Photography experts? Item photo problem
I recently bought a new Kodak Pixpro FZ55 for item photography. I don't like using phone cameras because I often need to shoot with one hand and get close-ups of details, and I don't find phones ideal for that type of use. Many of my items have a shiny chrome finish, and I'm having problems with purple glare on the photos as shown in the attached example. My old camera (Fujifilm Finepix V10 from about 2007) never did this. I don't know much about photography, and I'm wondering if there's anything I can adjust that will eliminate this purple effect. I understand there will be a bright spot in areas where the sun reflects, but the purple blobs are a distraction from the item. Any tips from someone who knows something about cameras would be helpful.
rimtrim
OP2 years agoI took a look at the manual and settings. Unfortunately for some reason, my particular camera doesn't have the white balance menu shown in the manual. I know I'm looking in the right place because most of the other menus and settings are there, but I don't see white balance. I'm also missing a couple others such as Face Beautifier and Color Effect. Maybe they eliminated these adjustments and the manual is out of date. Anyway, I did find that if I take these photos later in the day when the sun angle is lower, I get less of the purple glow effect.
@readabouthorses The main benefits over my very old Fujifilm camera are the ones you would expect from 15+ years of tech advancement: much more storage capacity, better battery life and at least marginally better photo quality. Other than the issue I brought up in this thread, my only complaint is that the zoom control on the Kodak consists of two buttons on the back side of the camera, which I can't easily manipulate with the same hand that's holding the camera. On the Fujifilm, the zoom control was a rotary control surrounding the shutter button on top of the camera. I could easily adjust the zoom and then take the photo using the same finger, while holding the camera with one hand and the item with the other. I can't really do that with the Kodak. Also when I first powered on the new camera, the lens cover was stuck shut. I had to tap it with my finger to get it to snap open, and it's worked properly ever since.
One thing to watch out for on very cheap cameras is that some of them are using AA batteries. I was surprised to see that in 2024, but it's true. The FZ55 comes with a rechargeable battery and does not use AAs.
readabouthorses
·2 years agoThanks for the info. I think for the price that this camera will probably fit my needs.
ethylsgarage
·2 years agoI shoot all my small shiny stuff in a white nylon tent with the light coming through from the outside. Every side of the tent is a diffuser so no light sources are directly hitting the shiny surfaces. For very large stuff I use a 2'x4' overhead softbox light so it gives completely even light with no hot spots.
chapeau-noir
·2 years agoThose soft boxes are a lifesaver for people like me with lighting challenges. I have two, one on each side of my mannequin (I shoot a lot of tall things), and use just one for everything else.
rimtrim
OP2 years agoThanks to both responses. I'll go to the manual and see what options I have for white balance. I know this is a cheap consumer camera so I shouldn't set my expectations too high, but the difference from my old camera is just bugging me. Here's an example of a similar photo taken with my old Fujifilm camera. It still has the bright spots, but without the weird purple effect, so it looks more like it would appear to the naked eye. By the way, both photos were shot outdoors in sunlight.
a_c_green
·2 years agoOkay, if your old camera is still around and operating, you can compare by taking the identical shot with each camera.
I would suggest looking to see what your current White Balance setting is on both old and new cameras. It's generally a sticky setting, so once you make a selection, it should carry forward to future sessions as well. Try choosing Automatic White Balance on both cameras (it's usually the factory's default setting) for an initial shot by each one, then see what other outdoor settings are available for each: Sunny, Cloudy, etc. See how each camera performs on a particular setting.
My preference is to shoot listing photos indoors, as I have complete control over what light I'm using, and I can lock down the best settings so that listing photos will be consistent from one to the next. Also, by avoiding the Automatic setting, I can avoid skewing the color balance when trying to photograph some strongly-colored item, such as a bright red or green object.
For example, if the White Balance setting is on Automatic, the camera will go slightly bonkers trying to correct for what it thinks should be white light dominating the scene, when in fact it's looking at a red blanket or something like that. When you have the White Balance locked in for the type of light you are using, then the camera's rendition of any colors it sees will be as close to accurate as you can expect.
I should add that none of this White Balance stuff is new technology. Even an old digital camera will have a menu for fine-tuning various settings, color balance being one of them.
rimtrim
OP2 years agoThanks, I'll look into all this. Unfortunately the old camera is dead though. I stayed with that one for as long as possible, because I wasn't looking forward to going through this process of getting used to the quirks of a new one.
a_c_green
·2 years agoNo worries. Page 46 of your Kodak FZ55 manual looks to be the relevant one, on White Balance setting options:
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/2580198/Kodak-Pixpro-Fz55.html?page=47#manual
readabouthorses
·2 years agoOther than the white balance thing how do you like this camera overall? I'm in the market for a new one and it needs to be easy to use.
toysaver
·2 years agoIf you're looking to buy a new camera, I recommend never buying one that is a 'pretty color'. Go for natural metal or a neutral gray. Not always, but under certain conditions there can be difference in your images.
vintage-camerastuff
·2 years agoI like your first picture better.
trip98
·2 years agoI find when I photograph silver reflective surfaces it helps if the surface area reflects back from a white source. Use a white box or on small silver items I hand hold a white piece of paper in front of the area being reflected. Rounded areas are the hardest.
toysaver
·2 years agoWhat color is the camera? Are you using the red version? It could be bouncing off of that. I take pictures of stainless-steel silverware with a camera that is aqua colored and that color frequently shows up out of nowhere in the pictures, especially the closeups. I workaround by desaturating the color in photoshop but also just taking multiple shots from different angles. As long as you know the source check the image on the screen and see if moving the camera eliminates it.
a_c_green
·2 years agoI don't know what your lighting setup is, but I will occasionally see similar artifacts in my photos, caused by different light sources.
I usually shoot my photos indoors with incandescent lighting, and have the White Balance on my camera set to Tungsten (not Automatic) so that the incandescent light will be rendered as white, rather than the orange-y tinge that you see when comparing it to full-spectrum lighting. That generally works out fine unless there is strong sunlight coming in a nearby window. With the camera's White Balance set to Tungsten, that full-spectrum sunlight will be rendered as a kind of blue-ish light in background reflections. Might that be similar to the "purple glare" that you're seeing in your photos?
Generally my solution is to draw the curtains, or just do my photography after dark, but in some cases I kind of enjoy the effect I get of a cool blue tinge on shiny chrome. This one, for example:
chapeau-noir
·2 years agoYou can try adjusting the white balance as your 'blues' might be too strong. But TBH, I think your photo looks great and the blobs are not distracting - they're very obviously reflection.