What camera do you take your color gemstone pics with?

[jvLin]

I want to take pictures of my colored jewelry, but don''t know where to start. I''m getting an iPhone4 soon, and was wondering whether or not its camera will be able to accurately capture the vivid color of sapphires/rubies/etc.

What do you take your color gemstone pics with? Does it accurately capture the color, or is it always better in reality? Have you taken any pictures with an iPhone?

 

[chrono]

I doubt an iPhone is well suited for gemstone photography. While I’m not the best photographer around, my cheapo nearly 6 year old $100 point and shoot does a decent job. What is crucial for gem photography is having macro mode and a stabilizer more.

 

[RockHugger]

I take mine with a Sony point and shoot digi camera. Works well enough for me! I also use my microscope if I want super close pics.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

I have a Canon P&S SD400 - about 6 or 7 years old. I also have been playing with a Nikon D90 and a 50mm 1.8 Nikkor lens. I need to get a better macro lens, but for now the nifty fifty has been working well enough.

 

[serenitydiamonds]

If you want to really capture a stone well you''ll need a decent DLSR with a Macro lens. The iPhone doesn''t cut it at all unfortunately... phone camera''s are just meant for snapshots.

--Joshua

 

[Arcadian]

I''ve never used an iphone for gem pictures. Considering its 1.5 megapixel camera (lags behind a lot of its competition) I probably wouldn''t want to use it for gem pics.

I have a sony point and shoot which I do love, and a Panasonic Lumix G1 which I REALLY love. While both can be pretty accurate, the G1 is moreso than the sony with especially with green colored stones.


-A

 

[oldmancoyote]

I''ve been getting decent results with a Panasonic/Lumix DMC-FX9 (point-and-shoot, 5 years old, was $300 new). It does have the required stabilizer and macro mode (as per Chrono''s post above), and a good if basic lens.

Another feature that is (in my view) really useful is white balance adjustment. This compensates for differences in lighting much more effectively than tampering with things in Photoshop later (and - at least so I tell myself - it''s more genuine).

 

[cellentani]

I use a Canon PowerShot SD1000, about 3 yrs old. It has macro, but no image stabilization.

 

[T L]

Date: 6/30/2010 8:59:25 PM
Author: cellentani
I use a Canon PowerShot SD1000, about 3 yrs old. It has macro, but no image stabilization.

It amazes me that you can get such remarkable in focus shots with great color on an older model with no image stabilization.

 

[PrecisionGem]

I think the key is a tripod, and the stone laying still.

Also, the further away you can be from the stone, the better off you are. While many of the small point and shoots allow you to get very close, I think this blocks the light on the stone.

If you are looking at a Macro lens for a SLR, get the longest lens you can afford, either a 105 or longer.

I use a Nikon D700 with a Sigma 105 macro, and have an extension tube on the macro. You'll find that manual focus will work a lot better than autofocus when working close up.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Kodak Easy Share v1073 with a Schneider-Kreuznach variogon lense (P&S) 10megapixel. I have a 1.5x loupe that fits perfectly over the lense so I don''t have to worry about stabilizing the loupe and the camera. A tripod is good for lower mp cameras as it reduces the blurriness caused by human shaking. I don''t think my pictures come out bad at all

 

[Harriet]

Like my favourite coyote, I use a Panasonic Lumix. I also have a Canon Rebel, but find the Lumix easier to use, especially since I can't find my tripod.

 

[kenny]

I use a Nikon D200 with my 30-yr old PB-6 Bellows extension, a PK-13 auto extension ring and my trusty 30-year old, scalpel-sharp, Nikkor micro 105mm f2.8 lens.

And I'm about to buy a remote trigger to further improve sharpness by eliminating even the tiny vibration cause by the mirror flipping up immediately before the exposure.
(After composing I'll put the camera in mirror lock up then release shutter with remote trigger).
A heavier tripod would help too but I'm holding out for a Gitzo.

The higher the magnification the more even tiny vibrations robs your macro pics of razor sharpness your equipment is capable of.

 

[kenny]

When I can't use the bellows and tripod, like following fast-moving shrimp around, I'll use two PK-13 extension rings.

They are cheap since they have no optics; they are just an empty tube that moves the macro lens further from the body for greater magnification.

 

[VapidLapid]

For some things like my avatar use a Horseman 4x5 view camera with a lens I designed and ground from titanite and a synthetic unmentionable. That accounts for the color and dispersion in the pictures, the original scene was colorless to the nude eye. for web snapshots I use a cannon power shot sd950 is. I set it to the highest resolution the do a tight crop since PS max is 700 pixels long. Also use a tripod and a stationary stone set up. This is much better than clumsily holding a loupe over the lens and moving the whole thing back and forth to find the plane of focus.

 

[oldmancoyote]

Date: 6/30/2010 10:34:07 PM
Author: kenny
I use a Nikon D200 with my 30-yr old PB-6 Bellows extension, a PK-13 auto extension ring and my trusty 30-year old, scalpel-sharp, Nikkor micro 105mm f2.8 lens.


And I''m about to buy a remote trigger to further improve sharpness by eliminating even the tiny vibration cause by the mirror flipping up immediately before the exposure.

