10 Best Cameras for Jewelry Photography

To deliver exceptional results, you’ll need two things – the right skill set and the proper equipment. While it’s up to you to hone your skills, we can help you with the latter.

Choosing the best camera for jewelry photography isn’t just a matter of investing in the most expensive option available. You’ll need to assess the camera’s specs, take a closer look at its performance, and select the one that suits your unique photography style.

Our list below will show you the top options you should consider when selecting your go-to camera for jewelry photography.

Why Choosing the Right Camera Matters for Jewelry Photography

While any skilled photographer could use any random affordable camera for jewelry photography and create artistic-looking photos, you can’t rely solely on your skills if you want to deliver eye-catching results. You need equipment to help you bring out every detail of your jewelry.

With the wrong choice of camera, your close-ups will look amateurish. Every minor imperfection in the jewelry you’re working with will come into focus. You’ll struggle with reflections, depth, scale, and composition. You’ll have to spend much more time than necessary eliminating faults and enhancing your photos in your editing software. Ultimately, you’ll lose the interest of prospective buyers as they’ll look to other websites with more professional-looking photos.

On the other hand, if you’re using high-quality equipment designed for jewelry photography, you’ll make your job significantly easier. You’ll have an easier time taking both product and editorial photos, you’ll minimize the time spent on post-production, and you’ll find attracting customers a breeze.

Key Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Camera for Jewelry Photography

When choosing the best camera for shooting jewelry, there are several things you’ll need to take into consideration.

Battery Performance and Quality

Photographing jewelry can be tedious work. Whether you’re shooting just a single piece of jewelry or an entire collection, you’ll likely have to take hundreds of photos to ensure you have a good selection of high-quality ones. You don’t want annoyances like an empty camera battery to interrupt your shoots.

That’s why it’s critical to assess the camera’s battery performance and quality before you make your purchase. On average, you should expect your camera to be able to take about 1,000 shots on a single charge.

Internet Connectivity

Internet connectivity isn’t a dire necessity, but it is a big plus that can make your jewelry photoshoots easier. With a WiFi-enabled camera, you could use another device to control it, meaning you won’t have to invest in additional accessories such as remote triggers. You could also preview all your images on another device (with a preferably larger screen) or download all photos directly to your PC to start editing or sharing them.

Therefore, it’s in your best interest to invest in cameras with internet connectivity. The convenience you’d be getting is well worth it.

Camera Settings Options & ISO Range

How sensitive your camera is to light (aka its ISO settings) will dictate how well your jewelry photos turn out. If the ISO settings are too high, for example, your photos will appear grainy. Too low, and you’ll need to improve your lighting to get the right exposure.

As a general rule of thumb, you won’t need a wide ISO range, as you’ll likely be shooting at around one or two hundred. Still, inspect your camera’s ISO range before making your purchase.

Other camera settings options you’ll want to consider are the shutter speed, which you’ll probably need to be over 1/320, and the aperture, which should be on the higher end of the spectrum, between f/8 and f/11.

Resolution and Quality

Of course, the higher the resolution of your camera, the better. A higher resolution allows you to create better-quality photos as the camera can capture more pixel information. You’ll have more flexibility when it comes time for editing, and you’ll find it easier to minimize noise and graininess.

Stabilization Capabilities

Whenever you’re working with items as small as jewelry, you’ll need your camera to have excellent image stabilization capabilities. When capturing close-ups, every shake of your hand could impact the quality of your photos.

Though it’s in your best interest to always use additional camera accessories such as tripods and remote triggers to stabilize your camera, it’s still beneficial to also have excellent stabilization capabilities.

Compatibility With Different Lenses for Capturing Various Jewelry Pieces

As a jewelry photographer, you’ll need to use different types of camera lenses for different purposes. A macro lens will be your best friend, as it can help you capture every intricate detail of your jewelry, no matter how small. Prime lenses can be excellent for ensuring the highest quality of your photos. Standard lenses can, at times, serve you best if you’re taking lifestyle shots and working with models.

