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Pictures with D3100 LightBox Shop Lights

jewelry

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11 replies to this topic

#1
Ellenwheels

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I have had my D3100 for a few years and have never gotten the hang of it.  The only thing I"m using it for is small items, mostly jewelry, to post on Etsy.  My pictures were not very good and then this week I started messing with the settings and now the pictures are totally crap.  I cannot even use them.

 

My setup is a small light box, with a shop light on either side.  The shop lights have a yellowish tint to them (I hope to replace them at some point) .  They are quite bright yet my pictures are still not seeming bright enough.   I attached one of the photos that I have on my etsy page.  Not very good but it was at least usable.  But after messing with the settings I cannot even get it to look like that.  

 

 

Can anyone suggest some steps I should take or settings I should try?  I went through the manual when I first got it but it's like 3000 pages.  I'm just so frustrated.  

 

Thanks.  

 

ETinLV 

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#2
ScottinPollock

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Hard to know what's wrong without knowing you're settings, but here is a good starting point for lightboxes...

1.) Mount camera on tripod.

2.) Set mode to 'A', then adjust aperture to F8.

3.) Make sure 'Auto ISO' is off, set ISO from 100 to 400. If any if these result in long shutter speeds, be sure to turn Noise Reduction on.

4.) If one of the preset white balance settings (try incandescent first) doesn't get you accurate whites, use the PREset manual setting to measure your white background.

5.) If your lens has VR, turn it off.

6.) Use AF-S focus mode with single point area.

#3
Ron

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Your lighting seems very harsh. And, from the hot spot I see it looks as though you're not using anything to soften the light. The shop lights you're using are probably halogen which would account for the yellow tint. If this is the case, I guess I would start by changing the bulbs to compact fluorescent and see if that helped. I would also move my lights to the side ... between 35 and 45° off the axis of your lens. You can use inexpensive shop reflectors for this and the opening can be covered with translucent material which will soften the light. 

 

Of course, your best bet would be to purchase a speedlight or two and use them off camera. That's what I do for my orchid photos and it works pretty well. I have my flashes set to shoot through white translucent umbrellas. Of course my camera is tripod mounted.

 

--Ron

 

DSC_4253.jpg



#4
Ellenwheels

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I have the 2 shop lights on the sides but because it's too dark I also use a smaller light directly on the item which is where that hot spot comes from.  It shows up more on this piece because it's got a resin dome on it instead of flat resin.  

 

My camera is tripod mounted and I use the timer so there is no shake from my hand.  The ISO is set at 100 anything higher is very light.  

 

I don't know what a speed light is, can you explain or send a link to one?  I can't change the bulbs in these lights.  What wattage and type a bulb would the compact flourescent be?  I've read that daylight bulbs are best, also don't know what wattage.  

 

Sorry I'm really clueless here. What's a shop reflector?  Is that the silver cones with the bulb in them? 

 

I also don't know what the ' PREset manual setting to measure your white background' is.  And also not familiar with AF-S focus mode.  I worked through the manual when I first bought it but it's been years.  I'm very close to throwing the whole thing out and using my phone or Point and Shoot.  



#5
ScottinPollock

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I also don't know what the ' PREset manual setting to measure your white background' is. And also not familiar with AF-S focus mode. I worked through the manual when I first bought it but it's been years. I'm very close to throwing the whole thing out and using my phone or Point and Shoot.

Well... maybe it's time to revisit the manual again as these are terms you should be familiar with. My guidelines above should get you in the ballpark, but since I don't have your specific camera, I can't tell you every button you need to push (nor should I have to). The settings for everything mentioned are in the manual. Download the PDF and do a search if you can't locate it in the printed one.

And again, without telling us your current settings, you're forcing all of us here to guess at the issue.

#6
Ellenwheels

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Of course you don't have to tell me every button to push.  You don't have to help at all but I appreciate what you've given so far and I will play with it.  

 

My settings are F14, ISO 100 1/13 speed White Balance is on Auto (which I read today is where it should be).  



