This guide will help you find the best lenses for jewelry photography.
Making jewelry is work that needs specialized tools, and taking photographs of that jewelry is no different.
So what macro lenses do you need?
In this article, you’ll find out.
What Are the Best Lenses for Jewelry Photography in 2024?
Sigma Macro 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM (Editor’s Choice)
Pros
Great focal length
Great image quality
Versatile
No distortion
Cons
Not weather-sealed
A little heavy
This lens is our Editor’s choice thanks to a combination of great performance and affordability.
For under US$700, you get a lens that delivers on all fronts.
It produces excellent images that are sharp, with accurate colors and no distortion.
The working distance is comfortable (with a minimum focusing distance of 0.31m), and the focal length gives you the ideal amount of compression. It has internal focusing, too, so you won’t disturb your jewelry setups.
It also tops our list of best macro lenses for jewelry because it’s a versatile lens that Sigma makes for many of the major camera brands.
Here is the Sony version [Amazon | B&H], and here’s the Nikon F version [Amazon | B&H].
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM (Best Canon EF Lens for Jewelry Photography)
Pros
Robust and well-designed
Outstanding image quality
Excellent autofocus
No distortion
Cons
Expensive
RF version is better
This is the earlier version of the RF lens reviewed further down the guide, and it’s an excellent lens, one of the most popular Canon has ever made.
Like its newer sibling, it delivers outstanding image quality, crisp from edge to edge, and with beautiful colors.
It’s the perfect focal length and aperture for jewelry photography, giving you adequate compression, a good working distance, and the ability to not only bring in enough light but isolate your subject and create beautiful bokeh.
It has a robust design and, like most things Canon, just feels good to use, and does everything it’s supposed to at a very high level.
It’s also fine to pick up a used version of this lens, as their quality never fades, but if you’re looking for a budget alternative, the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM [Amazon | B&H] is your best bet.
Nikon AF-S 105mm f/2.8 G IF ED VR Micro (Best Nikon F Lens for Jewelry Photography)
Pros
Well-built
Image stabilization
Internal focusing
Good image quality
Cons
Weather-sealing not comprehensive
A little image softness at higher apertures
The Nikon AF-S 105mm f/2.8 G IF ED VR Micro lens is a great jewelry photography option for Nikon shooters.
It has the right focal length and wide aperture to compress your images, give you a comfortable working distance, and also let enough light in for you to use shallow depth of field if the creative direction allows.
The lens is designed with internal focusing, which means that the lens barrel does not extend during focusing.
That gives you consistent balance and handling, while also enabling closer focusing distances and minimizing the risk of disturbing your jewelry subjects.
The images produced by this prime lens are nice and sharp for the most part, and the colors are well rendered.
Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS (Best Sony Lens for Jewelry Photography)
Pros
Weather-sealed
Image stabilization
Extremely sharp
No distortion
Customizable focus hold button
A 1:1 magnification lens, the Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS is a high-tier piece of equipment.
It’s image-stabilized and produces images that are extremely sharp from edge to edge.
Although many jewelry photographers use manual focus, you might want to use the autofocus on this lens. It focuses across the entire frame and is one of the best systems out there.
These macro lenses also feature a customizable focus hold button that can be assigned to lock focus or activate other functions, which gives you added control and flexibility during your shoots.
With this beautiful prime lens, you can maintain precise focus on your jewelry subjects without having to constantly readjust your settings.
Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S Macro (Best Nikon Z Lens for Jewelry Photography)
Credit: Steve Vansak
Pros
Weather-sealed
Image stabilization
Internal focusing
Customizable features
A macro lens with a focal length of 105mm, a 1:1 magnification ratio, and an aperture of f/2.8, the Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S is optimized for jewelry photography.
It produces stunning, sharp images, and is one of the best handling macro lenses out there.
What really makes it stand out from the crowd are its customizable features.
It has a customizable control ring that can be assigned various settings such as aperture or ISO, a customizable lens function button, plus an OLED display so you can see your settings at a glance.
You can even reverse the direction of the focus ring to fit your shooting style.
And, it has a focus limiter, so you can define a range – this is especially useful if you’re shooting with autofocus.
Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro is USM (Best Canon RF Lens for Jewelry Photography)
Pros
Weather-sealed
Bokeh control
Amazingly sharp images
1:1.4 magnification
Customizable control ring
This is the RF version of one of the most popular EF lenses ever made, and all reports point to it being just as good, if not better.
The EF lens delivered 1:1 magnification, whereas this lens gets a boost to 1:1.4 for slightly larger-than-life images.
It has the perfect combination of focal length and aperture for jewelry photography, and the images it produces are outstanding – ridiculously sharp, and with the warm true-to-life colors Canon is famous for.
As with the Nikon lens above, there’s also a customizable control ring you can program to adjust various settings such as aperture, ISO, or exposure compensation.
And, something extra special, it’s the first lens to ever offer a Spherical Aberration Control. This changes the position of the elements within the lens to give you creative control over the shape and texture of the bokeh.
What Are the Best APS-C Lenses for Jewelry Photography in 2024?
Nikon AF-S DX 85mm f/3.5G VR Micro
Pros
Compact and lightweight
Good focal length
Image stabilization
Minimal distortion
Cons
Slower than competitors
Some softness wide open
With a focal length full-frame equivalent of 127.5mm and a 1:1 magnification ratio, the Nikon AF-S DX 85mm f/3.5G VR Micro lens excels at close-up photography.
The focal length gives you a good working distance and means you can create a decent amount of compression.
The constant aperture of f/3.5, while a little narrower than the ideal, is still enough to let in a good amount of light and, given the focal length, gives you plenty of room to play with depth of field.
It’s relatively compact and lightweight, coming in at around 330 grams.
It has great optical quality, with the lens coated to reduce flare and ghosting, and it produces sharp images with accurate colors.
Oshiro 60mm f/2.8 for Canon EF-S
Pros
Affordable
Good image quality
Well-built
2:1 magnification
Compact
Cons
Can struggle to let enough light in
At under US$200, this lens is a great option for anyone on a tight budget or just getting started with jewelry photography.
It’s equivalent to a full-frame 90mm lens and gives users a 2:1 magnification ratio. This creates larger-than-life macro images, which is really great for highlighting particular details and textures in the jewelry designs you’re photographing.
It’s compact and lightweight, weighing in at just 440 grams, and this sleek, portable design pairs well with Canon EF-S mount DSLR cameras, offering a balanced and ergonomic shooting experience.
The Oshiro 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens is a fully manual focus lens, giving you precise control, and the focus ring turns smoothly and has a good feel to it.
Fujinon XF 80mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro
Pros
Weather-resistant
Image stabilization
Razor sharp images
Works well with extension tubes
Cons
Some softness in the corners
Quite bulky and heavy
Expensive
This is a 1:1 magnification ratio macro lens with a fixed focal length that’s equivalent to a full-frame 122mm.
It’s not as sleek and compact as the Olympus lens below, but it delivers a longer focal length, which can be handy, and optical excellence.
It’s well-known for the stunningly sharp and vibrant images it creates, even at close distances.
Although, I have seen some complaints about the images falling away a little at the corners, so that’s something to look out for.
It’s a fast lens, with an f/2.8 aperture and a nine-blade rounded diaphragm. This can help you create smooth background blur to isolate the jewelry you’re shooting.
And it creates pleasing bokeh, which adds a professional aesthetic to your jewelry product photography.
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro
Pros
Well-designed
Excellent optical quality
Compact
Wide aperture
Cons
Loses sharpness at high apertures
Weighing just 185 grams and measuring approximately 82mm in length, this macro lens is incredibly compact and lightweight.
It delivers a 1:1 magnification ratio and has a full-frame focal length equivalent of 120mm, which is perfect for jewelry photography.
The f/2.8 aperture delivers excellent low-light performance and shallow depth of field capabilities, allowing you to isolate your subject and create beautifully blurred backgrounds in your jewelry photographs.
It has fast, quiet, and accurate autofocus and high-quality optics.
The lens is coated to reduce ghosting and glare and has ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) and HR (High Refractive Index) elements, which minimize chromatic aberrations and ensure your images are sharp from edge to edge.