Whatever the case, you’ll likely need at least a few different lenses to deliver the best results with your jewelry photography, so you’ll need a compatible camera.

You may also be interested in best lens for jewelry photography.

Additional Features Like Macro Capability and White Balance Adjustments

Finally, you’ll want to look into any additional features your chosen camera may have. Macro capability is always a plus, even if you already have a dedicated macro lens. You’ll also want to be able to make white balance adjustments manually, as it can help you get the best shot possible.

You’ll also enjoy the benefits of having a connector for an external flash, additional memory card slots, self-timers, and more. If you have lost important jewelry photos from your camera, there is a solution to recover deleted photos from memory card.

10 Best Cameras for Jewelry Photography

Now without further ado, it’s time to take a closer look at some of the best cameras for shooting jewelry. While any of them could certainly do the job, choosing which one suits your needs best is up to you.

1.Panasonic LUMIX S5 - Best Mix-Use for Photo and Video

Panasonic LUMIX S5 is one of the top choices for both photographers and videographers. It boasts a resolution of 22.2MP, a high-quality CMOS sensor, and an updated autofocus system that will make your photoshoots a breeze.

Verdict:

Panasonic LUMIX S5 is generally better suited for videography, but it can deliver jewelry photos of the highest quality, making it well worth it.

2.Canon EOS R6 – Best for Beginners

Canon EOS R6 has everything you need to get started with jewelry photography. With an excellent sensor, 12fps mechanical shutter, and superior image stabilization capabilities, it enables you to capture stunning jewelry photos in extreme detail.

Verdict:

If you want to get started with jewelry photography, you’ll have difficulty finding a better camera for beginners than the Canon EOS R6.

3.Nikon Z50 – Best for Amateur Photographers

If photography isn’t your primary area of expertise, Nikon Z50 could be an excellent option for you. Compact, lightweight, and user-friendly, it delivers superior results, especially if you want to post jewelry photos to your social media accounts.

Verdict:

If you want to shoot editorial jewelry photos and upload them to your social media accounts, the Nikon Z50 is an excellent choice. However, its lack of image stabilization and poor autofocus make it less than ideal for product photography.

4.Sony Alpha A7R III – Best for Lifestyle Jewelry Shots

Sony Alpha A7R III has an excellent dynamic range, fast processing, and comes with improved autofocus that can make your job easier. On top of it, it comes in a compact, ergonomic body that will ensure that your photoshoots are as comfortable as can be.

Verdict:

With its silent shooting feature, Sony Alpha A7R III is generally considered a top choice for event photography. However, it delivers excellent results for jewelry photography as well, especially if you’re taking lifestyle shots with models.

5.Canon EOS 70D – Best High-Speed Processor

Canon EOS 70D has numerous desirable features that make it a wonderful choice for jewelry photography. It has WiFi connectivity, fantastic autofocus, excellent battery life, and a large viewfinder that simplifies detailed jewelry photography.

Verdict:

Canon EOS 70D is an excellent camera that will deliver surprising results in jewelry photography, especially for its price point.

6.Nikon D850 FX-format – Best Battery Life

With a battery life rating of 1,840 shots per single charge, Nikon D850 FX-format might just be the best camera for those shooting larger jewelry collections. It features a fast processor, high resolution, and an excellent CMOS sensor. It’s a true multipurpose, professional camera, suitable for almost any photography type – e-commerce fashion photography, landscape, event, sport, and, of course, jewelry photography.

Verdict:

If you need a multipurpose camera, look no further than Nikon D850 FX-format. Not only will it deliver stunning jewelry photos, but it will work exceptionally well for any other product photography type.

7.Canon EOS Rebel T7 – The Best Cheap Camera for Jewelry Photography

With a price tag of under $500, Canon EOS Rebel T7 is your best option if you’re on a tight budget. However, don’t confuse its low price for low quality. Canon EOS Rebel T7 offers surprising flexibility and versatility, allowing you to take high-quality jewelry photos without much fuss.

