Which camera is the best for Gold Jewelery

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Any feedback on the best camera to use with Gold jewelery. Also any addtional feedback regarding lighting (umbrellas, strobes etc.)

-- Todd Thompson (mike@wholesale-mart.com), August 07, 2000

Answers

Think "Light Tent" and search the forum and the net for more. This can be something as simple as a milk jug with bottom cut out and top hole enlarged to allow your lens to poke in. You set it down over the item and light it from outside. The translucent material diffuses the light and eliminates reflections. If you search the forum you may find suggestions for "professional" materials you can buy that would allow you to make a simple cone of translucent plastic to fit whatever size item you need and experiment a bit. Personally, I'd try the "free" milk jug first... :-)

-- Gerald M. Payne (gmp@surferz.net), August 08, 2000.

What an excellent suggestion Gerald made - and I will try - but he didn't answer your question (which camera). I can only talk to the Nikon 950 and 990: Both are outstanding, particularly the higher res 990. I know this for a fact, because I have started to do jewelry imaging for a jeweler friend of mine. I can - and have - gotten as close as several inches from the jewelry and zoomed to a point where the entire frame is filled with just one ring. Pretty spectacular 8x10's when you use a printer like the Epson 870/875! Hope this helps you.

-- Ted (ted.krohn@fra.dot.gov), August 08, 2000.

Two things quickly:

1. I can't take credit for the milk jug idea, it was bopping around this forum a while back. Might've even come from Dave E. It does sound like a nice simple way to diffuse a little light. I suppose there is some advantage to the commercial films in that I imagine they're available in varying densities, or you can double 'em up.

2. I didn't recommend a camera, because it really comes down to macro capability and ability to focus in diffuse lighting. Since I haven't actually gotten round to trying out the milk jug routine above, I figured I'd temper my response and skip the macro recommendation. I do have a couple of Toshiba models here, but haven't gotten 'round to trying them in diffuse lighting. They do quite well at about 8" in macro mode in room light, much closer than that and they seem to have focusing trouble. Not surprising since their minimum distance is rated as 6" for macro.

I'd say the best recommendation for macro according to scuttlebutt is the Nikons. I'd also say, take a quarter with you to the local CompUSA or other digicam vendor and find out for yourself... ;-)

-- Gerald M. Payne (gmp@surferz.net), August 08, 2000.


I can second the Nikon recommendation, I do a lot of macro work (with a 950) and it is superb. I make sure that the flash is switched off and light the object with a cam corder light (I`ll have to get round to rigging something better than this) with exceptional results, the colour balance is superb, golds come up beautifully.

-- Rachel Willis (RM_Willis@Chickmail.com), August 13, 2000.

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