Camera Shake or Wrong Settings?

[AndyBorrett]

Hello everyone.

I have been reading through all the relevant posts and have tried a few things out and although there has been improvement I am still not exactly where I would like to be...

My wife and I run a small website (www.seriouslysilver.co.uk) selling silver jewellery and we take all our own product photos. We recently bought a Canon 1000D and a sigma 50mm macro lens as we are taking pictures of much smaller things than we used to such as clip on charms. The photos have to be on a pure white background because we also sell on Amazon who insist on it.
I take the pictures on a table top studio with diffuser and plenty of 5000k lighting, the camera is held on an Arri Magic Arm. I have the camera set in Manual and use the EOS utility to focus and take the pictures.

My problem is that if I increase the F number to give a decent depth of field I have to set the shutter speed to around 1/4 sec and the resulting picture is nowhere near as sharp as the preview shown in the live view of the EOS utility.

If I sacrifice DOF to get a shutter speed of around 1/60 sec then the picture is much better. After reading the many helpful posts on the forum I am guessing that the problem is to do with camera shake (although I could be completly wrong as I am new to using a DLSR rather than a compact) Am I correct in thinking that as I have live view switched on that mirror slap isn't the problem?

Please can anyone offer suggestions as to what I can try.

[Chris J]

Re: Camera Shake or Wrong Settings?

What ISO setting are you using? Increasing that would give a higher shutter speed and unless you go very high you probably wouldn't notice any decrease in image quality at the size of picture you're likely to be using for Amazon.
Have you tried without live view?
What degree of sharpening do you have set in the shooting parameters, and/or do you do any sharpening after taking the shot (DPP makes this very easy)?
Cheers, Chris.

[Canon-Fodder!]

Re: Camera Shake or Wrong Settings?

Hello Andy; welcome to the forum...

When you use LiveView to focus, the mirror still has to go through its cycle to take the image, so mirror vibration could play a part...

Try this;
- Focus using LiveView in manual mode, then turn LiveView off.
- Set Mirror-Lock-Up
- Use the self timer (2 secs s/be OK) to trigger the image take...

That will enable the mirror vibration to settle before the image takes...

If that doesn't solve all problems; look seriously at whether or not the Arri Arm is sufficiently stable for your camera. If there's any hint of movement an investment in a good solid tripod may be in order.

You could also use a remote-release cable instead of the self-timer for some better control as well...

After that, it's case of setting the correct (or sufficient) parameters for post-processing. If you shoot RAW & use DPP, it's very easy to do... If you prefer to shoot JPEG, then play around with the 'Picture Style Settings' to add Sharpness and/or other adjustments to suit your purpose...

[X-ray-spex]

Re: Camera Shake or Wrong Settings?

I would agree with CF .............. don't think the magic arm is stable enough (what have you got it clamped to? .... could cause vibration).
You definately need a good tripod for product shots ...

[AndyBorrett]

Re: Camera Shake or Wrong Settings?

First of all thank you very much for all the replies and the welcome to the forum.

Chris J: I had the ISO set on auto. I have tried it on settings up to 800 and like you said, it lets me reduce the shutter speed which gives me an improvement.

Canon Fodder: Using the mirror lock and timer function does give a slight improvement in sharpness but not perfect results. I am shooting in RAW mode then applying a sharpness of 5.

X-Ray and CF: The magic arm is clamped to the table and the frame of the table top studio and I think you may have found my problem. The computer is also on the table so the whole thing is not as stable as I suspect it should be. If I use Live View and zoom in I can see the image on screen shaking very slightly as I click the mouse button to take the picture. I have tried using a small tripod I have sitting on the table and this again gives a slight improvement over the magic arm.

Presuming this is the root of the problem I had better get a seperate more substantial table for the studio and lighting then a taller tripod that sits on the floor.

Does this sound like the right way to go and what should I look for when buying a new tripod?

Many thanks for your continuing help

[X-ray-spex]

Re: Camera Shake or Wrong Settings?

