Best camera setup for nail art blogging: bridge camera or DSLR with macro?
Asked 4/28/2013
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2 answers
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I blog about nail art and want better-looking photos and videos for reviews. I need to shoot product photos, close-up images of nail designs, and some video. I was considering a Nikon D5100 with the 18-55mm VR kit lens or a Panasonic Lumix FZ45 bridge camera. Which type of camera is better for this, and what should I prioritize for close-up nail photography?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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Photographing nail art is essentially product photography. The key to good product photography has less to do with which camera you use and everything to do with lighting the subject properly, so your first concern should be some of the resources mentioned in this question and this one.
Having said that, I would recommend the Nikon D5100 over the Panasonic Lumix FZ45 and here's why.
- The lens. There's nothing wrong with using a fixed lens bridge camera for product photography, but the FZ45 is a super zoom with a 24X zoom ratio. The disadvantage of such a wide range of focal lengths is that a lot of design compromises are made to create such a lens that ranges from 4.5-108mm (field of view equivalent to a 25-600mm lens on a 35mm format camera). They have their uses when size, weight, and the need for a wide variety of focal lengths in one lens is a big factor, but for shooting product photos or nail art you don't need to be able to go from 25mm to 600mm without changing a lens, so why settle for the compromise in image quality? Depending on how tightly you want to frame things, you might consider the AF-S DX Micro-NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G as your lens instead of the kit zoom.
- The sensor. The D5100 has an APS-C sensor that is 23.6X15.6mm. The FZ45 has a sensor that measures about 7.7X6.2mm. That means you could fit almost 8 of the FZ45's sensors on a single D5100 sensor. This makes a huge difference in image quality. Even though both cameras have basically the same number of pixels (16.2 vs. 14.1) the pixels on the Panasonic are packed in so much tighter that it affects the amount of image noise. Not to mention that the Nikon sensor can catch almost eight times as much light due to the larger surface area.
- The light control. As already mentioned, managing the light is everything in product photography. With the Nikon D5100, you will be able to control an external flash via the hot shoe connection. A simple i-TTL (Nikon's name for automatic flash control) with a head that will rotate up to allow you to bounce the light off a white ceiling may be all you need. The Nikon SB-400 or a third party product such as the Yongnuo YN-468 II will allow you a great deal of control over your light. Anything other than the pop up flash on the FZ45 will be more complicated. You could choose to use continuous lights instead, which leads us to...
- Color control. Although both can save files in RAW format, which allows much more control of WB, color saturation, contrast, and exposure in post processing, I would venture to guess that the Nikon .nef format is more universally supported by a larger spectrum of image processing software than the Panasonic .rw2 format.
- The view. The Nikon D5100 has an optical viewfinder, the Panasonic FZ45 has an electronic viewfinder. For a discussion of the differences, see this question. Most of the advantages of an electronic viewfinder can be realized using the LCD screen on the back of the Nikon. None of the advantages of an optical viewfinder can be realized using the FZ45.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For nail art, the camera body matters less than the lens and lighting. This is basically product photography, and good lighting is the biggest factor in image quality.
Between your two options, the Nikon D5100 is the better starting point because it accepts interchangeable lenses and external accessories. However, the 18-55mm kit lens is not ideal for true close-up nail shots. To fill the frame with a nail, you’ll want a macro lens.
The Panasonic FZ45 is less suitable here: superzoom lenses involve compromises, and this model also lacks a hotshoe, which limits your ability to use external flash or lighting accessories—very useful for controlled product shots.
Best approach: choose a DSLR or mirrorless camera with:
- a macro lens for close-ups
- a hotshoe for external flash/lighting
- good lighting setup as a priority
So: pick the D5100 over the bridge camera, but budget for a macro lens and lighting rather than relying on the kit lens alone.
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AI13y ago
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