andrgl

I recently ordered a full spec Dynamic Perception 3 axis rig...did a lot of research into Kessler/ Edelkrone and found the Dynamic Perception setup to be way more friendly for customising (open source) and a much better fit for my needs. I've built my own focus motor, which i can easily patch into the system (yet will have to loose 1 axis when using it - as current NMX controller only supports 3 channel). Apparently in the near future, they will allow multiple NMX boxes to be daisy chained, allowing theoretically unlimited motor channels to be controlled via app software, or when tethered to tablet/pc running the more featured Graffik software.

I've shot retail product (primarily apparel and jewelry, with various consumer and tech products) for close to 20 years, back to the film days with 4x5" Ektachrome. Done stuff for Neiman-Marcus, JCPenney, Blockbuster video, all sorts of manufacturers and wholesalers, and on and on. My thoughts:
Even if "just for the web", shoot full rez and raw. Doing minor fixes or going pure-white on the BG is easier at big sizes. In your bid, note that you'll shoot full print size and archive for future use. You never know when someone will decide to do a flyer or a print ad. With a modern 20+ MP stills cam, you can shoot for billboards.
Having shift and tilt is nice for product shooting. If this is a one-off deal, I wouldn't worry about it. I don't do as much product as I did in the past and haven't needed it - I still have a big camera stand which to me is more important, esp. in the digital days. Lighting is more important. A soft box, white reflectors, and a7" and 11"  grid head (to "raise" detail in folded soft goods or add sparkle to jewelry) is a basic starting point. If you're doing more of a still-life look or food, grids and even tungsten lights can play a bigger role in sort of a "heightened beauty" look. You really want complete control for each light, either by individual controls or with a symmetrical/asymmetrical pack or nets and ND.
(As for tilt-shift - I've built a tilt rig to use Mamiya 645 lenses on a Nikon camera... still need to get a lens and complete it...)
I'm a Nikon fan for this work, especially since Nikkors can go on all sorts of modern cameras for video, and there are decades of classic glass out there used for someone starting. You don't need AF or OIS for this stuff. I'd look at a used/refurbed D7100 - really great stills image and nice video.
I cite the 7100 since it was the first Nikon to lose the OLPF (low-pass filter). I'd say a camera without OLPF is a primary consideration; as a product and corporate people shooter, it was really a new era in fine detail. To my eyes this was a big game changer - the leap in IQ from the 7000 to the 7100 was pretty astounding to me. (I'm sure there's Canon stuff that's equally good - when Digital first gained acceptance, I delivered many shots from an Olympus P&S for no-rental-budget clients - it was the first full-manual consumer digital with a strobe connection that saved uncompressed TIFFs - six to a card! Each shot took 20 seconds to write to disc... but the IQ was badass). (This when renting a pro digital stills cam was a pricey affair).
There must be a zillion product shooting tutorials on the web - check them out, but avoid any "light-tent" style setups - you do want a sense of directionality to the light, to make things look three dimensional, vs. just-plain-flat.
Film, no photoshop:

Nikon, 50mm lens.
Silly Olympus P&S:

Thanks a lot for the advice guys. Didn't realize that stills sensors haven't really improved in leaps and bounds over the last 6 years. And yeah, I'm shooting small items in controlled light, I can maximize DN at ISO 100-200 and minimize noise.
Anyhow, if anyone is interested, I ended up being given a D7000 for free. I kept asking colleagues I know for advice and happened on someone with a bunch of bodies. I was going to go with a D5200 as it's available brand new in Canada for less than $500. Pretty sweet deal without having to worry about shutter longevity from a used buy.

Zach is spot on. You didn't say what kind of product it is (I pray it's not a car, then you're probably way over your head) but usually what really counts for product photos is the lighting, you'll probably want to shoot with manually set strobes (at least 1 + reflector but probably more). Focus on that, camera isn't really important, you'll manually focus anyway so all the technical bells & whistles are pretty much useless.
I'd shoot with the SIGMA 50-100mm on APS-C from a tripod with whatever has a nice flippy screen or you can also tether to a tablet or computer. Shoot RAW and edit in Lightroom. Done.
 

With those sigma lenses, Nikon all the way.

Why do you need a remote control for product photos?

Seems like the Nikon D5200 is the obvious choice as you've got those Sigma lenses in a Nikon F mount already. 
D5200 has the latest 24 megapixel APS-C sensor in it, making it a rather terrific stills camera to start out on. A quite good video camera too for its price (which is almost nothing these days on eBay!):
http://www.eoshd.com/2013/02/nikon-d5200-vs-canon-5d-mark-iii/
http://www.eoshd.com/2013/02/nikon-d5200-review/

I'm still using mine, as recently as yesterday on Sunday and Saturday too, covering a motorsport event. Together with my G6 and BMPCC.
 

