: I've learned that the is no one perfect set-up, and it all depends
: on the watch, the look you are trying to achieve, etc. But you
: probably knew that from your years of experience with
: photography!!

Jeff ,

You are certainly correct that each watch can require different lighting...to make a perfect picture...but certain rules apply to all. Certain aspects of a good lighting setup will work, with small variations dictated by the angles of the bright surfaces of the particular watch. I do agree that a 105 is usually better for watches than a shorter lens. The extra distance between the watch and camera means that you can avoid more of the black reflections of the camera on some glossy metal watch surfaces.

I have one suggestion for you...which I think you can do with your new camera? Set a manual white balance before shooting. This usually involves a camera setting where you shoot a picture of a gray card or something which is neutral gray to let the camera know what is neutral. Auto white balance is a little bit tricky for a camera in macro mode...especially when you shoot on a colored background. The camera just can't figure out how to balance the color.

JohnCote