Light Tent Kit for photographing jewelry

Can anyone recommend a decent light tent kit to photograph jewelry for non-professional use? Found the one listed below but I don't really need anything higher than 10-12". I'd like it to be relatively portable so the tent, lights, etc. fold up so they can be stored or easily transported when not in use.

http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Photo-Continuous-Lighting-PBL/dp/B001BAJLD0

I've done some Google searches and just can't seem to find what I'm looking for.

Right now I take the photos outside but the lighting isn't always ready when I am and set-up can be a pain. Plus, the jewelry is not mine and I'd like to teach the individual to take their own shots using a tent that diffuses light.

I don't need much better photo quality than this (though I'm sure with practice the photos could be better):





I didn't do a good job at custom white balance. It's a pain to remove the gray background so I have to brush up on that technique too.



Thank you.

--
gail ~ http://www.pbase.com/gailb

My Canon s90 BLOG: http://www.digicamhelp.com/camera-logs/canon-s90/canon-s90-first-impressions/

@gail: photos look much better, comparing with mine

I am interested in light tent too... and as cheap as possible...

options I am looking at right now are...

1) build softbox myself -- homedepot has pvc pipe using that and matching connectors build a soft box of required size, use shower curtain to wrap that box to get diffused light from outside

2) I was looking at another option from Adoram, right now they are on special price with free shipping.

Adorama De-Shadow
http://www.adorama.com/VRDSB1616.html

But definitely, I will be following this thread to find out more about tent as well as jewelry photography.

Ray

gail said:

Can anyone recommend a decent light tent kit to photograph jewelry for non-professional use? Found the one listed below but I don't really need anything higher than 10-12". I'd like it to be relatively portable so the tent, lights, etc. fold up so they can be stored or easily transported when not in use.

http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Photo-Continuous-Lighting-PBL/dp/B001BAJLD0

I've done some Google searches and just can't seem to find what I'm looking for.

Right now I take the photos outside but the lighting isn't always ready when I am and set-up can be a pain. Plus, the jewelry is not mine and I'd like to teach the individual to take their own shots using a tent that diffuses light.

I don't need much better photo quality than this (though I'm sure with practice the photos could be better):





I didn't do a good job at custom white balance. It's a pain to remove the gray background so I have to brush up on that technique too.



Thank you.

--
gail ~ http://www.pbase.com/gailb

My Canon s90 BLOG: http://www.digicamhelp.com/camera-logs/canon-s90/canon-s90-first-impressions/

Click to expand...

Hm... in general I'd discourage to use so called 'light tents'. In the hand of amateurs the results very often end in flat lighting. :-(

Okay, with maybe the exception of lighting jewelry, i.e. metallic objects where gradiant reflections aren't created as easy as when using a 'coon'.

Nevertheless I wouldn't buy any of the ready-mades as they don't offer a continous reflection. At some point a vertical or horizontal support gets in the way, interrupting a wished-for gradiant.
My suggestion is simple: get a roll of Translum, a very stiff diffusion media:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=translum&N=0&InitialSearch=yes

Cut a length and shape a slanted cone out of it (fix it with Scotch tape). Size to your liking though I'd make it as large as feasible. Cut off the tip amply for the camera / lens. Now after arranging your subject place it over it and set the lights accordingly.

--
cheers, Peter
Germany

gail said:

Can anyone recommend a decent light tent kit to photograph jewelry for non-professional use?

Click to expand...

I bought a nice little kit off of eBay for my wife to shoot her jewelry creations. It came with lights, stands, light tent, backgrounds, and a nice case to store it all. The 30W lights work great and the light stands and fixtures are cheap, but serviceable. I bought a cheap Vanguard tripod to complete the kit, but doing over would probably go with a Slik Sprint tripod.

http://www.ebigonline.com/p-206-new-32-studio-photography-lighting-tent-soft-photo-kit.aspx

The 32" tent was too large, so I bought a 2nd hand Photek Digital Light house and it works great. There is a noticeable difference in quality between Photek Digital Light House and the cheap Chinese tent from the kit. I can highly recommend the Photek tent, as it offers good diffusion, no color influence, and a lot of flexibility.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/301877-REG/Photek_DLH_10_13_Digital_Lighthouse_Shooting_Tent.html

Impact make a similar model

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/386542-REG/Impact_DLS_S_Digital_Light_Shed.html

The main thing is to have a couple of decent wattage daylight balanced CFL lights with tabletop stands. Her kit came with 30W bulbs. I taught her to watch the shadows for light placement and to put the front on for very reflective, roundish surfaces. She got very good results with her kit, much better than a lot of what I see and some of it near commercial quality. The light tent gets about 80% quality for about 20% effort. Highly recommended for someone with minimal needs.

