Can a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 replace a DSLR for Amazon product photos?
Asked 11/17/2013
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2 answers
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I sell women’s clothing and some jewelry online and want to know if I can use a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 instead of buying a DSLR for product photography. Amazon’s image requirements are up to 10MB, 72 ppi, roughly 200x200 to 2000x2000 pixels, with accepted aspect ratios such as 1:1, 2:1, or 5:1. The Note 3 offers image sizes including 13MP (4:3) and 9.6MP (16:9). Will the phone meet Amazon’s technical requirements, and is it a good choice for producing high-quality product images for ecommerce?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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The "are you allowed" question is really up to Amazon; from the specs you've given, the answer seems to be "yes", and in fact from a pure megapixels view, by a long shot. 200×200 pixels is less than 1% of a megapixel, and you have 13 megapixels to work with.
But then you ask a perplexing question about "highest quality allowed". If by "quality" you simply mean "can this camera max out the file size allowed", the answer is again yes, because the 13mpix camera gives images of 4128×3096, which is obviously bigger than 2000×2000.
So why do I say "perplexing"? Well, it's because I'm concerned about the question you didn't ask about quality, which is whether your results will actually look good. This is kind of up to you (do you think they look good enough?), but also up your customers — do you want product photos that look like they were snapped with a phone camera, or do you want them to look really appealing?
You don't necessarily need a DSLR for this, but it'll give you a lot more options. In either case, what you'll need to really work with is the lighting.
Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1943
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—the Note 3 can meet Amazon’s basic pixel/file-size requirements. A 13MP image is far larger than 2000×2000, so you can shoot at full resolution and crop/resize as needed.
But meeting the upload specs is not the same as getting good product photos. For ecommerce, lighting, color accuracy, and perspective matter more than megapixels. A phone camera can produce usable results with enough care, but it has limitations:
- less dynamic range
- limited control over white balance and processing
- no raw workflow
- wide-angle lens can distort 3D items like jewelry
A DSLR or other advanced camera makes it easier to get accurate color, cleaner exposure, and more natural perspective, especially with a longer focal length or zoom lens. Proper lighting is essential either way; a light tent/softbox and controlled lights will matter a lot.
So: technically yes, the Note 3 can be used, especially for simple clothing shots. For consistently strong product images—particularly jewelry—a DSLR or advanced camera setup will generally be the better tool.
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