(After composing I''ll put the camera in mirror lock up then release shutter with remote trigger).

A heavier tripod would help too but I''m holding out for a Gitzo.


The higher the magnification the more even tiny vibrations robs your macro pics of razor sharpness your equipment is capable of.

If you have a tripod but not quite as sophisticated a camera (or indeed not an SLR), using timer delay helps - your finger press on the button then the camera has a few seconds to stop moving.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

When I first joined PS, I used an Olympus Stylus 1010 P&S, and I''ve since upgraded to an Olympus Stylus 9000. However, I don''t think either of those take nearly as good pictures of colored stones (as far as accurately representing color goes) as my Canon Rebel XSi (with a standard kit lens). The only bad thing about using a DSLR is that I don''t have a Macro lens to do super close-ups as I would with Macro mode on a P&S.

A tripod definitely helps.

 

[T L]

Kenny,
Now I feel like the most pitiful amateurish photographer after seeing your setup. OMG!!

 

[morecarats]

Ask any experienced gemstone photographer and I''ll think you''ll get the same answer -- apart from a few basic requirements, like a macro mode so you can focus at close range -- it''s all in the lighting. It''s rather like the guitar player who wants to know what kind of guitar to buy so he''ll sound great. He''s asking the wrong question.

 

[chrono]

My camera was very cheap ($100) when it came out so while I have both the macro and stabilizer, the two functions cannot be used simultaneously, thus I am forced to brace my arms on a fixed surface or have the stone down on a table in order to get decent pictures. I do agree that lighting is important, hence I keep it simple by only doing outdoor photography taking advantage of the readily available sunlight unless I want to show a colour change or colour shift.

 

[vc10um]

I use a Fuji FinePix F20 that I bought as a Christmas present for myself in 2006 on its Macro setting.

 

[Harriet]

I also like the Canon Powershot G-11. The Intelligent Auto mode is fantastic. All you have to do is to adjust the zoom. That and the Lumix are easier to use and cheaper than a DSLR. Like Morecarats says, a lot ad to do with lighting.

 

[Lovinggems]

canon g9.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 7/1/2010 7:31:48 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Kenny,

Now I feel like the most pitiful amateurish photographer after seeing your setup. OMG!!

I always think that too, TL. He has an amazing set up that I would kill to have.

 

[kenny]

Date: 7/1/2010 5:49:04 AM
Author: oldmancoyote
If you have a tripod but not quite as sophisticated a camera (or indeed not an SLR), using timer delay helps - your finger press on the button then the camera has a few seconds to stop moving.

Yes I do that - we ALL should for macro.
You're right, touching the camera causes it to move just a little which can blur a pic, especially at high magnifications.
Even just the SLR's mirror flipping up for the exposure induces a tiny amount of vibration - especially a heavy camera/bellows/lens system on a flimsy tripod.

My old film Nikon F3 had a mechanical lever to lock up the mirror.
Then I could set the timer for no-touch photography.
But with this digital D200 timer AND mirror lockup cannot both be used at the same time because they are two positions of one dial.

That's why I have to buy a cable release that works on this camera.

Nikon makes 3 models and the cheapest is $60. ARG!
The wireless one is almost $200. DOUBLE ARG!

The heavier the tripod the better-especially with a heavy camera, especially outdoors where there could be wind.
In fact some pro models have a hook at the bottom of the center pole to hang weights on.

With macro the depth of focus is shallow.
So we compensate with smaller apertures to increase the depth of focus.
This cuts down light so we need longer exposure times.
The longer the lens is open the more time vibration from things like walking across the floor can blur the pic.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Kenny, get one of these instead!

Trigger remote.

 

[kenny]

Date: 7/1/2010 7:35:57 AM
Author: morecarats
Ask any experienced gemstone photographer and I'll think you'll get the same answer -- apart from a few basic requirements, like a macro mode so you can focus at close range -- it's all in the lighting.

VERY true.
High mag requires a lot of light.
We need small apertures (for deeper focus) which gobbles up light too.

Plus, just getting the light in is difficult with macro lenses because they have to be so close and are humongous compared to the tiny thing you are shooting.
The lens itself blocks the light unless it comes from the side or the back, which may not be what you want for gem photography.

At full magnification the front edge of my 55mm needs to be 4 inches from the subject.
That's too close, and is a hassle to work around.

The 105mm is much better because the distance is a luxurious 10 inches.
This extra distance not only lets more frontal lighting in but is is good for not scaring away insects.

I think this spec is called working distance - keep this in mind when selecting a macro lens.

 

[kenny]

Date: 7/1/2010 1:40:02 PM
Author: MonkeyPie
Kenny, get one of these instead!
Trigger remote.

Thanks, I wish I could but that doesn't work on the D200.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Aw shoot - I know there is one that does, let me look for it tonight

 

[PrecisionGem]

With the D700, you can really crank up the film speed with almost no loss to image quality, so it overcomes the slow shutter speed problem. Although the mirror can be locked up, I haven''t found this to be needed with shutter speeds of 1/30 to 1/125 sec.