I generally advise using 3D renders over product photography because it is much more cost- and time-effective and flexible in terms of studio and model setup. It generates good, professional results. If you want to go the extra mile, such as capturing a specific mood or material such as a rustic wood, an aged material, a specific type of silicone, or capturing a lot of detail such as for jewellery, I sometimes do recommend using product photography. There are some tricks to creating realistic looking renders, as the eye easily spots signs of artificiality that make the render appear ‘off’. Such as putting textures on every part. There’s a balance between what you can do with virtual environments over real photography, while maintaining a sense of realism.