Since I do most of my shooting after midnight, sunlight is not an option. I use an overhead 5500 degree Kelvin bulb in a 45 x 90 cm softbox, shining through a special scrim that I have constructed for my particular application. I also use a ring flash to give an even front light. I'm shooting from about 2 meters. The 100mm macro lens makes the cups I photograph almost fill the frame.

You can't make value judgments on what anyone else needs unless you know EXACTLY what they are shooting.

Sunlight is the enemy of consistency. Bill. you re doing everything exactly right as shown in the years of photos on your website.

One of my clients built a "custom" studio in his plant for video and product shots. The problem is, it's loaded with skylights.
That means all video must be color corrected every few seconds and the stills of polished metal are worthless.
He was really ticked when I set up my tent. So we sat down and I told him how to build his products. He got the message.

I used to use a bellows system but now just a 50mm macro on a Nikon DSLR 100. Hoever, when I just want to take a quick shot to put online or email, my point n shoot Canon is easier to use and does a good enough job.

I still have a WHOLE lot to learn about what I'm doing. My latest acquisition is one of those 100mm F 2.8 IS L series lenses that Canon came out with about a year ago. It's perfect for everything except really HUGE cups, like the Van Dokkum Jumbo Chick Cups and Monster Cups. It's taken me about 5 years to figure out what to do.

The biggest problem is that I have set one restriction that makes things difficult. I won't put anti-glare spray or coating on any of the cups. I don't want to damage anything.

I learned from watching eBay that one of the worst things a photographer can do is to allow his reflection to be caught in the product he is photographing. Nobody wants to see a reflection of a naked, bearded, four-eyed, fat man in a set of Connie Haden cups!

In some of my early photos, you can see reflections of my harpsichord, the sofa, my shelving, etc. I wanted to get rid of that. I bought one of those Last-O-Lite light cubes, which was fine until I learned that I needed to back off from the subject to get rid of certain kinds of distortion.

So I came up with a solution that has worked well for me for about 2 years. I have a backdrop frame that holds the overhead light. The overhead illuminates mainly the backdrop and the back of the cups. I have a table with a built-in backdrop holder that is the basis for the rest of the setup. It has two rails on it. The upper one holds the translucent fabric, which is made from king size bed sheet cloth. This runs from the upper pole (where it is 4 feet wide) back to another framework that is higher and holds the front end of the fabric.

This is split in the center for the camera to peek through. The ring light is a "Ray-Flash" adapter that slides over the end of my 580EX-II flash attachment. I have modified the Ray-Flash adapter by applying two layers of Trans-Lum to it with a high tech adhesive called "Scotch Magic Tape." (What else!!!! It's translucent and replaceable!) This effectively eliminates all side and overhead reflections and all but the minimum frontal reflections.

In addition to this, I have a special gauge that is made from a piece of plastic. It has a center arrow and colored coded witness marks at 1 inch intervals. I can space a set of cups on this thing in a matter of a minute or so and keep everything in very sharp focus.

The tripod is a Bogen 3011 with a Bogen 3047 head. I found the head last year at the local camera shop for $40.00. With a few easily obtainable replacement parts, it looks and works like a brand new one. I bought the tripod for video shooting about 20 years ago! Both of these parts are built like tanks. To eliminate the final bit of vibration, I use a remote release.

I can shoot about a dozen sets of cups in a half hour with this setup and keep everything sharp and clear. I could do it more quickly, but I would need an extra cart or something to keep the cups on, and I just don't have any extra space in that room!!!!

This setup was very useful when I got Ray Goulet's collection.

Kent,
Agree about rangefinders and Leica. A very good alternative to the M9 is the Digilux 2. The D2 was made for about 2 years (2004-2006) as a digital rangefinder. It is a classic Leica with a fixed Summicron Vario (28-90 zoom). Everyone who has one loves it; many pros use it routinely. It gives that stunning, Leica look. For example: http://www.overgaard.dk/leica_digilux2.html (images about half-way down and on). It is my go-to camera, though I am not a pro. Cost is usually $650-$800. The lens also has macro across all focal lengths. It is a real bargain, but more than cost, it is a wonderful Leica rangefinder.

Gary,

I'm still trying to figure out why Keith wrote, "I disagree with Kent that Nikon is the finest camera in the world.", when I posted that another company makes the best cameras. Oh well . . .

I will look into the Digilux. Thanks for the tip!

KG

If you really want to p*ss people off, discuss religion, politics or cameras!

Or Mac vs. PC?

Amen to that, Pete. Incidentally, I hope everything works out OK for Steve Jobs. Being a big Apple fan and user, I'm reminded of his genius every time I use my Mac or Ipod. The Edison of the Age!

Mac users don't get p!ssed, just* smug.








*justifiably

I have a friend who is a Mac user. He also likes to drink beer. He drank two six-packs and smugged all over himself.

One thing PC users can do that Apple users can't is manage to not bring up the maker of their phone, mp3 player or computer in every conversation.


You are right about that Fortasse! Remember how Edison used Tesla.

:)

I love your sense of humor Bill, it gets better all the time.

For close-up shooters, it is possible to buy flash that wrap around your camera lens. Never tried this and therefore don't have a clue, it's only a suggestion for those who have money to burn.

That's called a "ring flash." Trolle mentioned this. For certain types of close-up, it's great, because it eliminates a lot of shadows. However, they won't fit on all lenses, depending on the type you get.

The good ones aren't cheap. The cheap ones can actually damage a camera. There is a brand called Opteka, that is made in the former Soviet Union, that has some really bad feedback. Seems that the high voltage circuit feeds back into the camera. This is not good.

I use one of these that is a very clever design. It's called a "Ray Flash." It slips over the end of your normal flash attachment. http://www.expoimaging.com/product-detai......odPlvpIQ

If you already have a high quality flash attachment for your camera, and it's one of the models they have made one of these for, this is the most sensible answer. Some of the reviewers at Adorama have complained about the thing either sliding off their flash unit, or being flimsy.

BULL! It has an adjustable pressure pad on the top of the unit that holds the adapter in place over the end of your flash attachment.

If you don't drop it on concrete or something like that, then it will last you a long time. I have two of them, for different setups. I've had one of them for 2 years, the other for a little over a year.

Both are still working fine.

Thanks Bill for the tip on the Ray Flash, I might go out and buy one, then I will have to figure out what to do with it.

Anybody here tried any of the Leica DSLR or point-and-shoot cameras? Wonder how they measure up against the Nikon cameras in the same categories.

Fortasse

There is a Camera West near me that carries mainly Leicas. They have got to be the most beautiful cameras in production.

Leicas need to be measured against Canon, please just forget about Nikon! (LOL)

The first "fine" camera that I used was an SLR, my late Father's Ihagee "Exakta," made in Dresden, with the famous built-in sliding knife for cutting the film inside the camera. I am not certain of the model number any more. When I decided to take up photography "seriously," I saved up for a Leica, and we found an M2R, new-in-box, at a reasonable price. I still have it, with the original 35 mm lens and a 90 mm lens I later bought. I never bought the 50 mm lens for it. Apparently only about 2,000 of these were made. It was a version of the M2 with the M4 loading mechanism originally made for the US Military.

If you are interested in the history of the Leica brand, you might be interested in this article.

Woland