What else should I have in my armour?

[omar]

I have a Canon 60D.
I've got the standard 18mm - 55mm lens (I think that's what it is).
I've got a 50mm F1.8 lens.
I've got a 100mm IS Macro lens.
I've got a Manfrotto 055XPROB and 701H head
I've just bought a fairly big back pack for camcorders on eBay
I've got 16GB and 32GB SD cards
I've got a spare battery

What else do I need to invest in?

OK... so maybe I should say what my plans are:

- macro photography of jewellery - mostly rings
- model photography outside
- model photography inside (so need advice for buying a lighting kit)
- video outside
- video inside - white background or black background - doing product reviews and talking to the camera

- would like to consider wedding photography - but this isn't necessarily in immediate plans

Thanks


Omar

 

[Satya]

If I was shooting close-ups for a living, I would look at 'Macro Photo MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Manual Focus Lens for EOS'. Manual focus with still subjects is not that difficult when using with a camera that has flip-out screen.

I have not used this lens but have seen amazing results from others who use it. It is important to try out and judge yourself if it suits your needs. It won't suit video needs and you'll need to switch lenses if you're doing macro shots and video back and forth.

If your 100mm macro does everything you need, then this is redundant.

Satya

 

[bycostello]

trsaining (i don't mean that as any slight, we all need better skills not kit)

 

[crasher8]

Focusing rail and macro ring right.

 

[traveller]

Surely, if you can't answer that question yourself, the answer is "nothing"!

 

[agierke]

how much money do you have to spend? i could drop $30,000 of your money based on the info you provided.

studio work is a very expansive proposition in terms of gear acquisition. off the top of my head....

4-5 studio strobes
radio transmitters/receivers
various light modifiers (boxes, strips, umbrellas, grids) + flags, scrims, and bounces
various light stands + grips
various backgrounds
shooting table
laptop or desktop for shooting tethered
a 2nd camera
replacement for the 18-55mm
2 or 3 speedlights

specific lighting setups require certain gear. being as open ended as you were in your first post doesnt narrow it down enough to suggest anything specific.

 

[Vossie]

If I was shooting close-ups for a living, I would look at 'Macro Photo MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Manual Focus Lens for EOS'. Manual focus with still subjects is not that difficult when using with a camera that has flip-out screen.

For photographing jewelry > life size is surely overkill. A ring is easily bigger than the sensor of a 60D.

A light setup will help you most I think. You can buy a ring filter, or for the same price (as canon right filter) you can get 2 430's and a flashcord. I think that 2 regular flashed will give you more flexibility as you can use them both for macro work (create a DIY softbox/mini studio) as well as for your model work (in- and outside). For inside model work dedicated studio flashes will certainly give you more power, but those will be more expensive and less portable (at least not easy for outdoor work) and overkill for macrowork.

 

[RGF]

If I was shooting close-ups for a living, I would look at 'Macro Photo MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Manual Focus Lens for EOS'. Manual focus with still subjects is not that difficult when using with a camera that has flip-out screen.

I have not used this lens but have seen amazing results from others who use it. It is important to try out and judge yourself if it suits your needs. It won't suit video needs and you'll need to switch lenses if you're doing macro shots and video back and forth.

If your 100mm macro does everything you need, then this is redundant.

Satya

Mp-e 65 is for extreme macro, greater than life size. Unless you need fine details on jewelry not helpful

 

[omar]

thanks for the replies guys
i'm now super confused!

what's a ring filter?
can u give ma link somewhere?
what does it do?

>> Focusing rail and macro ring right.
can u give me some examples?

training: i'm booked on a model photography course week after next
i've watched loooads of utube videos - it's amazing how many there are - but i need hands on practice

$30,000???
u could say that about anything!
say i wanted to make a film - u could say my budget should be $1m
lol

 

[RLPhoto]

Strobes or Speedlites.

 

[Dantana]

trsaining (i don't mean that as any slight, we all need better skills not kit)

I would echo this. It's great you've signed up for a model course. I would look around for courses that cover your other interests.

You are likely to figure out much of what you need by getting some hands on experience in a good class.

I would also say that at least on the video side of things, don't brush off the idea of renting gear. That could be true for everything from the start, until you find the things that you really need to have in your kit for the majority of your work.