Camera info for knife photography

EdCaffreyMS

"The Montana Bladesmith"
Let me preface by saying that I am in no way near a professional photo guy, but the thread "Camera Suggestions-2020" got me to asking myself questions, as to why I prefer the Sony camera that I use, versus a Canon, Nikon, or whatever, and why I always seem to be able to produce better KNIFE pics with the Sonys (I own a DSC H200, DSC H-200X, and a DSC H-400), then the other brands I've tried. After a bunch of searching around the net, something jumped out at me. I was touting about the Sony having a glass lens, and how I thought that made a difference..... but now I think that is only part of the situation.

OK.... when we take photos of knives, for best results its usually on a tripod, and ideally in a light tent setup. So... that means the majority of the time, in that situation, the photos are taken in "macro" (close up) mode (most cameras set to auto mode will go into macro automatically when needed). I found a lot of articles that talked about the different type sensors, in different cameras..... CCD and CMOS types. And most said the eye could not see the difference in in photos taken with either....... under"MOST" photos situations.
I did find a couple of very short blurbs of how some photographers who make their living shooting "macro", prefer cameras with CCD sensors. Then I started searching for which sensor type was best for macro, and didn't find much..... but I did start piecing together bits and pieces from various articles that lead me to a conclusion.
Me touting the glass lens, was only part of the equation! Based on the information that I pieced together, I believe that a camera with a CCD type sensor, using "auto mode", which is what most knifemakers are likely to do, may be the best choice for taking knife pics in a light tent setup.
Now..... it just so happens the camera(s) that I have been using (the Sony DSC H-XXX) series, have both a glass lens, and use a CCD type sensor. A big DUH for me. All that being said, now I believe I understand why I am getting better knife pics, under the same settings, with an older camera, versus newer ones..... The old cameras I own/use, have both a CCD type senor, AND glass lenses..... where as the new cameras I've tried and been disappointed with, all had CMOS sensors, and plastic lenses. Like I said, I'm not a pro at photos, but to me, it seems the reasoning is solid for using a camera with a CCD sensor, and glass lens for knife photography......at least for those who are knifemakers first, and photographers...only when we need to be. :)

One final note.... has to do with focus. All the cameras I tried, and did not like, had only a manual focus, which logically should be a good thing....but for me it was not. The Sony cameras I mentioned not only have a CCD sensor, and glass lens, but the also share the feature of being Auto Focus cameras. I'm sure there are holes somewhere in my logic, and that a pro photographer knows far more then me..... but I also trust the logic of what I discovered. Thanks Billy for sending me down this rabbit hole! :)
 
Hey, Ed. What kind of background material did you show on that thread? Is it a felt material or a printed material?
 
I use two different ones..... one is a "crushed velour" material that I stretched over a piece of 1/4" hardboard. This is the blue background you see in most of my photos. The other is matting they use for pictured/portraits. Blues like this one seem to work the best for knife photos..... the first is the crush velour material, and the next one is the photo matting "board:

DSC00290.jpg


hunteroct152b.jpg



Lighting is a really big deal to IMO. 5000-6500K temp, and lots of it! :)
 
Thanks Billy for sending me down this rabbit hole!
Ummm....you're welcome???? :rolleyes: :)

But seriously, thanks for sharing your thoughts/experiences.

Regarding backgrounds, craft stores like Hobby Lobby, JoAnns Fabrics, Michaels, etc. sell cardstock and scrapbook paper that makes decent backgrounds. I have a pack of "Heirloom Cardstock" that are 11" x 17" sheets with various patterns printed on them.
 
On my light tent.... I have light coming in from top, both sides, and the back, and have a "swing arm light" on the front that I use as needed.....but it's clunky and difficult to us. (I'll get pics later and post on this thread). AND.... since BILLY O sent me down the "rabbit hole" :) (just messing with ya Billy), I just placed an order for a 18" "ring light", with a camera mount in the center.

There was a time when I had all my lights on dimmer switches, but one day I realized that they were always setting on as bright as possible....so I got rid of the dimmers. In a lot of ways, my light tent, and how I take knife photos is always evolving.
 
Speaking of lighting, could I get suggestions on what to look for in bulbs? Incandescent, Halogen, CFLs, LEDs? How many lumens? How many Kelvin? A combination of all types?
 
AND.... since BILLY O sent me down the "rabbit hole" :) (just messing with ya Billy), I just placed an order for a 18" "ring light", with a camera mount in the center
Just trying to be a patriot, keep the economy rolling so the politicians are happy and can keep their pockets lined. . . and the more $ everyone else spends, the less I need to. ;)
 
I'll throw out one lesson learned. I'm using a Pentax K20D SLR camera for my photography. It's a great bang for the buck camera. Pentax has always been that. However, one issue is that my white balance filters only go as high as 5000k, so when I use the 6500k lights, I get a very noticeable blue hue on all of my pictures. Going to go back to 5000k light bulbs to match up with my camera.
 
