4 mp or 5 mp

[jcbradley]

Good morning,

I just found this forum and thought this would be a great place to get some good information b/c to be quite honest, I'm not 100% confident in the stores salespeople.

This camera will be mainly used for photographing jewelry. Some of the jewelry does have some fine detail we would like to pick up. The pictures will be for website only. They will be thumbnail and then blow up to larger size to see the finer detail.

I first was going to go with 5 mp but someone told me that for my use here, 4 mp would be enough. I would like some feedback on this since i really do not much about cameras. Also, i was told that 3x optical zoon would be good. Or would I need more?

Any other advice would also be greatly appreciated.



Thanks

Chris Bradley

[Photo-John]

Chris-
A 4 megapixel camera will be fine. Even 3 megapixels should be more than enough. Since you plan to photography jewelry, a good macro mode and the ability to use accessory close-up lenses is more important than resolution. More resolution will allow you to crop when you can't get close enough. But the highest resolution you can easily display on the Web is under 1 megapixel. More resolution is always nice to have, though. Even of you only plan to use the images for the Web, there might be times when you want to make a nice print. It's printing that demands more resolution. And then, 4-5 is fine for most people.

Here's a link to the 4 to 5 megapixel camera reviews on this site:

http://www.pcphotoreview.com/4,to,5,...S_4337crx.aspx

I hope that helps. Let us know if you have more questions.

[jcbradley]

Photo-John,

Thanks for the advice. Currently i have a 2.1mp and arrrrghh, the photos just dont turn out well unless i take them outside on a sunny day. Though i have to admit, i still stuff to learn

Thanks again,

Chris

[Photo-John]

Currently i have a 2.1mp and arrrrghh, the photos just dont turn out well unless i take them outside on a sunny day.

Ahhhh. Well that probably has more to do with understanding how your camera works than the camera's quality. You may find you have the exact same problem with a newer, higher resolution camera. What camera are you using now and what exactly is the problem with the photos? For jewelry, you should be using a tripod. That would be my first guess on what the problem might be.

[jcbradley]

Hi John,

Im an idiot, i just accidently reported you ok, i hope to remebmer what i wrote.

I currently have a Samsung 2.1 mp. Not sure what else i have on it, i have had it for about 3 years. If i take the pics outside on a sunny day, they turn out great but if i take inside, they arent as clear. I have to edit them and they still dont turn out as good as ones i take outside. I didnt understand when to use the macromode till a month ago but even after using that, they still didnt turn out quite like i wanted.

Also, i been told that 3x optical is what i would need to photograph jewelry..is that correct?

And havent used the tripod yet, once again, found this out in the last few weeks during my research.

One last thing, i looked at the reviews but were almost too many and most seemed to have favorable reviews. Is there any 1 or 2 brands that might be better than the rest or a few brands to stay away from? Currenty, I am looking at the Sony Cybershot.

Thanks,

Chris

[Chunk]

Also, i been told that 3x optical is what i would need to photograph jewelry..is that correct?

That's not as important as having a macro mode. What is considered macro seems to vary among manufacturers. At one time in old film camera days a lens had to produce life size images on the film to be considered a macro lens but that definition has long been overridden by the marketing guys. I'd look for something that claims a macro mode and then look at the minimum focusing distance in the specs. The closer you can get it in focus, the larger your image will be.
Here are some sites for advice on photographing jewelry.
http://www.abrasha.com/misc/photography.htm
(take a look at his jewelry too and you'll see how well this simple setup does)
http://www.abrasha.com/Home.htm


http://www.lapidaryart.com/projects_2.html

http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/dire...rary/subject/9

[JRobert]

If i take the pics outside on a sunny day, they turn out great but if i take inside, they arent as clear. I have to edit them and they still dont turn out as good as ones i take outside. I didnt understand when to use the macromode till a month ago but even after using that, they still didnt turn out quite like i wanted.

...

And havent used the tripod yet, once again, found this out in the last few weeks during my research.

From what you've said, I'd guess the problem you're having with your present camera is that you have too little light when you're photographing indoors. Your camera will use a larger aperture, which gives a smaller depth of field (a smaller range of distances is in focus - especially when taking close-ups) and/or a slower shutter speed, which makes it harder to keep the camera still enough.

Unless you're needing some "new-camera therapy" ;) , I'd suggest getting lots more light on your jewelry and using a tripod. That will reduce the aperture and give you more depth of field, and increase the shutter speed, making camera-shake less of a problem.

How to get more light depends a whole lot on how you set up your subjects, but a couple of table lamps with shades removed and big white poster-boards behind them as reflectors might be a start Set your camera to compensate for the color of indoor lighting or expect the colors to come out redder or yellower than your outdoor shots.indoor lighting, but at least this should show whether this is really the problem.

-jeff-