Verdict:

Although it’s not the best macro camera for jewelry photography, it boasts the best price. You can’t go wrong with it if you’re looking for budget-friendly options.

8.Nikon Z6 II – The Best for Product Photography

Nikon Z6 II seems to be specifically designed for product photographers. It performs beautifully with any close-up shots, being able to capture and highlight any minute detail that other cameras could easily miss. What’s more, with its full-frame 4K video feature, it enables you to create more high-quality content for your website.

Verdict:

Within its price range, you’d have difficulty finding a camera for product photography that’s better than Nikon Z6 II. It has everything you may need to improve your jewelry photography.

9.Canon EOS M50 – Best Value

Canon EOS M50 is another top choice for newcomers to jewelry photography. Although it’s relatively compact, it offers fantastic performance and many useful features. It boasts a powerful processing engine and dual-pixel CMOS AF system, and it comes with built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, and NFC connectivity.

Verdict:

Canon EOS M50 is lightweight, compact, and user-friendly. It’s a good, affordable camera for jewelry photography, though its poor battery life might impact how valuable it could be to you.

Last but certainly not least is the Sony a7C. A tiny camera that packs quite a punch. For such a compact piece of equipment, it boasts quite a surprising battery life, good image stabilization capabilities, and a fantastic full-frame sensor.

Verdict:

Sony a7C is a solid mid-range camera that can capture jewelry photos in surprising detail. While it’s not the best choice if you’re primarily doing jewelry photography, it can be a great piece of equipment for a versatile photographer.

Tips for Optimizing Jewelry Photography With the Chosen Camera

Even with the best camera for gemstones photography, you’ll still need to work to optimize your photos. The following are just some things you could do to ensure you attract your audience’s attention with your jewelry photos.

Use Appropriate Lighting Techniques to Enhance the Jewelry’s Appearance

Lighting can be problematic when you’re shooting jewelry, especially well-polished jewelry bedazzled with sparkling precious stones. Therefore, you must use appropriate lighting techniques to get the best shots.

It’s always in your best interest to use softboxes to minimize reflections and shadows and to get highly-detailed jewelry photos.

Understand the Camera Settings and Adjusting Them for Optimal Results

Although the default camera settings can, at times, produce stunning results, you’ll need to play around with them to get the perfect jewelry shot. Don’t be afraid to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the settings and tweaking them as you go.

Even a minor change in your ISO settings or shutter speed could have a massive impact on how your photos turn out.

Create Unique and Trendy Backgrounds for Jewelry Product Photos with AI

Finally, if you want to optimize your jewelry photos, you’ll want to use all available tools.

Artificial Intelligence tools have come a long way, allowing you to create truly unique photos without spending hours setting up the background, propping the jewelry up, or editing every minute imperfection from your photos.

With tools like Wondershare VirtuLook, you could even generate customizable lifestyle jewelry shots with just a single, plain reference photo of your jewelry.

In just three steps, you’ll get high-quality AI-generated images suitable for product and editorial photography:

• Step 1: Go to Try-on generation and upload your reference jewelry photo. Click Step2 to edit the file.(If you only need different background for your jewelry product, you can select Product Photo Generation option from the left sidebar.)

• Step 2: Use the settings placed on the working field to generate an AI try-on model and background for your product. Or click Custom Editing, and fill in the text prompt explaining your vision and click Cast the Spell to generate the image;

• Step 3: Download the images you like.

Take advantage of the high-tech tools you have at your disposal, and you’ll never struggle with jewelry photography again.

Conclusion

Choosing the correct equipment for jewelry photography could mean the difference between driving away and attracting buyers. While professional cameras often have a higher price point, your investment will be well worth it once you find out how much time and effort you’ll save during your shoots and post-production.