I would suggest a large sturdy tripod ........ presumably you are not going to cart it around with you and it will stay in the studio. Manfrotto have a good range of tripods and heads, depends on your budget really.

have a look here http://www.warehouseexpress.com/phot...tto/b3037-m156

[Canon-Fodder!]

Re: Camera Shake or Wrong Settings?

Hi Andy;

If your required workflow is to capture directly to the PC, then yes, one way or another you need to seperate the camera from the table set-up, and a tripod is probably the best option.

But even that will only work if you're on a solid base. If you're on floor-boards for example in your 'studio', you'll still need to ensure that there is minimum vibration at the point of shooting!

All other things being 'sorted'... using a tripod, you can safely use ISO100 with an adequate aperture for DoF (f/11 - f/16 or so) without worrying about having a shutter-time (potentially) in seconds!

Consider what you want to use the tripod for; If it's only going to stay in the 'studio' it won't matter if it's a big heavy beast; but, if you also want to use it for outdoor work, then the best option is a carbon-fibre model. You'll get the best of both worlds - but at a price!

If budget is a factor, then consider Jessop's brand-range, Velbon; or the Slik range; otherwise Manfrotto or Giotto are both world-class equipment...

[Muscat]

Re: Camera Shake or Wrong Settings?

I bought this tripod with a Giotto head which I find is great for both indoors and outdoors. I spent the extra money as I wanted something that would be light but strong when I am out and about. Not the cheapest but I felt that I wanted something with quality

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-manfrotto-055cxpro4-carbon-fibre-tripod/p1027601

[AndyBorrett]

Re: Camera Shake or Wrong Settings?

Thanks for all the advice again, this is what I have decided to do.

I am going to move the table top studio from its existing studio (AKA spare bedroom with wobbly floorboards and not the most substantial table in the world) to the office which has very substantial worktops and less wobbly floorboards.

Muscat: Although I am sure that is a fine tripod I think it is a little over the top for my needs as I will never need to move it out of the house - unless we decide to do some arty nature and jewellery shots ;)

I can't decide on whether I need to get a good solid tripod that stands on the floor or a smaller model that sits on the desk. It is not easy trying to pick which one to buy from photos on the web so recommendations are always welcome or I might have to take a trip to Jessops so I can see them in the flesh.

[colin C]

Re: Camera Shake or Wrong Settings?

A full size Jessops £40 - £50 should be more than adequate.

In use, tie a shopping bag to the centre column and have a couple of bricks in the bag. The extra weight will hold it in place and provide some inertia against movement.

Colin

[AndyBorrett]

Re: Camera Shake or Wrong Settings?

The only problem I can think of is whether or not I will be able to take photos from above with a tripod. With my current (wobbly) setup I can position the camera using the Magic Arm directly above the table making it easier to take shots with the jewellery laying flat on the table.

[X-ray-spex]

Re: Camera Shake or Wrong Settings?

Get a tripod that can take an extendable arm .......... benbo trekkers can go into some weird positions and you can buy an arm for quite a few tripods or even connect your magic arm to the tripod?

[Chris J]

Re: Camera Shake or Wrong Settings?

If you do a lot of stuff like you describe have you thought about a copying stand rather than a tripod? Usually very sturdy, keeps the camera squre, easy to move back and forth from the object etc.
Will post a picture of mine if you like.
Cheers, Chris.

[AndyBorrett]

Re: Camera Shake or Wrong Settings?

I do have a copy stand in the loft somewhere which we used to use a few years ago before we started taking pictures on a white background.

I would appecieate a picture you have taken Chris so I can so quality I should be able to achieve.

If it helps I can post some photos too.

Here is what I have achieved so far - it is a picture of a charm just less than 1 inch in length.

http://www.seriouslysilver.co.uk/acatalog/CMN0012XL.Jpg

[TheGFB]

Re: Camera Shake or Wrong Settings?

Here is what I have achieved so far - it is a picture of a charm just less than 1 inch in length.
http://www.seriouslysilver.co.uk/acatalog/CMN0012XL.Jpg

I really can't see a problem with that!