Need help on taking jewelry close-ups using Fujifilm s7000

[yankanuk]

Hi,

I just purchased this Fujifilm s7000 cam and it works great, but I just can't get any good close-ups of the jewelry pics that I need for selling on e-bay. I tried macro, I tried super macro, I tried just zooming in using different modes. The pics just turn out blah. Does anyone have a solution for me, it could just be something I'm missing. Thank goodness for digital, as I can just keep trying different shots.

thanks

[MrPogo]

Get a tripod, and take the pictures in nice bright lighting pretty much.

[PhilR.]

Good macro photography depends on lighting, and not the camera. With proper lighting, you can get great shots with a $185 Nikon 3200. Take some time to research the subject, including how to make a homemade light box...

PhilR.

[yankanuk]

I've used a tripod and also tried various lightings and still no go.

[yankanuk]

Hi Phil,

I tried all kinds of different scenarios with lighting, bright sunlight, shade light, etc and still can't seem to get a good shot.

[MrPogo]

Could you try posting some examples of what you are getting? I get great photos of coins using a s602 (the model the s7000 replaced), just using daylight with the coins on a piece of material on a windowsil. I can't imagine jewellery is that much of a different ballgame :S

[yankanuk]

Ok, here's a pic and I left it in JPG rather than GIF, I hope that helps. I use the timer also, as well as the tripod nad various settings on the cam and this is the best I got.

[tismarty]

:love:Your image quality isn't too bad. Try using white cardboard to bounce more light onto the dark areas. Also try a bouncedlight from table level.

[tim da tech]

For lighting this type of subject you might want to get a light tent. Patterson makes their Light Pod. It is designed for the type of work you are trying to do. They are available through B&H Photo online for about 80 bucks. You can use on of these bad boys with a flood light or just take it out on a sunny day.

style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000000"TDT

[PhilR.]

yankanuk wrote:

Ok, here's a pic and I left it in JPG rather than GIF, I hope that helps. I use the timer also, as well as the tripod nad various settings on the cam and this is the best I got.

My impression is that your pic was taken with direct flash from the camera's built-in flash. This usually provides poor results, as you've now seen. As mentioned above, you should consider the use of a light tent/box setup, which is the kind of thing that the pro's use. Take a look at the close-up forum to see examples of what you can do with a light box.

PhilR.