it?")

 

[avoaze]

Oh okay, I will stick to the camera I already have then and look for upscaling solutions for printing. I just learned how to use the focal length correctly after researching lenses. Thank you for all your replies!