A friend is handcrafting jewelry to sell and needs a good digital camera that shows details. What recommendations do you have? Thanks.
I think success will be down more to how they’re lit and the background they’re against, than the camera used. You might want to prioritise by looking into that.
As one who photographs and sells her handmade jewelry, I wholeheartedly concur with GuanoLad.
I think every camera now has a “macro” setting that allows you to shoot at a very short distance. Get a tripod. Beyond that, it’s all about lighting and background.
That being said, there is a HUGE difference between taking photos to upload to Etsy and taking photos of the pieces you’re going to submit for jurying. Since every piece I make is one of a kind, it doesn’t make sense to spend tons of time futzing to get the perfect photo if it’s for listing on Etsy. Once the piece sells, that photo is not really useful for anything else, other than as a record of what I make.
For jury photos, you want the absolute best photos of your most spectacular pieces. Even if the piece sells, you can still use the photos for jurying, since the piece is representative of your work.
If they’re willing to spend money, this simple setup will work wonders. If they can’t afford or need the elaborate setup, the principles can still help guide them to decent results.
I didn’t want to invest in a studio set-up until I knew my stuff would sell, so I started out with a DYI version. There are various directions out there.
Folks at a watch forum I used to frequent used a plastic milk jug as a diffuser, performing pretty much the same job as the light tents.