good camera for taking photos of jewelry

<p>HI, what camera would you recommend for taking photos of jewelry?<br>

also has anyone tried a table top jewelry studio like from mystudio, or jewelry tent or something similar?<br>

thank you.</p>

<p>It kinda depends on what you're going to do with these photos. How are you going to print or display them? Are they for catalogs, printed or online?</p>

<p>Many many cameras can do this well, some Point and Shoot cameras are good choices if really high resolution isn't needed, because their small sensors make for very wide depth of field, which is helpful for photographing tiny things.</p>

<p>im going to use them online, i also want a camera that would work well with my studio ms20j i found on amazon</p>

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<p>I think the BEST choice would be a modern DSLR or mirrorless with a macro lens. I've used Nikon and Olympus most recently, and I think one of the Olympus PEN cameras (any will work for this) and their macro lens would work terrific.</p>

<p>I've done something similar with Nikon and their 55mm and 60mm micro lenses.</p>

<p>Whatever you buy is NOT going to come with the proper lens to really take those very close photos. But all the interchangeable lens camera lines do have macro lenses available. You don't need the more expensive of those lenses either.</p>

<p>For instance, in the Nikon world, you could get by with any of their entry level cameras and their 40mm macro lens (which is not very expensive). Canon has something similar.</p>

<p>Any of the systems available from any of the makers have something similar.</p>

<p>so which lens would be a good choice for really close up photos?</p>

<p>Any macro (or in Nikon's case "micro") is good for this. Ideally you probably want one that goes all the way to 1:1 (that is virtually all of them made in the past 10 or 20 years). You have to buy the one that works with the camera you get, so choose that first.</p>

<p>Longer lengths (like 100mm +) are easier to deal with because you have more working space, but for something that isn't moving, like jewelry, shorter lengths (60mm or under) work just fine.</p>

<p>Before you buy any gear, buy and read "Light - Science & Magic" but Hunter, Fuqua, et al. It will teach you how to take pictures of shiny objects and make them look real and right.<br>

<Chas><br /><br /></p>

<p>do you think the d3200 from nikon would work for me?<br>

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-D3200-Digital-SLR-DSLR-Camera-3-Lens-18-55mm-24GB-KIT-More-Brand-New/171382993575?pt=Digital_Cameras&hash=item27e738f2a7</p>

<p>Larry, that camera would work, but the kit lens won't get close enough, and those "add on" lenses are a poor substitute for a true macro. They often result in a poor image, and macros do not.</p>

<p>If you're going to be displaying the photos online, then I would recommend a point and shoot over a DSLR.</p>

<p>so what lens would work good with the d3200?</p>

<p>Rob, why a point and shoot over a DSLR?</p>

<p>The 40mm micro from Nikon would be good with that camera.</p>

<p>As I mentioned earlier, a P&S is often a pretty good choice because of its very wide depth of field (due to the small sensor), as long as it has good close-up capability. I don't know which ones do and which don't anymore.</p>

<p>Because it will be easier and less expensive to get going with a point and shoot and the combination of sensor and lens will give you the depth of field you're likely to need.</p>

<p>can you pls exp'lain to me why thos lenses arent good?</p>

<p>[[can you pls exp'lain to me why thos lenses arent good?]]</p>

<p>They are of poor optical quality. </p>

<p>OK i looking to spend anywhere about 500 or less what do you think is the best for me to get?</p>

<p>There's a GREAT article here for you.</p>

<p>http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/tips-solutions/art-craft-point-and-shoot-macrophotography</p>

<p>You can find something in that budget in a P&S that can work very well.</p>

<p>In a DSLR, you will find the camera body, but not the lens you need to make it really work, so... you might want to stick with the Point and Shoot.</p>

<p>so the point and shoot you cant change its lens?</p>

<p>Correct, but they have close-up capability, some of them, which means one may indeed come with everything you need.</p>

<p>Larry,<br />I'd just like to interject that you make certain you don't fall for the common "marketing" use of Macro when discussing the camera lens.<br />Many manufacturers will use the term "Macro" just because their product is supposedly "capable of close focus."<br />A true Macro lens will give you a 1:1 size ratio which is life size in the frame. There are also some that give a 1:2 half size ratio.</p>

<p>There is a good explanation here: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macro_photography">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macro_photography</a></p>

<p>Just wanted to throw that in, I've known a good many that have fallen for the misunderstanding of seeing the word "Macro" used on a lens that may close focus at 8 inches but in no way provide the result they were expecting.</p>

<p>(Edit) Peter and I were commenting at the same time. My post is not intended to counter Peter's good suggestion. My comment is referring to a system with interchangeable lens capability only.</p>

<p>Larry - I'll jump in here. Take one or 2 pieces of jewelry with you to sample photograph when you go to look at cameras, and see if the resulting picture fits your needs. Don't get suckered into buying something which can't do what you need. Good jewelry photography is a learned skill not acquired overnight. Also make sure you have a good lighting setup, tripod, and some sort of either cable or wireless release for your camera. You'll generally be shooting at smaller apertures to get adequate depth of field (so everything is in focus), which means longer exposures, which in turn require a rock solid camera support during exposure. Before spending your money, also do some research specifically on macro & jewelry photography so you have a better understanding of obtaining acceptable results.</p>

<p>but the dslr has a better image quality? because that important for me?</p>

<p>Larry, you won't be able to tell the difference viewed online and onscreen, so functionally, they will both look pretty much the same if operated properly.</p>

<p>what is the best type of lens for dslr camera for jewelry? also macro is the lens or camera, or both?</p>