Gear required for 360 degree product photography
Hi all, I am a newbie learning photography basics. I plan to get into 360 degree product shoots and 360 degree panorama for businesses. I need suggestions regarding the basic but scalable gear required to start off. My budgets are tight, so suggest things which I can't live without in this segment of photography. By gear I mean DSLR, lenses, flashes, lights, turntables, tripod and all that you think would be required. Please also provide me an idea about approximate price range of each product. If you can also suggest the pricing method used in this segment with approximate figures.
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We do quite high volume 360 product photography. There are a lot of solutions available however these are quite expensive. What we did was purchase a manual lazy susan (this one from Ikea: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90074483/) - i am sure you can find similar lazy susans in India. We then fixed a white acrylic top to it and marked of 36 (or whatever number you feel necessary) evenly spaced marks around the side of the white acrylic top (you can also use sticky backed measuring tape).
You will require a tripod and also a camera that you can set a fixed focal point (this is important as you will want to use the same focal point for every image). I would suggest a Canon DSLR (EOS 1100D is the most bang for your buck).
Last you will probably need image editing software. We used to use Photoshop however about 2 months ago we purchased a 360 product photography software from a company called Iconasys (http://iconasys.com/shutter-stream-product-photography-applications/shutter-stream-software-for-360-product-photography/) and have been using this. The software allows us to capture images that are instantly uploaded to the program, set a consistent focal point, retain an exact crop marker from shot to shot and batch edit a set of images in one click. Its really helped with our workflow speed - we went from about an hour to create a 360 set of images to 6 minutes.
Last, you will require an 360 image stitching software. Take a look at http://www.yofla.com/3d-rotate/ OR some of these results:
http://codecanyon.net/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&term=360+product
1. Go with an entry level DSLR ($350 USD) - Canon 1100D with 18-55mm lens - this should be verstaile enough for shooting a lot of different types of objects.
2. Tripod ($20USD)- Any basic tripod will do
3. Lighting ($200 USD) - look at flourcent - its going to be a lot easier to work with consistent vs. strobe lighting
4. Turntable ($10)- Google Lazy Susan - we actually use this lazy susan from IKEA (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90074483/) - note, you will want to cover the top with white paper or a white plastic round. and make a small mark where the center is. Last, use an adhesive measring tape that you can stick around the side - this is to ensure consistent positioning from shot to shot
5. Software ($300) - We have recently started using Shutter Stream 360 Product Photography Software. Its helped us really cut down on our process time -from about an hour per product to about 5-6 minutes. It allows us to set camera settings, set a consistent focal point, capture pre-cropped images that are instantly uploaded to the program and batch edit the set of images (amongst some other pretty cool features)... I think there is a free trial version for download on their site too. THe other option is simply an image editing software. Photoshop is a great program however can be a little timely when editing multiple images.
6. Computer - pricing varies, I would imagine you already have one....
7. 360 Image Stitching Software ($50 USD)- Check out YoFla - there is other alternatives (google 360 product view software) however I have found this to be a great product.
Hope this helps!
Hi 360! The post was automatically placed in the moderation queue until we approved it a little while ago. Posts from new users containing links are held back until they are released by a moderator or admin. Should be visible now. Sorry about the delay.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
They certainly ship overseas, because I've bought direct from them (albeit via ebay)
Whilst you'll no doubt be able to buy other items - as indicated - having the basic frame 'guts' - can be useful at times
pp
http://www.triangleoshkosh.com/eng/products/lazy-susan-bearings/lazy-susan-bearings
edit
Another possibility might be a record turntable ... possibly found in a junk shop, having been discarded because the owner has 'upgraded' to CD / mp3 etc. If such an item was found, it would offer the possibility of a motorised Turntable - especially if the original used a speed control system that allowed for speeds - other than the designed ones - to be used
Flickr
Ok, no worries!
This is fascinating. I had no idea there was such a specialty. I am having difficulty imagining what a 360 degree photo would look like in two dimensions. Do you have a portfolio site that you are willing to share that shows some of your work? I am, quite simply, curious.
To view panoramic images you typically use an "immersive" viewer on your computer, or you use a special web site designed for panoramic viewing. Instead of seeing all of the image at once, an immersive viewer allows the viewer to pan and zoom images, a portion at a time.
To see some old attempts of mine, and relatively low resolution copies at that, you can look here:
http://www.clevr.com/user/ziggy53
I rather like this one:
http://www.clevr.com/pano/3761
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Very cool, ah "clev(e)r", pardon the pun :-). I guess I have seen similar pictures, I think on hotel websites that feature, perhaps, a 360 degree view of a lobby or restaurant; I just never had thought about how they were created or what they might be called. Thank you for sharing! I like the bandshell, too.
Hi Deborah, yes. there is quite good demand too! Please see 360 example photography here spinphotonyc.com/samples.html