Lense Choice for Product Photography

[sarafina]

Hi,

I have been working for a LONG time with my trusty Canon RebelXT. Sadly the last time I disasembled it to clean it I shorted out the flash battery and fried it.

So I have just upgraded to a 5D Mark II. I have been using for my work, mostly, a basic 18-55 and a 100mm Macro.

I shoot on a translucent table 24" Square. Everything is for white background. Often I am shooting glass or clear items. I usually shoot between 18" and 4' away from my subject.

I have been using the macro for the tighter shots on things in the 1" to 6" size range and then moving to the 18-55 for larger items and groupings.

The 18-55 will not mount on the 5D so I need to replace it with something that will give me good results in the set up I am describing.

I would appreciate suggestions on what lense would complement the 100 Macro.

Thanks

[RobertTheFat]

You don't need a fast lens or a lot of range, so how about the 24-70mm f/4L? Its price has fallen dramatically since it first came out, and I don't recall hearing anything bad about it.

[sarafina]

This is what you are suggesting?

[MOD NOTE: Link removed per FORUM GUIDELINES]

[sarafina]

Sorry, The forum guidelines did not mention not being able to posts links. I'll keep that  in mind in the future.

Sara

[TCampbell]

I don't know what you linked... but it depends on the link.

Here's the lens he was referring to:

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_24_70mm_f_4l_is_usm

Canon makes an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM II - it's about $2k (list) - so the f/4 version (which also adds image stabilization) is about half the price.   The f/2.8 version is probably not necessary for product photography since you control the lighting (you don't need the extra stop of light gathering capability of an f/2.8 lens) and you also probably don't need the shallower depth of field that the f/2.8 lens can product.

Incidentally, Canon is offering a $200 mail-in rebate on the f/4 lens, so you can get it for about $800 (I was surprised because the rebate on the f/2.8 version... which costs twice as much... is only $150.)

[RobertTheFat]

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@sarafina wrote:

Sorry, The forum guidelines did not mention not being able to posts links. I'll keep that  in mind in the future.

Sara

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For a forum that is supposedly user-driven, the guidelines, and their enforcement by the moderators, are surprisingly fussy.

[TCampbell]

In the "participation" section, the guidelines indicate that may remove posts for a variety of reasons... one of which is this reason:

• Promotion of third party products, promotions, websites, organizations, goods or services.

I used to moderate another photography forum... I can share that it is astonishing how many people would create a new user account primarily for the purpose of making posts intended to drive traffic over to some other website (often not even a photography-related website.)  Banning users was a daily process.

We had to use some moderator discretion to decide what sort of links to block.  A link to a website that doesn't sell anything e.g. if you want to link to an education article you found on some site which explains some photography concept... that's fine.  Links to websites that sell products had to be removed... though a link to a well-known gear store for purposes of asking about a product (e.g. B&H, Adorama, Amazon) would probably not be removed.  We also typically removed links wherein someone entered a photo-contest that allows internet voting, and joined the forum for the purpose of soliciting votes ("vote for me") even though those people weren't actually selling anything (it's supposed to be a "photo" contest... not a "popularity" contest.  Please try to win based on your "photographic" skills.)  Anyway... if a forum didn't do anything to fitler this stuff... it'd be a mess.

[ebiggs1]

Sara,

This has been stated many times here and still true, the best buy in a Canon pro "L" lens is the EF 24-105mm f4 IS.

This is a great lens, I have two of them.  You can find "white box" versions that are a very good buy.  Usually in the $700 to $750 range and brand new and with full Canon warranty.

Comparing it to the 18-55mm will be like night and day difference.

[sarafina]

First, thank you all, for the input! Can anyone help me understand the difference between the actual functionality of the 24-70 and the 24-105?

When I was looking at the 24-70 I saw some different versions, one a wide angle. I was concerned at first that this would distort my images, but now it seems as if that's just one version, not all of this lense model are wide angle.

One of the things I struggle with is adjusting everything so that I get pretty good depth of field. Having just the front of the product in focus, or just the back isn't good. I need the testure and detail to pop.

I am hoping with this 5DII being synced to the laptop so I can see the shot on a big screen will help me with this. Of course my remote shutter and cables from my Rebel don't work on this one, new HDMI cable on it's way to me now.

And no worries about the moderation. I am very familiar with the issues of a busy forum and the spammy joiners that have to be weeded out. I had linked to a Craigslist page with the recomended lense on it, which didn't seem like a likely target for a spammer. But whatever, just joined, new member, few posts, I get it...   ; -)

It's going to be an interesting learning curve with this new beastie!

[RobertTheFat]

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@sarafina wrote:

First, thank you all, for the input! Can anyone help me understand the difference between the actual functionality of the 24-70 and the 24-105?

When I was looking at the 24-70 I saw some different versions, one a wide angle. I was concerned at first that this would distort my images, but now it seems as if that's just one version, not all of this lense model are wide angle.

One of the things I struggle with is adjusting everything so that I get pretty good depth of field. Having just the front of the product in focus, or just the back isn't good. I need the testure and detail to pop.

I am hoping with this 5DII being synced to the laptop so I can see the shot on a big screen will help me with this. Of course my remote shutter and cables from my Rebel don't work on this one, new HDMI cable on it's way to me now.

And no worries about the moderation. I am very familiar with the issues of a busy forum and the spammy joiners that have to be weeded out. I had linked to a Craigslist page with the recomended lense on it, which didn't seem like a likely target for a spammer. But whatever, just joined, new member, few posts, I get it...   ; -)

It's going to be an interesting learning curve with this new beastie!

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The argument in favor of the 24-105 is that it's a more versatile lens. While it should suit your needs for product photography, it's really intended to be a "walking around" lens for a full-frame camera. So if you wanted to take it out and use it for street photography, its longer reach would be a plus.

The argument in favor of the 24-70 is that all else equal, a lens with a longer zoom range is apt to have slightly more distortion at the long and/or short ends and somewhat lower image quality overall. So if you don't need the reach of the 24-105, why subject yourself to those possible drawbacks?

But in truth, both should be good lenses for your stated purpose, and you're unlikely to notice any practical difference. Like Ernie Biggs, I own the 24-105 and share his favorable opinion of it. I've never even seen the 24-70, but it seems to get good reviews. If you choose, for whatever reason, one of those two lenses, you probably won't end up thinking you've made a mistake. And there are, of course, many other lenses that could do the job for you as well.