• Stop being a LURKER - join our dealer community and get involved. Sign up and start a conversation.

Best Camera for Online Photos

Any SLR camera might have issues getting down to the 640x480 pixel size most sites require. I wouldn't want to lug a SLR around myself (and I have carried 40lbs of Canon 1D bodies with the big white lenses around Antarctica, so one body and a small lens is nothing) jumping in and out of cars. We use whatever the just-under $200 Canon Point and Shoot with Image Stabilization there is. I just want a Macro feature, a built-in flash, and up to 400 ISO and I need nothing more for shooting cars around the dealership.

At 640x480 there is not enough of a difference in the image quality to justify a Digital SLR on a dealership lot.

When I'm out shooting stuff like this: Axspot Photography - Images of Alex Snyder then I thumb my nose at a point and shoot (I posted that link of my photography site just to show that I know what I'm talking about on this topic).

This is where you buy your camera: B&H Photo Video | Digital Cameras, Camcorders

P.S. Yes, when it comes to photography, I'm a cocky bastard :lol:

:iagree:

You are not going to get any better advise than from Alex. He sorta knows what he's talking about with cameras and photography. :)
 
Since were not trying to re-invent the wheel.....or are we?? I use an ancient Canon "PowerShot" A70, and it works just fine in 640x480 display, if you get bigger, better quality photo's the customer may not/or want not to be able to view the rig and if you average 25 pic's per rig, the file size can hamper one's viewing panel, and if I forget to use the automatic feature and blow out my pixel size, well, I just adore Irfan View's free download resizing tool...way easy to do, and quick too!
 
We have an in store picture taking graphic artist who handles photos, descriptions and does the graphics for our sites. He uses a Nikon D60. We hired an outside photographer to come in and spend a day with a few employees working on some technique specific to taking good car shots. Inexpensive investment and made a big impact, also she is a customer so we were able to give back a little as well as strengthen that relationship.
 
Does anyone have a free, quick, easy to use program I can use to watermark our photos with our Logo?

Usually the company you use for inventory management to send data to all of your 3rd party classifieds offers that feature, you might ask them about it. (like to your website, AutoTrader, Cars.com, etc)

I've also heard of people using FastStone to do it if you have to do it manually.

FastStone Photo Resizer - Powerful Image Converter/Resizer
 
A very simple lesson: The sun is the biggest problem in outdoor photography. Overcast days are the best! If you remain conscious of where the sun is showing on your subject, you'll find a way to take a better outdoor photograph.

We have found that pointing the car into the sun will solve most of the sun issues. Many Dealers are now asking to have the photos taken in 1 spot, usually against a wall. I try and show them that you will get better photos if we are not restricted to 1 spot. The best outdoor photos are when the lot is big enough to position the car relative to the sun.
 
I agree! Nice shots Alex.

How do most participants here get their used images? We have highly trained lot tech's taking them... (JK) I think scanned Polaroids would increase our image quality.

Do you pay a 3rd party or internal staff?

I usually hire kids right out college...I know I won't have them forever but I find they are easy to teach and do a good job. I really don't think you need to hire a vendor who charges $15 per car. You can do it yourself better and cheaper.
 
We have a small dealership in MA I do the photos for all the cars. We found the best way to get around overexposed cars or sun flare or any of those issues is to shoot inside. This will require some extra lighting some times but we come up with great results.

We use a Canon 5D MkII with a Canon 580EX II speedlight flash, two 1000W studio lights and some times a secondary Canon 430EX flash remote triggered. It sounds like a lot but if you have the people who know how to do it the results can be great. Also you can get buy with a much more inexpensive camera. We are in the process of revamping our lighting situation (lighting is everything) so we can do video in the studio too, which is most of the reason we got the 5D so we can use it for video too.

Me and my co-worker are both photography nerds so we went a little overboard with the equipment we have, but really the key is having the lighting be on your terms not dependent on the sun or the weather. you could get the same results we have with just a Canon Rebel and two of the lower end Speedlight flashes as long as your indoors and can control the light the way you want it.