Which Type of Lens Is Best for Jewelry Photography?
Credit: Marta Branco
That would be a macro lens.
Macro lenses are specifically designed for close-up, detail-focused photography, which is essential for both jewelry photography and product photography.
These lenses provide magnification and a flat field of focus, ensuring that the images they produce are sharp from edge to edge, making them perfect for capturing intricate details in close-up shots.
Do I Need a Tilt-Shift Lens To Photograph Jewelry?
Credit: Claudio Schwarz
Tilt-shift lenses offer unique capabilities for controlling perspective distortion and depth of field, but the main focus of jewelry photography is on capturing fine details and textures.
So, they’re not essential, but they can create some interesting creative possibilities.
There’s also the fact that it can be quite hard to find good quality tilt-shift lenses for some camera ecosystems, for example, the Sony E system.
What to Look for in a Camera Lens for Jewelry Photography
The best macro lens for jewelry is one with a magnification ratio of 1:1 or higher, as this will ensure you can capture the smallest details of your jewelry pieces.
Sharpness, even at wide apertures, is also an essential quality for capturing the jewelry’s intricate textures and fine details.
You need to consider the minimum focusing distance of the macro lens, as this will determine how close you can get to your subjects.
A shorter minimum focusing distance allows for tighter framing and greater magnification, making it easier to photograph small jewelry pieces.
The wider the aperture, the better – consider f/2.8 as the minimum – as it allows for more control over depth of field and background blur.
Also, see if the macro lenses you’re considering have any specialized features, such as built-in LED lights or focus stacking capabilities, as those can be useful when shooting product photography for a jewelry business.
As for optical image stabilization, it’s not essential.
Most jewelry photography takes place in a studio using a tripod. But it’s not a bad feature to have, just in case you shoot some pieces on location or handheld to get some interesting perspectives.
What Focal Length Is Best for Jewelry Photography?
Generally, macro lenses with focal lengths of 60mm and higher are best.
Longer focal lengths provide more compression (allowing you to get creative with depth of field) and a narrower field of view, which helps isolate individual pieces of jewelry, fill the frame, and create visually appealing compositions.
Should I Use Extension Tubes When Photographing Jewelry?
Credit: Dennis van Zuijlekom, CC-BY-SA-2.0-DEED, via Flickr
They can be useful, especially for capturing intricate details or getting close-up shots.
Extension tubes increase the distance between the camera sensor and the lens, allowing for closer focusing distances and magnification of the subject.
This enables you to fill the frame with small jewelry pieces and capture fine details such as gemstones, textures, and engravings so you can create sharper, more detailed images without cropping.
They’re also cost-effective alternatives to dedicated macro lenses, which can be expensive. Plus, they open you up to being able to use many different kinds of lenses.
You can use them with a standard prime lens (of 50mm and more), a zoom lens or telephoto (of 85mm and over), plus macro and vintage lenses. And each will give your jewelry photography a distinctive look.
However, extension tubes do have downsides, such as reduced light transmission and depth of field (this can make it more difficult to focus precisely), as well as the increased possibility of camera shake.
FAQs About the Best Lenses for Jewelry Photography
Can I use a standard camera lens for jewelry photography?
Yes, you can.
Do you need a macro lens for jewelry photography?
Technically, you can photograph jewelry with anything, even a zoom lens. But you’ll get the best results with a macro lens.
Do I need a tilt-shift lens to photograph jewelry?
No, you don’t.
Can I avoid focus stacking if I use a tilt-shift lens when photographing jewelry?
They can minimize the need for it, but may not eliminate it entirely.
What aperture is the best for jewelry photography?
It depends on the focal length you’re using and on the creative effect you want. But get a macro lens with the widest aperture possible.
What is the best iPhone lens for jewelry photography?
You can get specialized macro photography lens attachments for the iPhone from, for example, Sandmarc or Moment.
Is a 50mm lens good for jewelry photography?
It’s OK, but generally, the longer the focal length, the better.
What size lens is best for jewelry photography?
In terms of focal length, then 60mm and upwards is best for jewelry.
What mm lens is best for jewelry photography?
60mm and upwards work best.
