Christmas Present- Camera Good For Taking Watch Photos

[Zumtil]

As the title suggests, my mom has been dating her boyfriend for about two years now, and I want to do something nice for them. He is a watch repairer/maker, with a pretty decent business. I introduced him to E-bay, and he has been selling his own watches on their. I gave him my old Camera but it doesn't really do justice as its a Nikon 8MP camera. I'm sure most of you probably know when it comes to selling things on the internet its all about presentation. No one wants to buy something if they do not know how great it actually looks in real life.

We built a self made photo booth, with cardboard box and white paper to help take better pictures but I think the camera is limiting outcome of the pictures.

So on to the actual question:

1. $300-$400 Dollar Budget
2. Good for taking photos close up.
3. Chargeable battery
4. Hooks up to computer easily.
5. Not to complicated to use.

Sorry for this being my first post but honestly I am horrible at photography and I really want to do something nice for my mom and him. So any help and suggestions would be really helpful.

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

 

[tirediron]

I'm sure that the camera he already has is fine; for work like this, it's the lighting that makes all the difference. Buy him a copy of Light, Science and Magic which will teach him how to properly light his work. Granted, after he's read it, he will probably want/need a better camera, but this would be the best first step.

 

[MLeeK]

John is right-lighting is more important than the camera. Billboards were printed from 2 and 3mp cameras so that's not the issue. Knowledge is also a HUGE key in this kind of photography. Specifically knowledge on how to light the items properly to show those details.
WHAT Nikon 8mp camera do you have?
If you are really set upon buying them a new camera there are some phenomenal point and shoot and DSLR's with the capability to do great macro work under your budget. We'll gladly help you to pick one and maybe a lighting kit to go with it.
Can you link us to some of the ebay photos that they've gotten so far? That way we can help to get the best results from whatever you decide to do.

 

[Light Guru]

A light tent would be quite helpful for shooting product photos of this nature. It helps give you nice even lighting. You may also want a nice macro lens for the camera enabling you to get the camera closer to the object.

 

[table1349]

I'm still trying to figure out how we were supposed to know that your mom has been dating her boyfriend for about two years now from your title of Christmas Present- Camera Good For Taking Watch Photos.

As for a camera, what they said. ^^^
FYI. They don't make watch cameras, car cameras, pet cameras, bird cameras, kid cameras, or landscape cameras to name just a few. It comes down to understanding light, the physics of photography and understanding your gear. Light, Science and Magic and a basic understanding of photography that can be garnered here (Digital Photography Tutorials) should do the trick.