Quote Originally Posted by Vector Prime
Well you need to do something about the lighting then mate (with your fancy lightbox and all, you need to fully exploit it's full capabilities).
I'll get around to it

As for camera settings, do you shoot with a consistent focal length, or vary?

I found that with the standard kit lens, image sharpness and quality varies greatly depending on what focal length (and subsequent aperture/shutter setting) is used (more info here).
I keep it around 50-55mm. I read the linked article, pretty interesting though the range of lens made my wallet cry