#7
Ellenwheels

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Your lighting seems very harsh. And, from the hot spot I see it looks as though you're not using anything to soften the light. The shop lights you're using are probably halogen which would account for the yellow tint. If this is the case, I guess I would start by changing the bulbs to compact fluorescent and see if that helped. I would also move my lights to the side ... between 35 and 45° off the axis of your lens. You can use inexpensive shop reflectors for this and the opening can be covered with translucent material which will soften the light. 
 
Of course, your best bet would be to purchase a speedlight or two and use them off camera. That's what I do for my orchid photos and it works pretty well. I have my flashes set to shoot through white translucent umbrellas. Of course my camera is tripod mounted.
 
--Ron
 

attachicon.gifDSC_4253.jpg


Ron,

I think I will buy some of those clamp-on reflectors and the compact fluorescent bulbs. What wattage would you recommend that would be bright enough going through the light box?

#8
Ron

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Ron,

I think I will buy some of those clamp-on reflectors and the compact fluorescent bulbs. What wattage would you recommend that would be bright enough going through the light box?

 

I think that 100w equivalent (about 25w actual) would be the minimum I would use. In fact, in my search for a good system for photographing orchids at society meetings and events, I tried a number of different fluorescent combinations, including clamp on reflectors, before settling on speedlights. BTW.. I know that term (speedlights) can be confusing to people. It's simply an old fashioned shoe mounted flash like we used to use before the advent of pop up on camera flashes. Anyway, because I most often use black backgrounds which suck up light like you wouldn't believe, I had to give up using fluorescent bulbs entirely. They just weren't powerful enough. On a light background, however, they should be more than adequate.

 

I can't find the actual pieces I cobbled together to make my lighting setup but it was similar to this one.

 

https://www.bhphotov..._Light_Kit.html

 

As you can see, this kit does not include a softbox but it does have a speedring that allows you to add a softbox or other light modifier. I eventually added a four lamp head to this as well as a softbox but it was still insufficient but the type of work I was trying to do.

 

For your work, I would think that a single bulb and a simple shoot through white umbrella would suffice as long as you're shooting against a white or light colored background.

 

Also, for the type of work you do, you might want to consider using a light tent or table such as this one.... which is specially made for photographing small objects.

 

https://www.bhphotov...udio_Table.html

 

I hope this helps a little... feel free to ask about anything you have questions about.

 

--Ron



#9
Ellenwheels

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Thanks Ron,  I found a pair of LED lamps on Amazon that I bought.  Excellent reviews, especially one from an Etsy seller who  sells bracelets.   I checked out her shop and her shots were good.  

I do use a small light box.  I watched the video on how to set the White Balance and as soon as the lights come in, I'm on it.  

 

I appreciate all the help!


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#10
Ellenwheels

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Thanks Ron,  I found a pair of LED lamps on Amazon that I bought.  Excellent reviews, especially one from an Etsy seller who  sells bracelets.   I checked out her shop and her shots were good.  

I do use a small light box.  I watched the video on how to set the White Balance and as soon as the lights come in, I'm on it.  

 

I appreciate all the help

 

For the LED lights, I tried to measure my white balance but the background is still looking kind of grey.  If I wanted to use one of the other white balance choices,what would it be?  There is flourescent and incandescent but nothing for LED? 



#11
Merco_61

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If the background isn't off in colour, you have set the correct white balance. You might have to get more light on the background, though. One thing to remember is that the camera meter gets tricked by very dark or very light backgrounds as it will try to even things out to a uniform grey. With a white background, add exposure compensation, with a black one, subtract e.c.

 

The reason there is no preset for LED is that they vary much more in colour temperature than earlier household or studio lights did.


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#12
Ron

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What Peter said!

 

In your case, I think the best thing to do is to simply take a few test shots with different exposure compensation levels and then select the one that pleases you the most. Of course you'll need to keep notes so that you'll be able to reproduce your results. As Peter said, as a general rule of thumb, for a light or white background you should increase exposure compensation.

 

--Ron