Product

Tripod-mounted, low ISO, deliberate shutter. Same exposure across the entire shoot.

• Mode
  Manual — full control, frame-to-frame consistency
• ISO
  100 (base) — non-negotiable

  Any noise is visible at 100% in product photos. Customers do zoom.

• Aperture
  f/8–f/11 (sharpness sweet spot)

  Beyond f/11 diffraction softens. Below f/8 may not cover full product depth.

• Shutter speed
  Whatever your light demands — typically 1/60 to 1s on tripod

  If using strobes, shutter must be at sync speed (typically 1/200) or below.

• Exposure compensation
  0 — set manually based on light meter or histogram

  Once dialed in, do not change for the rest of the shoot.

Custom WB from a gray card is mandatory. This is the single biggest separator between amateur and professional product work.

• Method
  Custom WB from an X-Rite ColorChecker or 18% gray card

  Place the card under the actual light, take a reference shot, set custom WB.

• Why not preset
  Strobes drift. LEDs drift. Daylight drifts hourly.

  Even pro strobes have ±100K variance frame-to-frame. Custom WB is the only way.

• Reference shot
  First frame of every shoot: ColorChecker in the scene

  Even if you set custom WB, the reference shot lets you fix it perfectly in post.

• Drift between products
  Re-shoot reference every 30 minutes

  Bulb temperature drifts as it heats. Tungsten drifts as it ages.

• Mixed light
  Eliminate one source — don't try to balance two

  Either pure flash, or pure daylight, or pure continuous LED. Mixing = unfixable.

AF-S, single point, often overridden by manual focus with focus magnification. Static subject = deliberate focus.

• Mode
  AF-S (single shot)

  AF-C will hunt. AF-S locks once and stays.

• Area
  Single point (smallest)

  Place exactly on the most important detail — usually the front edge / logo.

• Manual focus + magnify
  10× live view zoom on hero detail

  For macro and tight product, AF can land 1mm off — manual is more reliable.

• Focus stacking
  Mandatory for macro and most fine product

  Even f/16 won't get full sharpness on a 50mm lens at 30cm distance.

• Tethered preview
  Connect to laptop via USB — focus check on big screen

  What looks sharp on the rear LCD often isn't on a 27" monitor.

Spot meter on the product itself or use a handheld incident meter for strobe work.

• Mode
  Spot — on the midtone area of the product

  Evaluative averages product against backdrop and gets neither right.

• Handheld incident meter
  Best for strobe — meter at the product, point at light source

  Standard for studio work. Measures incident light, not reflected.

• Glossy / reflective product
  Spot meter on a matte adjacent area

  Specular highlights blow first — protect them.

• Histogram check
  Highlights at 90%, shadows at 5%

  Avoid clipping either side. ETTR works here only if highlights are matte.

Single shot, mirror up if available, RAW always, tethered if possible.

• Drive mode
  Single + 2-second self-timer (or remote / tether trigger)

  Eliminates camera-shake from press, even on tripod.

• Mirror lock-up / EFCS
  On

  DSLR mirror slap can soften 1/30–1/4 exposures even on a tripod.

• File format
  RAW (uncompressed if available, lossless compressed otherwise)

  JPEG bakes sharpening, color, and compression artifacts that ruin product detail.

• Tethered shooting
  Strongly recommended — laptop preview during shoot

  Catches focus, exposure, dust, and reflection issues before you tear down the set.

• Color space
  Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB (RAW = no real color space until export)

  Wider gamut for product = richer color reproduction at print stage.

Tripod always. IS off. Cable/timer release.

• Tripod
  Always — bench-stable, weight-loaded if windy
• IS / IBIS
  Off

  Same tripod rule — IS hunts when it shouldn't.

• Center column
  Down — and weighted from the hook if available

  Stability is everything. A loose tripod ruins focus stacks.

• Tether / remote release
  Mandatory — never press the shutter directly

  Even at 1/60, hand contact during press can soften.

Flat profile. The least amount of in-camera processing. All looks created in post.

• Profile
  Neutral or Flat (lowest contrast / saturation available)

  Bake nothing. RAW is your real file.

• Saturation
  0

  Boost in post only after color correction is locked.

• Sharpness
  Lowest

  Sharpening at capture multiplies any softness or noise. Always handle in post.

• Contrast
  0

  Flat curve preserves shadow detail you'll need for white-bg cleanup.

• Color profile (post)
  Adobe RGB working space

  sRGB for web export only — wider gamut during edit.