Camera Labs

Hi Everyone

I'm a brand new Nikon D80 owner who is very thrilled to have found this site and forum.
I bought the Nikon D80 kit, so it came with the 2 lenses.
• Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6G AF Zoom-Nikkor
• Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8-4 DG
I am shooting costume jewelry consisting of necklaces, bracelets, & earrings. They are natural gemstone and sterling silver. I have the Light Tent with normal house light bulbs. I have tried many combinations of settings but so far I am only getting so-so results. So I decided to buy some more lenses and would appreciate your recommendations. Primary uses will be to shoot product shots of my jewelry line for the web and print. Budget - any

any suggestions you might have will be greatly appreciated.

Jim

You need a macro lens and a tripod to take product photos. Nikon have a number of macro lenses. The 105mm F2.8 ED VR Micro is very well thought of as is the 60mm F2.8 AFD Micro. You will also find a remote camera release is useful.

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Nikon D80, Nikkor lenses: 35mm f1.8 G AF-S DX, 50mm f/1.8 AF D, 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX, 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR, SB800 flash
My photos on SmugMug

Hi Phil,

Appreciate for your suggestion.
Tripod I already have, Remote camera release - personally I prefer using the self-timer.
Can I use Nikon AF-S 18-200mm VR or better stuck to your suggestion?

Thanks

Jim

The 18-200mm VR lens has a minimum focus range of 50cm. The 105mm VR lens has a minimum focus length of 31.4cm. It also produces a 1:1 image at this distance. That means that at this distance an object 23.6 x 15.8 mm (the D80 sensor size) will completely fill the frame of the photo. The 18-200mm lens simply can't do this.

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Nikon D80, Nikkor lenses: 35mm f1.8 G AF-S DX, 50mm f/1.8 AF D, 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX, 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR, SB800 flash
My photos on SmugMug

Hi there.

While I don't know too much about your chosen subject matter I do think it would be somewhat pointless buying any lens featuring VR. The general advice is to switch off VR when the lens is on a tripod so you're paying additional money for a feature you won't be using. Seems daft to me.

Personally I'd be looking at a prime macro but I'm not up on them so can't really recommend one over another.

Good luck,
Zorro.

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http://zorrofox4.deviantart.com/



Various lenses, SB800 & Manfrotto 190 with 460MG head

Thank you both for your suggestions. I appreciate the input....
I’m thinking to get the 105mm VR lens. If anyone has some extra suggestions please feel free to share.

Thanks

Jim

Hi Jim, nice you asked!
See my signature as to what I use, and you'll find the Nikkor 105mm/F2.8 VR there. It's a fantastic lens and cannot be touched by the 18-200mm or both of your current lenses when it comes to picture quality at close distances (and longer ones too). So this is a perfect addition, if your problem is to get closer to the gems. But don't take a shorter macro lens, as it gives you not enough distance from your subject (for lighting e.g.).

The other reason for your disappointment may be the lighting. I assume that to bring out the sparkle in jewells you really have to use remote flash(es).

If you post some of your so-so pics on flickr, we can give you more advice...

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Hi Jim, welcome to the Cameralabs foums!

You're already speaking to the macro experts, so I'll keep out of it!

I agree the 105mm macro lens and some proper lighting is the way forward though...

Gordon

Thanks everyone, for your suggestions.
Hopefully I’ll have some images to share soon.