You will find that most cameras that support raw files can be used pretty successfully for product shots with careful management of lighting and white balance - use a grey card or white balance preset to fine-tune this either during the shoot (latter) or in post (former). AF is not a particular issue with product photography in general because manual focus will be preferable in most cases. However, if the camera is remote then AF might be of assistance. Given your stills requirement and lens selection, I'd suggest a Nikon with wireless control capability and so you can use the qDslrDashboard app (http://dslrdashboard.info/introduction/).This app also works with Canon cameras. I've used qDslrDashboard successfully on a mac for taking product shots and for stills of transparencies and artwork with a D750. It provides a live screen preview which is useful for managing framing and focus and a number of controls. It is touted to work on Android mobiles as well. The nikon wireless control app can also be used but it is rather rudimentary. You can also trigger these cameras with a cheap remote trigger (e.g. Nikon ML-L3), but this is simply an infrared shutter release, which in many cases may be sufficient.  As for camera, I'd probably consider something like the D5300 as its stills image quality is good but it is relatively inexpensive if you get one second hand. If you want the Nikon flat profile for video as well, step up to the D5500. My Sigma 18-35 works fine with AF on my D5300, and I believe the Sigma USB dock can be used to upgrade the sigma ART line to work with newer cameras, but I'd do some double checking with camera and lens combinations other than the D5300/18-35.

I think the GX85 would probably be a good choice for product photos, and you would have 4K video and 5-Axis IBIS if your work ever calls for it.
On the other hand, Nikon makes great stills cameras and their video capabilities are supposed to be some of the best h.264 1080p up to 60p around, plus the Nikon's flat profile is supposed to a pleasure to grade. The sigmas should be really nice with the Nikon as well. If you're looking for autofocus just make sure you get the right model of Nikon... Some lenses won't autofocus with the D5500, so you will need the D7200.
Good luck. 

Honestly for product photos, lighting is everything. Lens choice is a close second. If I were in your shoes I'd probably lean towards Nikon - something like the D3300 is more than sufficient even as basic as it is. Combined with that Sigma glass and you should get great results. 
that being said - GX85 will more than get the job done as well, especially with that 12-35 you have. You might get more use out of this with video work too as stated by Mercer 

With the british pound crashing, should we buy cinema gear from the CVP and the UK?
I bought a 2k sony piece before the crash, damn I wish I waited!
 
what do others think?

Thanks one and all for your feedback, I will follow up on some of your tips. I think I resigned myself in the first ten minutes that I would never see all the gear again. To answer one question, yes I think there are highly organised gangs in France that know how to target people. I may have even been followed as a lone driver when driving my motorhome from Italy to Portugal through southern France. I stopped for the night at a truck stop and was robbed while I was fast asleep in the middle of the night. I kid you not, they broke into the camper through the passenger door by forcing the lock and must have had a torch. I am usually a fairly light sleeper, I did not hear a thing probably because I was exhausted from driving the day before. They got credit cards, passport and cash as well. One would not think to take precautions when "safely" locked in the van but people are becoming more devious and desperate these days, so all travelers have to be prepared "as if". I usually hide my camera bag under a storage seat but left it in my wardrobe that night. I left my wallet and passport in my shorts on the seat, they should have been taken out and hidden away. Even experienced travelers like myself for the past 20 years can get caught out by letting your guard down for a moment. Now I strap up my front doors with rubber straps, so even if they forced the locks, it would be impossible to open the doors. If I had woken up and disturbed them, who knows what might have happened if they were armed so I figure I got off lightly.

What a shame. Imo the most complete cinema package and most bang for buck one can get for raw video. Way more suited for pro work than a Pocket and also much more fun for the enthusiasts.
But, like it or not, its pretty logical. They only make one model and sooner or later they need a new one or pull out.
I actually have mine out for sale, thinking I can buy it again sometime. But now I'm gonna rethink.

Parts List:
4ft Fluorescent Shop Light, Ballast Included: On Sale $20 4 x T8 Bulb, 5000K, 98 CRI: On Sale $20 C-Stand: Used $100 Grip Head: Used $20 Baby Wall Plate: Used $5 Sandbag: Used $5 Total Cost: $170
By comparison, a 1 light Kino kit would cost around $1,100 sans Lamps or C-Stand.
 
Cons:
Ugly as **** Non-Dimmable (However: You can pop out lamps to have 4 levels of light.) No Barn Doors Heavy (10lb total = Fixture 8lb + Bulbs 2lb)

Parts List:
4ft Fluorescent Shop Light, Ballast Included: On Sale $20 4 x T8 Bulb, 5000K, 98 CRI: On Sale $20 C-Stand: Used $100 Grip Head: Used $20 Baby Wall Plate: Used $5 Sandbag: Used $5 Total Cost: $170
By comparison, a 1 light Kino kit would cost around $1,100 sans Lamps or C-Stand.
 
