Confused re what camera needed

patgc

Hi folks,
Can you good people give me some advice please. I am not knowledgeable about cameras but I am setting up a small online business and need a camera that will take good clear, sharp shots of jewellery in close-up to capture all the detail. Having tried to research the different types of cameras, I had decided that what I needed was probably a good compact with high mpix ( 12/14 poss). Optical & digital zoom if poss, anti blur etc. I thought that the high megapix would give me the detail and sharpness I needed and then I would be able to crop the pic down to get even closer still saving the sharpness. Various people have said, Yes, thats correct but other say no, you need a DSLR camera to get clear pics. I can't really afford a DSLR camera looking at the prices. I could maybe stretch to £250/£300 at a push. Can someone point me in the right direction. please.
At the moment I am using a Kodak DX6490 but I can't get in close enough with it.

mr_fishbulb

High megapixels do not mean high sharpness. Sharpness is mostly achieved by the quality of the lens. Megapixels are now a marketing gimic that rarely translate to image quality (I have a 6MP DSLR and 10MP compact which will wipe the floor with most 12/14 compacts and bridge cameras).

You don't need to worry about the zoom as you can get as close as you want to the subject.

You don't need to worry about anti-shake as you can put the camera on the tripod.

What you need is a camera that can take good macro shots (macro is where the camera can focus close-up). And one where you can set the white balance so the colours will come out correctly.

I wouldn't say you need a DSLR, especially as your business is online (if you were printing off catalogues with large photos then you should probably use one).

Have a read of this site. It gives info on the camera they use (it's well within your budget), as well as tips on taking the photos - http://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com/photographing-jewelry.html

fenlander_uk

mr_fishbulb wrote: »

Have a read of this site. It gives info on the camera they use (it's well within your budget), as well as tips on taking the photos - http://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com/photographing-jewelry.html

The advice on that site is excellent. If you have a limited budget, be sure to include a tripod and some photo-editing software. Something like Photoshop Elements is not too expensive and will let you improve cropping and composition and adjust colour balance. If that's outside the budget, there are some decent free alternatives.

So far as the camera is concerned, pixel count is largely irrelevant, but I'd look for some control over exposure (ability to set shutter speed/aperture manually) rather than choosing an auto-only point-and-shoot. This gives you more control over depth of field, which can be important when shooting macros.

You might like to try the Product Advisor at Imaging Resource (link). I tried this for your requirements and one recommendation I liked was for the Fuji F80EXR. This is available from Amazon at £149 (link), leaving enough in your budget for a decent tripod, some software, an 8GB memory card and some bits and pieces to build your light box mini-studio. Amazon can even help with that if you're not a DIYer (link).

patgc

Many thanks for your replies. I have been to the Image Resource page and input all my requirements and they have come up with quite a few suggestionsincluding the Fuji that you mentioned. I will have to try and get to grips with the differences between each one or maybe I might just go for that one. If it can definitely let me get in close enough to pick up all the detail of say an antique ring and and focus in on hallmarks etc, it sounds hopeful. I think it would be a good idea to go to say PC World and get them to demonstrate the camera's capabilities.
So, I'm a bit nearer to making a decision.

mr_fishbulb

patgc wrote: »

I think it would be a good idea to go to say PC World and get them to demonstrate the camera's capabilities.

Jessops would be a better bet. More likely to find someone who knows what they're talking about.

patgc

Ok, I will remember that, many thanks

totalsolutions

Don't forget the tripod, small lights and coloured material plus some props / supports, maybe a ruler?

The tripod allows you to setup the shot and ready for the next from the same position this creates a faster work flow and identical point to photograph from, so once set the camera ready for the next.

Lights remove the intense flash and you can create the shadow and depth of colour.

Nice coloured material to show off the product and a ruler to show relative size.

tonynw

Panasonic tz6 has been used on these sites

https://www.7dayinks.co.uk
https://www.fleetwoodmarket.co.uk
https://www.inks2u.co.uk

gives you a guide as to what you can get from a panasonic.

tonynw

althas

Another agreement for the "ignore mega pixel" on anything but an DLSR, the sensor inside the camera can not take it

There have been many good suggestions so far so all I can do really is agree with them, as I would not really have anything fresh to add. The one thing I will say, is if you can get a camera that allows you to take photos in RAW mode would be a huge advantage

I will try and not confuse you, but basically when you take a picture, the camera does some in house processing to produce the picture on the flip side. It locks down the colour, exposure, white balance etc of each pixel to what IT thinks is best based on the settings. This can be "played with" afterwards, but not to any great extent. What RAW does is record the settings of each pixel as it is taken. The exposure, white balance, colour etc. That's it. You have to do some post picture processing afterwards to get it to the web, but you have infinitally more control over how it looks, the light and shade and so on. If you want good professional images, RAW is a must

Photoshop Elements (9 now I think) would be a good purchase also, for the best RAW processing, cataloguing of your shots etc. Though I am sure someone will advise if something like GIMP has RAW processing?

One thing people do not seem to have mentioned, is a monitor calibration device. If you want to to professional looking shots for the web to best display your products, you need to know what you see on your monitor is the REAL colour/contrast/blacks and whites. You would be amazed at the colour on a correctly calibrated monitor, as opposed to what you THOUGHT was a correct one. As you will not be printing anything, do not worry about printer calibration

Sorry to deepen the thought process a little further. I am just thinking of what you would need for the BEST shots. But good luck on your venture, is it home made things you will be selling?