Hello all,

This is my first time posting in the Close-up forum. I am going to start listing Buddhist amulets on eBay. One type is a small statuette, ranging from 1 1/2" to 2 1/2" in height, and no more than 1/2" deep (as you look at it head on). Some have very fine detail that is important I capture.

The other type is a (usually) bronze medallion, 1" to 1 1/2" in diameter, with a bas-relief face or figure on one side and minute raised Southeast Asian writing on the back, which I would like to render readable.

I will be shooting with a D300. I have an SB-800 flash but I'm willing in invest in other lighting if necessary My general questions are, what lens and lighting would be most suitable for this type of thing? I've never even tried (and am not even that familiar with the D300), but am willing to do any amount of experimenting given a good approximation of a starting point for the hardware (as a point of reference, the Nikkor 60mm micro lens is out of my price range).

Two particular questions I have are: Is auto focus or manual focus better, and is it better to have the camera do the metering or should I do that by eye?

I have been "taking pictures" for many decades but have not tried anything this technical before. Any suggestions you can give this rank newcomer to close-up photography of this type would be greatly appreciated.

Peter

1. Build or buy a light tent. If I can find my file, I will email you instructions on how to build one, cheap.

2. Forget auto-focus. Manual only.

3. Try spot metering.

4. Buy a used macro. For example, you should be able to find a Sigma 105 for mid to high $300's.

5. Learn how to focus stack.

6. Watch your angles (focus plane) when shooting.

7. Hang around this forum There are lots of talented folks here. I learn from them every day.

I do similar work for the museum I work for. I prefer using a 50mm macro lens over a 100 because I often find it useful to be able to adjust the position of the object while looking at it on the LCD in Live View. The 50 that I have only goes to 1:2 but that's rarely been a problem because I almost never need 1:1 with these type objects. Given the size of the objects you've described, it won't be a problem for you either. I bought my 50mm used for about $100.

Lighting of small objects like this can easily be done with ordinary desk lamps. I use CFL bulbs since they don't generate near the heat that incandescents will. You can hang a collapsible diffuser over the lamp if necessary. I find this much easier to work with than a light tent - especially for small objects. You can also place one lamp very low to help highlight fine detail. Light tents tend to give flatter overall lighting. To me, continuous lighting is much easier to work with than a flash because you can easily see the effect of moving lights around in real time. A collapsible reflector or just a piece of white foam core can also be very useful.

Live View is a must for precise focus. The one disadvantage to Live View is that you may find there's too much camera vibration when you take the shot since the mirror flops down and then back up again. You can program in a 1-second shutter delay (D9: Exposure Delay Mode) but that may not be long enough. I typically shift over to self-timer mode with shutter delay when I take the shot.

I use spot metering but often find I have to adjust exposure for best results. I typically use manual exposure mode. You may still find yourself doing some post processing to get the best images. I am a big fan of Nik Software's Viveza 2.

You will also want to play with different backgrounds. White foamcore can be very useful for many objects. If you need a dark background, you may find that black foamcore doesn't work as well if the object is laid right on top of it. You can see the texture of the background and it often doesn't look black in the final image(although Viveza can help eliminate both problems). Sometimes a black or dark blue velvet can work well. You can also try using a small pedestal under the object (that would be hidden in the photo) to move the object away from the background. But you'll have to watch out for shadows.

Hope this helps -
John

My Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dancingtuna

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Mike and John,

Thank you both for your suggestions. I'm looking forward not just to good results but the play involved in getting them!

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Are you psychic, John? I was about to ask a similar question about mineral photography. Very timely!

Anyway, I am kicking myself for selling my Tokina 100mm macro lens. I had decided that macro just wasn't for me.

Today I was talking with a coworker who is a major rockhound and travels all over the country mining for minerals. He wants to start selling online. I offered to photograph his gems and he agreed. I have a Nikkor 28-105 AF-D which does decent macro work, but I wonder if it'll work for minerals. So I started thinking that maybe a 50mm Micro Nikkor MF lens would be a good idea to start shopping for. If I need to get to 1:1 all I would need was a PK-13 extension tube. I don't have much to spend, so nothing too exotic, at least for now. Any thoughts or suggestions?

I have a D7000, so AI lenses will work fine. Thanks.

George