Once your e-commerce department has decided that 360 or 3D spin photography will be beneficial to your online retail site and they want to create these spins in-house, you will need to put together your studio.

The main component to the spin studio puzzle is an automated system that will allow fast, efficient, and repeatable spinsets, or groups of images for one product.  The FotoRobot system is the industry leader in spinset creation, but it is only one piece.  The FotoRobot system can rotate your product, move the camera up and over, trigger the studio strobe lights, and transfer the images to the computer, all while being controlled by a simple to use piece of software.  But, it doesn’t come with lights, the camera, or the computer.

If you already have a functioning in-house studio, this is no big deal as you will probably already have everything you will need. The FotoRobot system works with most lighting, camera, or computer systems.  We’ll give you a quick overview of what other photo equipment will be necessary to get you up and running.

The lighting for 360 spin photography should be bright and even so that the product details can be seen from all angles as it moves.  This is accomplished with a standard five light setup.  This would normally consist of two strobe lights with medium softboxes (light diffusers) at the front, one large softbox over the top, and two smaller softboxes pointed at the background to light it evenly.  Monolights are preferred over pack and head combinations as they are individually adjustable.

Most cameras will work with the FotoRobot system, but Canons will integrate with the software and offer the most flexibility.  A good quality consumer camera is more than adequate for this type of photography, but you may want to go to a professional model if there are plans to use any of the spinset images for print.  A standard zoom lens is recommended so that you can zoom in or out depending on the size of your product.  This is definitely a time saver.

As for the computer, I always tell customers to buy the fastest machine they can afford.  Mac or PC, it doesn’t matter as long as it has a fast processor and a lot of RAM.  Creating and managing thousands of images can be taxing.  Sitting around waiting for your computer will cancel out all the time you saved by investing in an automated photography system.  A large color correct monitor is important as well.

Hopefully, this has given you the basic idea of what equipment will be needed to create your own 360 & 3D spin photography studio, but the most economical way to produce compelling 360-degree imagery is to ship your products to us. Learn more and a get a free spin image here.