-Gene L.
http://www.ttl-biz.com
http://www.studiography.blogspot.com

You might take a look here:
http://store.tabletopstudio-store.com

and an E-bay store search will turn up many low cost alternatives.

What you want to do is not difficult, but it does require some quite specific tools and techniques.

I think there is also an Amphoto book on the subject.
--
Member of The Pet Rock Owners and Breeders Association
Boarding and Training at Reasonable Rates
Photons by the bag.
Gravitons no longer shipped outside US or Canada
-----.....------

if I mock you, it may be well deserved.

Thank you for all the suggestions. I like the Impact Digital Light Shed, though it's not a kit but it's the size I'm looking for.

She has two Ott lights so maybe they will work.

I'll keep looking but, if I can't find anything else, I may get the light shed.
--
gail ~ http://www.pbase.com/gailb

My Canon s90 BLOG: http://www.digicamhelp.com/camera-logs/canon-s90/canon-s90-first-impressions/

gail said:

Thank you for all the suggestions. I like the Impact Digital Light Shed, though it's not a kit but it's the size I'm looking for.

She has two Ott lights so maybe they will work.

I'll keep looking but, if I can't find anything else, I may get the light shed.

Click to expand...

The Impact tent looks nearly identical to the small Photek Digital Lighthouse, only cheaper.

The Ott lights are daylight balanced fluorescent? That should be fine so long as they are reasonably bright (else the exposure gets kind of long and ambient room light can creep in through the front). If possible, do a custom white balance. My wife's little camera can't do custom, so I found a setting that worked well with the lights. Nice thing is, it is always the same and there is no danger of auto-white balance reacting to the color of the subject.

-Gene L.
http://www.ttl-biz.com
http://www.studiography.blogspot.com

I bought light tents to do my wife's fascinators etc with A total failure, not matter what I did I could not get sufficient light into it. I had a ex 430 each side a ex550 across the to and ex 580 in front. I bough the light tent primarily to overcome the colour cast in the area I use for product shoots.

i even tried building my own lights before buying all the Canon EX flash units. I could blind anyone looking, but the light tent was way to to dark, no highlights.

Changed tack, now using back drop and soft boxes which gives me better light control and placement. Further I can move the object away from the backdrop so that the background becomes a blur and only the hair piece is highlighted.
--
my 2 exposed flashcubes worth.

Ian the pbase supporter.
http://pbase.com/ianm_au

Please check my profile for equipment list.
An amateur with dreams of being a good to excellent photographer.

irm said:

I bought light tents to do my wife's fascinators etc with A total failure, not matter what I did I could not get sufficient light into it. I had a ex 430 each side a ex550 across the to and ex 580 in front. I bough the light tent primarily to overcome the colour cast in the area I use for product shoots.

i even tried building my own lights before buying all the Canon EX flash units. I could blind anyone looking, but the light tent was way to to dark, no highlights.

Changed tack, now using back drop and soft boxes which gives me better light control and placement. Further I can move the object away from the backdrop so that the background becomes a blur and only the hair piece is highlighted.
--
my 2 exposed flashcubes worth.

Ian the pbase supporter.
http://pbase.com/ianm_au

Please check my profile for equipment list.
An amateur with dreams of being a good to excellent photographer.

Click to expand...

Just out of curiosity, what were you using for exposure control when shooting in the tent?

I ask because it sounds as though you were in an auto mode that was causing underexposure due to the "flood" of light from all sides in the tent.
this is one place where the auto systems will fail miserably.

--
Member of The Pet Rock Owners and Breeders Association
Boarding and Training at Reasonable Rates
Photons by the bag.
Gravitons no longer shipped outside US or Canada
-----.....------

if I mock you, it may be well deserved.

Yeah, I made my own for this purpose once out of pvc pipe and "T" connectors with some muslin and some of those silver dome lights. Worked great for the price (about $30, including lights, I think).

I just tight fit it for easy dis-assembly, strung some monofilament to hang earrings from and used a sheet of white posterboard for a fluid backdrop.

I prefer not to go the home made route, as there will be times the kit will be used in different locations. I appreciate all the suggestions.
--
gail ~ http://www.pbase.com/gailb

My Canon s90 BLOG: http://www.digicamhelp.com/camera-logs/canon-s90/canon-s90-first-impressions/