Camera for photos of jewellery

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PaintIsReal

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In the new year I'll be choosing a camera for my mother, who makes jewellery. I'll also be trying to set things up for her, so that she can place her pieces of jewellery inside an area, click the camera button and take good photos. I know this will need probably some kind of light box, and lighting, but I'm not sure what kind of camera. Do I need a £300+ SLR for this? or would I be better off choosing a cheaper model? and what sort of lenses would I need?

Thanks for any advice, and Merry Christmas!
 
PaintIsReal said:
... click the camera button and take good photos.
Click to expand...


That's not going to happen I'm afraid. Product photography for jewellery is one of the hardest subjects to set or light.

If it's for retail promotion (and sells at a decent price) do her a favour and persuade her to use a professional.
You'll be surprised at how reasonable rates are, especially if you create an ongoing relationship.
 
PaintIsReal said:
I'll also be trying to set things up for her, so that she can place her pieces of jewellery inside an area, click the camera button and take good photos.
Click to expand...
You'll get "good enough" with a decent compact and a light tent, if that will meet the requirement. It won't be technically perfect, it won't produce the best possible result and is unlikely to convince a cold customer to buy - but it'll be good enough as a record of the items and to show a warm customer already familiar with the maker what they'd be getting.
 
Thanks for the advice. What's so difficult with taking photos of jewellery? is it just a question of lighting? do you need a special lens?
 
As Hugh says the lighting is key. With a light tent the overall effect tends to be flat without the sparkle that puts"life" into jewellery. Under flat lighting even the highest quality silver jewellery will look more like chrome plated plastic, shiny polished surfaces will appear dull and lifeless. For a semi-hobby maker it'll do, but for someone serious about the jewellery they're making they'll soon want something better.

You'd need to share more details for better answers:
  • Examples of the type of jewellery
  • The market it's being sold in
There was a thread a while ago (might have been a different forum though) with a similar question and in the end the jeweler was getting very good results with a decent compact camera and a high CRI LED lamp. They'd set up a scene on a mini tabletop studio, semipermanently fixed the lighting and camera positions and just dropped in the item being photographed onto the mark. LEDs gave a nice sparkle on the pieces they were making and using the same set up gave them a consistent look for their online store. It depends on the type of piece and the type of store.
 
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