There are some fantastic guides out there when it comes to buying a professional camera, but we believe there are some basic features to consider as a priority. Once you’ve explored these features, then you can begin to delve deeper into the functions, features and benefits of your shortlisted professional product photography cameras.

Ease of use

The world of product photography is all about getting the results your clients want, in an efficient and timely way. When you start to use complicated equipment such as a complex professional camera then you are wasting time that is better spent creating those perfect product photographs.

When you’re on set as a packshot photographer you don’t want to be learning new features or having to remember the correct combination of settings to get a particular result. You want to maximise performance, with minimum effort and this all goes back to the idea of efficiency and effectiveness.

Versatility

In the world of product photography, you often have to work with a wide range of clients and on a variety of product types. This means that any equipment you buy needs to be as versatile as possible whilst delivering the features and functions you need for your area of work.

You don’t need to go for the biggest, all singing, all dancing professional camera on the market that is twice your budget. However, it can be a really useful addition if you go for a camera that has some of those extra features that don’t often get used but are perfect for when a client suddenly decides they want a specific shot taken or video recorded.

Dependability

With advances in technology comes more and more features and functions to complicate a professional camera. However, none of this will matter if the camera fails and you cannot rely on it to deliver the results you need. As a packshot photographer, the last thing you want is for it to fail partway through a shoot for a client.

We’ve all been there with the latest bit of kit, it is capturing unbelievable results or making the process more efficient but can’t compare to an older camera when it comes to reliability. It can be tough to work out which brands or models are better than others but the primary way to check is to read reviews from industry sources and real-world customers. If you know others who work in product photography or have a partnership with a packshot photographer then sharing knowledge is a fantastic way to find dependable cameras that will do the job.

Summary

We’ve looked at buying a professional camera from a fundamental point of view that doesn’t talk about specific features but what will really make a difference to you as a professional product photographer. Whilst we appreciate that this is a highly subjective process with each photographer placing different levels of importance on each feature, if you focus on these three criteria first then you will set the right foundations.