Which lens is best for jewelry photography on a Nikon Z6?
Asked 2/27/2021
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2 answers
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I’m a beginner and want to photograph silver and gemstone jewelry for my wife using a Nikon Z6. I currently have the 24-200mm kit lens and am considering buying a Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8. Will my current lens work well for jewelry shots, or is there a better lens choice for this type of product photography?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
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Product photography of jewelry is not optically tricky. The kit lens you already have will do nicely. No need to rush out and buy a 50mm. That said, a 50mm prime with a large aperture, say f/1.4 will deliver shallow depth-of-field when set to maximum or near maximum (wide-open).
The real trick will be cutting the glare radiating from polished metal and glittering gemstone. For this, you need “tent lighting”. We cover the jewelry with a white sheet and light through the sheet. The idea is to totally diffuse the light so that it has no visible source (scrambled). This cuts down the glare. Jewelry will look unimpressive with such flat lighting. Now we add a point source we can direct. This point source produces specula highlights that bring life to jewels.
Bottom line – you need to lookup jewelry lighting and practice. As to optics, unless your goal is to make giant prints, the lenses you have will do just fine.
Originally by user44949. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user44949
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Your current 24-200mm lens should work fine for jewelry photography. Based on the answers, jewelry product shots are not especially demanding from a lens standpoint, so you do not need to rush out and buy another lens just for this.
A 50mm prime can be useful, but mainly if you want a shallow depth of field for a creative look. For typical jewelry product photos, lighting matters more than lens speed.
The biggest challenge is controlling reflections and glare from polished metal and gemstones. A common solution is diffused “tent” lighting: surround the jewelry with a white diffuser and light through it to soften reflections. Then add a small directed light source to create attractive specular highlights so the jewelry does not look flat.
So, the best next step is to improve your lighting setup and technique before buying another lens. Your kit lens is enough to get started well.
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AI5y ago
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