Best Digital Cameras
for Photographing Jewelry

© by Rena Klingenberg; all rights reserved

The best digital cameras for photographing jewelry include two important features - a macro mode and a white balance control.

These two "tools" are especially important in jewelry photography so you can get super close-up, clear shots and adjust for the color cast of your lighting so you pictures accurately represent your jewelry.

Macro mode - The macro mode on a digital camera is a close-focus mode that allows you to get extra close to your subject for a clear shot.

Without this feature, it's almost impossible to get a sharp photo of something as small and detailed as jewelry. You'll know if your camera has a macro mode if one of its menu buttons has a flower icon on it, or if a button that has two triangles representing mountains gives you a flower icon option when you press it.

Many older and / or cheaper digital cameras don't have a macro mode.

White balance - White balance is a camera feature that compensates for the color cast of the light that's present when you take the picture, which is extremely important when photographing jewelry.

Some digital cameras' white balance mode is programmed for certain types of lighting, such as sunlight or fluorescent light. Other cameras have a white balance feature you can set yourself.

Either way, being able to adjust your camera for the color cast of the present lighting makes a huge difference in the quality and accuracy of your jewelry photos.

I used to recommend specific digital cameras for photographing jewelry.

But to be honest, digital camera technology has advanced so much that most cameras nowadays - even cell-phone cameras! - are capable of taking very good jewelry photos.

I photograph my jewelry with a Fuji FinePix A310 that I bought in 2004. It still works great, and it still takes excellent photos:

Photo of one of my pendants, shot with
my trusty old Fuji FinePix digital camera.

The main things I would look for if you're buying a camera for photographing your jewelry are:

• at least 3 megapixels


• macro mode


• white balance.

When you get your new digital camera and start taking jewelry pictures with it, you'll probably go through a learning curve of trial and error to find what works best for you.

I find it very helpful to take notes on the specific camera settings, lighting, etc. that result in the best photos with my camera.

Then I keep these notes in a folder in my filing cabinet. That way I don't have to figure everything out again if I don't take any jewelry photos for awhile.

Besides your camera, I think the most important factors in getting professional-looking pictures of your jewelry are:

• using a tripod and your camera's timer, so the camera will hold perfectly still for the shot


• using some sort of a light tent to prevent glare on your jewelry


• editing your photos after you take them.

The articles below have some tips that should help you start getting great jewelry photos fast!

Use these success tips as a starting point, and experiment with some techniques of your own to get great jewelry photos with your new digital camera.

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