Small jewelry help

[Quovadis]

Just as i thought I had everything totally under control, and am very confident about photographing hand bags, My wife asked me to photograph some small jewelry.
No matter what I try, the pictures are out of focus.
I have tried a 35mm prime, 18-55, 50mm prime and 55-200mm. Tried from f8-f16.
Shutter is always 1-100 or higher.
I'm using multiple strobes, so light is not a problem.
If i take a picture of the whole box, that's ok, but if I take a pic of the pearl up close it's all fuzzy.
Any ideas?

 

[tirediron]

You're inside the minimum focusing distance of the lens and/or you have insufficient DoF. How are you focusing?

 

[Quovadis]

Tried both manual and auto. If i'm inside, the lens will not AF at all. But i see what you mean. Also if i'm inside I cannot focus manually either. I normally stay on the limit between in and out. Maybe I should move further back...but these are really small pieces of jewelry.
What mm would you use for small pieces like this? I do not have a 100mm prime, only 35mm and 50mm

 

[tirediron]

You can either go back further and then crop, or get an alternate to a macro lens such as a reversing ring or extension tubes which will allow you to focus much more closely with your current lens.

 

[astroNikon]

This is where a nice prime Macro lens helps. Not just a longer focal length lens but one specific for "Macro", such as a 105mm Macro lens. There's also 60mm macro available and there's a 85mm DX Macro too (not just a regular 85, but a specific macro version). Then you can get super close and fill up the frame.

Or, as mentioned, move back and then crop the image.
fyi, I've never used the 85mm DX Macro lens.

 

[Quovadis]

This is what I have discovered.
The whole box and jewel looks ok....as soon as I crop the jewel it's all fuzzy.
I am using the 35mm prime which seems to be the best from the selection I have. I'm at 100 iso, and 1-250 s. F11. I sharpen to maximum in the RAW editor.
Umm ....this has to be a lens problem? Or does cropping in the raw editor makes things fuzzy?
I crop all my bags and they are tack sharp...but they are much bigger than a small jewel.
Damn...now I have an excuse to buy another lens...

 

[Quovadis]

You can either go back further and then crop, or get an alternate to a macro lens such as a reversing ring or extension tubes which will allow you to focus much more closely with your current lens.

Do you have examples of which of these to buy that would fit a 35mm? I have no clue

 

[Quovadis]

This guy recommends a 28-105 and they are cheap

 

[fmw]

I recommend finding a good macro lens. Not only do they focus closely but they also have flat fields which is what you want for closeup photography. Reversing rings etc. are exactly the opposite and tend to provide worse results. Your strobes can handle the exposure. A good macro lens will astound you with its closeup performance. You should be able to find one on Amazon or Ebay for around $200.

 

[photo1x1.com]

This guy recommends a 28-105 and they are cheap

I just googled the lens in the youtube video - it has a max. magnification of 1:2 which is not bad, and good value for money, but I wouldn´t call it the best macro lens.
Your 50mm f1.4 has a maximum magnification of 1:6.7
Your 35mm f1.8 has a maximum magnification of 1:6.1
So the mentioned lens will give you a significantly bigger image.

If you want to get even bigger, you need a lens with a magnification of 1:1 - those are the classic macro lenses.
Other choices are as tirediron has suggested extension tubes, that can get you similar magnification (depending on your lens), or a reverse mount, that might even get you bigger magnification (again depending on your lens - the more wideangle, the more magnification).
However keep in mind that the bigger your magnification, the shallower your DOF will get. People are using focus stacking software with several images that have different focus settings and combine them to one. I have never tried that though. So as user fmw is suggesting a macro lens usually offers a smaller aperture (bigger f-number) than regular lenses to increase DOF - plus, they usually are optimized to be a bit sharper at higher f-numbers than regular lenses.

As for recommendations for extention tubes: I am a canon guy, so I can´t give you an exact recommendation, but I always went with the cheapest ones. I don´t need no autofocus with these because I focus using live view, so any extension tube will do that is capable of controlling the lens aperture (which most should).
Regarding reversing rings: you´d want one with 52mm thread if you want to use your 35mm lens.

Cropping will never make your image better. The more you crop, the worse it gets and you will start to see pixelation, like with the gold/green earring. That´s why we all are happy newer cameras have more megapixel - you can crop and still retain a rather big image.

 

[Quovadis]

Do all extension tubes fit? Sorry, I am new to any thing that is not photographing bags. I have a DX camera Nikon d3300. Are extension tubes pertinent to the camera? Or the lens?
The lens I use most is a 35mm prime or a 50mm prime.

 

[Quovadis]

would this work?
Amazon.com : Fotodiox Nikon Macro Extension Tube Kit for Nikon Cameras, Extreme Close-ups : Camera Lens Extension Tubes : Camera & Photo

 

[tirediron]

I would spend the little extra $$ and get a set of Kenko tubes if that's how you want to proceed.

 

[Quovadis]

Indeed, thank you. Moreover they are auto.
I also bought a 52mm reversible lens ring. It will be interesting to compare both techniques

 

[Quovadis]

What happens when you reverse the lens and the extension tubes together?
Or can you only reverse the lens on it's own?