[Big Friend Ten (BFT)]

John,

Stephen Dodd Hughes recommended the Nikkor 60mm Micro for firearms photography. Nuff said?

The 60mm Micro allows a very sharp manual focus and close ups to a few inches. Ideally I would have about a 35mm of a similar design for whole gun shots and maybe a 105mm Micro for super close-ups. The 60mm will do most of that with a lot of adjusting the set up. I own a 18-200mm but it is hard to get a sharp manual focus with it. An old style split screen viewfinder would probably help.

The studio set up is a little complicated. I am still striving to figure it out!

I use a black background/drop kit from eBay, studio softbox lights bounced off walls and ceiling, and many, many adjustments to find the correct light reflecting off the gun. Note: We never see an object, rather we see the light that is reflected off it. Add a tripod, electronic shutter release, and practice, practice, practice. I buy my camera stuff that I can't find on eBay from B&H. Check their used department.

I hope that helps,
Mark