Settings for jewelry shoot

Dawnbb

I just purchased the D5100 along with the Af-s micro Nikon 85mm f/3.5g ed lens for taking photos of my handmade jewelry. Can you guide me as to what setting you recommend for achieving detailed results for posting my items for sale? I also have the 18-55mm lens which came with the camera.

Dawnbb

Hello. Is any one awake in here?

deweycd

Jewelry shots are extremely difficult with the amount of reflection that the jewelry can produce. I've been shooting with a D5100 and found in my case that a Macro lens produced much better shots then the kit lens. I also found that the lighting of the jewelry was more important than the lens being used. I recommend getting a good tripod, some decent lights and use the following settings:

- AF-S focus as nothing should be moving.
- f/22 to capture the full depth of field; you may need higher but the lower you can use the better.
- ISO 100 - The lower the ISO the less grainy the photos will be.
- Speed isn't so important if you have a tripod and time, since things are not moving.

For examples of jewelry photos I've taken see: http://silverlightartglass.com

I'm not a professional but I have been slowly learning myself how to take better jewelry photos. Give yourself time to learn and to do it right.