Cons:
Ugly as **** Non-Dimmable (However: You can pop out lamps to have 4 levels of light.) No Barn Doors Heavy (10lb total = Fixture 8lb + Bulbs 2lb)

Parts List:
4ft Fluorescent Shop Light, Ballast Included: On Sale $20 4 x T8 Bulb, 5000K, 98 CRI: On Sale $20 C-Stand: Used $100 Grip Head: Used $20 Baby Wall Plate: Used $5 Sandbag: Used $5 Total Cost: $170
By comparison, a 1 light Kino kit would cost around $1,100 sans Lamps or C-Stand.
 
Cons:
Ugly as **** Non-Dimmable (However: You can pop out lamps to have 4 levels of light.) No Barn Doors Heavy (10lb total = Fixture 8lb + Bulbs 2lb)

The Trump lens series is a perfect match for the F35, right down to the black and gold!
I wanted to get a general idea of the look from the Trump series of lenses  in a simple natural daylight setting without flaring. Realize there are a million variables, attributes, characteristics, mechanics, etc... The optical characteristics the Trump lenses are most famous for (wide open low contrast, flaring, custom bokeh) are not shown here.
Camera settings:  1DC      iso 400, roughly 180 degree shutter, standard profile, daylight wb, 4k 8bit 422 (log is my preference, but wanted to use a profile all Canon cameras have in common so it would be easier to see the lenses characteristics without a custom grade getting in the way)   
                              F35      cine ei mode, adjusted exposure slightly in Resolve, slog, sgamut, 180 degree shutter, daylight wb., 1920x1080 12bit 444 dpx, upscaled to uhd (for easier comparison to the 1dc files) keep in mind the scaling probably doesn't do the F35 any favors.
Apertures:             T3.1 very roughly for the Canon and Trump, T3.9 on the Cooke
I used latest version of Adobe media encoder to export tiffs with best settings possible.  I delogged the F35 footage in Resolve with Sony's  F35 Aces input transform with an srgb output. Captured stills and exported as tiffs from Resolve 12.
Below are low res jpegs.  Srgb Tiffs to download here :https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B6dC48Sfvqr4c3k1aVh4UkhBS2M&usp=sharing
 
 

A lot of people (on numerous websites) are bashing the 20mm Sigma.
Just nuts. Forget the pixel peeping and slight distortion. It's 20mm!
It was made for low light photography and it shines on a Sony A7S ii at 3:00 in the morning. 
Have fun with it!

Not kool-aid, more like finely aged CCD wine.

Not kool-aid, more like finely aged CCD wine.

Yep but honestly I do not shoot video with ND anymore, it is a hassle for nothing. I think you can achieve great look without the 180 rule. 
Only interest for me in ND for video is to shoot at 1.4 in daylight which I have to agree is a pain on this lens. Other than this, I happily shoot at 1/500s if I need to, with a great look out of it. Guys like Brandon Lee and so on do not use NDs either. Its a pain in travel, and something to always look after (with focus, aperture, ...) 
The lack of ND for a 1.4 lens though.... limits the lens mainly to low light use where it should perform top. 

Yes, the Sigma Art lense are amazingly good for the price. I have the 24 and 35 version but the only problem (for me) with the 20mm is the lack of filter thread.

Not kool-aid, more like finely aged CCD wine.

The AF works ok, never use AF but tested it with the 24-105.
No, there is no Sony color issue at all IMO. It looks great.
I hope they don't. Like you said, Sony has already provided us with really bad 4K so Canon can wait until they can make it good.
The Panasony 4K is not better than good HD upscaled imo. To get good 4K you need a big camera with a fan and a high bitrate. 
That's why there is no 4K bmpcc. C300ii, xc10, ls300, bmpc4k all have cooling.
Sony even overheats their smartphones when shooting 4K, deliberately. I don't think Canon is ever going to release something that's half ass.
And if you ask me, 4K is still just a little feature like 120p or an extra battery. Some cameras have it, some don't. Its a minimum of 10 years before its needed. That's how long it took for 720p to become a "standard". HD is not there yet.

Not kool-aid, more like finely aged CCD wine.

I'm facing similar situation: I've been looking at A7s II, FS5 and Ursa mini
As many of you i prefer the blackmagic's colour and disliked the sony's color science and as i doesnt want to bother with so much colorgrading (with BM its quite fast if i just make a basic colorcorrection).
I was looking for a LUT that i can just drop on the shots and look nice and right without the need to work a lot on it to get it basicly right. And i found a few really great and since than im thinking about getting the A7s II after all - especially as i found an adapter that has built in vari ND filter and smooth aperture control! that prevents a lot of headache for me - chack that out: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OI98BBO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00OI98BBO&linkCode=as2&tag=caseywilsonci-20&linkId=6W5GY5LGQSEA7W6G
And here are the A7s luts i'm talking about:
 
And some other fooatge i started to like the Sony camera (a7s):
 
What you guys think of them? Was it problem for you to get a great image quickly in post for you before as well?