That's one big factor in using specific color/tones of backgrounds! Matching light temp with backgrounds. All those lights in my cube/tent are 5000K..... and dark blues and greens for backgrounds always turn out pics that are a train wreck....so bad so, that even editing software can't correct it. I've literally spent days at the light cube/tent, trying to teach myself manual photography.....UGH! I've got the "auto" functions of the camera figured out for knife pics.....so I stick mostly to that. :)
 
how about sir for shooting video, what are the things you must consider to shoot outdoor to get the good output to emphasize the product knife. im planning to shoot our knives but i have not enough materials to use for indoor shot so i my other option is to take outside
 
Relying on outside lighting is a crap shoot at best. Personally, I think the worst thing that anybody who is trying to sell knives can do is..... post/use bad photos, and make an excuse like "I know the photos are not good...." Might as well just say, I make crummy knives, and don't want you to see them very well. Seriously..... if you want to advertise/sell, then before you do, make sure your photos and video are the best it can be.
 
Update: I ordered a "ring light" last week, and got it setup/in use..... for those who do not have the funds for a tent/cube, and all the associated lights and such, a "ring light" might be the answer.

This is the one I purchased: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CTJ6WBX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The stand pretty much sucks....just not heavy duty enough....but I modified an old camera tripod to hold the light ring, and mounted my camera in the middle..... even without all the tent/cube lighting turned on, this thing provides the light needed for good knife pics. It might be worth your time to check out other versions that might be more sturdy then this one, but for $70, even though I had to do some work and use my own stand/tripod, it's not terrible enough that I'd send it back. :)
 
Update: I ordered a "ring light" last week, and got it setup/in use..... for those who do not have the funds for a tent/cube, and all the associated lights and such, a "ring light" might be the answer.

This is the one I purchased: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CTJ6WBX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The stand pretty much sucks....just not heavy duty enough....but I modified an old camera tripod to hold the light ring, and mounted my camera in the middle..... even without all the tent/cube lighting turned on, this thing provides the light needed for good knife pics. It might be worth your time to check out other versions that might be more sturdy then this one, but for $70, even though I had to do some work and use my own stand/tripod, it's not terrible enough that I'd send it back. :)
Ring lights work really well for small objects such as knives. They also get used quite a bit in macro photography.
 
A couple of comments on photo quality. I too have suffered for years trying to have photos render an image that I thought represented what my eyes saw when shooting the photo. My wife is an oil painter artist and we have a constant "lively discussion" about light temperature in photos that she uses in her work. I've concluded there is no clear answer to this issue, but there some observations to keep in mind:
-I've found that the general rule is that what your eyes see in the original image may not be what your camera sees nor what a computer monitor displays - and certainly won't be what a color printer produces. That's not a big surprise, but the question is how to remedy these problems.
- Placing a grey scale card IN a photo before shooting gives the photographer a light temperature reference point from which to make any adjustments after shooting the photo. This is a simple, cheap trick that reduces the question of White Balance (temperature). https://www.digitalphotomentor.com/how-to-use-a-gray-card-for-custom-white-balance-and-metering/
- A good photo editing software program will allow for considerable White Balance and tone adjustments. I've used Adobe Lightroom photo software for years. It's an amazing tool for cataloging and editing photos. This software can adjust virtually any aspect of a photo to offer a rendering that matches what you think your eyes saw (or make it even better). The downside of this software is that it's now recently only available in a monthly subscription, about $10/mo.
- Virtually all computer monitors can significantly alter the quality (temperature/color) of an image. This is one of the inherent downfalls of digital photography, particularly when sending a photo to someone that has a computer that is not properly calibrated (or not calibrated to match yours). What you see on your computer display will likely NOT be what someone sees on their computer no matter what you do to the photo.

Just a few thoughts to consider. I'm not a professional photographer, but have filled a number of gigabyte hard drives with photos.
 
Hi. in my opinion, it is a great camera. I am also a freelance photographer. I have been working in this field for the last five years. That's why I had a chance to work with much different photographic equipment. However, I was faced with prolonged depression. I didn't have any ideas about my work. Therefore, I decided to use aperfectspace.com. Btw, I am currently working on my niche in fashion and landscapes. I have always shown a great interest in fashion photography from the beginning of my career.
 
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Hello ikefinnell, welcome.
Fyi, if you look at the dates, this thread is a year and a half old, so not sure how useful the response is to the original question .
On some forums, chiming in with a random response to an old thread isn't really appreciated...
 
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