Coin photo tip chain thread
shylock
Posts: 4,288 ✭✭✭
Besides the number of posters, the only major difference I see on this forum from Feb 2001 until now is the quality of the coin photos. We use to applaud anyone who figured out how to upload a fuzzy pic of anything round. Now we pass coins around to different members and vote on the subtle nuances in their setups. Coins haven't changed much in four years but coin related technology certainly has.
The PCGS forum still hasn't seen the "light" and made coin photography a forum unto itself. Since so many here have invested a lot of money and time in imaging coins, lets start a chain thread of coin photography axioms for those just getting started. Post short phrases of advice, that always hold true, when imaging a coin.
I'll start with 4:
1) Lighting is more important than the camera.
2) It's much better to underexpose than overexpose. You can usually get away with brightening a coin image. You can never salvage an overexposed image by darkening it.
3) There's a reactive art to imaging coins, based on trial and error experience with different types of coins.
4) Most of the images you take will be erased.
The PCGS forum still hasn't seen the "light" and made coin photography a forum unto itself. Since so many here have invested a lot of money and time in imaging coins, lets start a chain thread of coin photography axioms for those just getting started. Post short phrases of advice, that always hold true, when imaging a coin.
I'll start with 4:
1) Lighting is more important than the camera.
2) It's much better to underexpose than overexpose. You can usually get away with brightening a coin image. You can never salvage an overexposed image by darkening it.
3) There's a reactive art to imaging coins, based on trial and error experience with different types of coins.
4) Most of the images you take will be erased.
Paul <> altered surfaces <> CoinGallery.org
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Comments
The 50 KByte limitation makes us sacrifice lots of detail for the sake of a reduced file size limitation.
Stuart
Collect 18th & 19th Century US Type Coins, Silver Dollars, $20 Gold Double Eagles and World Crowns & Talers with High Eye Appeal
"Luck is what happens when Preparation meets Opportunity"
Paul my photos still look like fuzzy round things.
<< <i>Each coin metal has it's own lighting requirements. >>
What are they?
Thanks Marty!!
Stuart
Collect 18th & 19th Century US Type Coins, Silver Dollars, $20 Gold Double Eagles and World Crowns & Talers with High Eye Appeal
"Luck is what happens when Preparation meets Opportunity"
- Manual white balance and a grey card are your friends.
- Even a cheap copy stand or a tripod can hold the camera still better than you can.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
So true. In the IH series copper-nickel and copper are like two different animals. And there are sub-divisions, and different lighting requirements, within each depending on how well they're struck.
<< <i>Each coin metal has it's own lighting requirements. >>
And a subset of that is that those requirements may vary based on the condition of the metal. For example, red copper is shot differently than brown copper. Toned silver is shot differently than white silver.
Russ, NCNE
What are they?
For lustrous red copper and some silver I swear by Ott Lites. Not all agree with me here. They take some getting use to, but they capture copper luster better -- much better -- than any light I've used. They work great on non-prooflike silver too.
I have a closet full of lights
Real tip:
The quality and consistency of your photography will be proportional to the time that you spend perfecting your technique.
make a smaller version of that for sharing here.
<< <i>Strive for accurate pictures, not pretty pictures. You will be happier with the results and you will earn more respect. >>
But learn how to take both.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
NoEbayAuctionsForNow
<< <i>I totally agree with 2, 3, & 4 I'm still thinking about #1. I have a feeling that if you were as much a photography "idiot" as I am... an idiot proof high tech camera may be more important than lighting. >>
Actually, the low-tech cameras are the most idiot proof, as they have the least number of bells & whistles to screw things up. The cheaper ones where you point the camera and press the button are the best for photoidiots.
<< <i>Here are some more:
- Manual white balance and a grey card are your friends.
- Even a cheap copy stand or a tripod can hold the camera still better than you can. >>
What is the correct technique for employing a gray card? I've tried reading tips on the internet explaining how to use it but I seem to be missing something or I'm having a brain freeze on the concept.
Any help. . .thanks!
Jeff
Semper ubi sub ubi
<< <i>What is the correct technique for employing a gray card? I've tried reading tips on the internet explaining how to use it but I seem to be missing something or I'm having a brain freeze on the concept. >>
For calibrating the color of your lighting, illuminate the grey card as you would your coins. Turn off the camera's flash and use manual white balance. Point the camera at the grey card and set the white balance to it. You can also use a grey card to determine a good exposure setting, but due to their highly reflective nature, this doesn't tend to work well when shooting coins. I will set the coins on a grey card when shooting them out of convenience and so that only the coins affect the exposure meter.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Learn to use axial lighting for raw coins.
Use soft lighting.
And finally, realize that there are only a certain number of ways to photograph a coin in or out of a slab and that there is a quality max you can hit and then there is nothing else you can do.
Great tips from someone who images coins for a living. In my opinion you do the best job of any auction house photographer (ANR).
But I beg to differ about soft lighting in some cases. Blast red high grade copper, from the late 19th century on, demands aggressive true color impact. Ott Lites provide that, they're the best lights for capturing luster. An example: this 1939 PCGS 67RD. This coin looks even better in person but softer lighting would make it look run of the mill.
This is an axiom we all should abide by.
<< <i>. . . I will set the coins on a grey card when shooting them out of convenience and so that only the coins affect the exposure meter. >>
That's what I had been doing. It was easier to adjust the camera to get the real color of the gray card than trying to adjust with the coin.
Thanks!
Jeff
Semper ubi sub ubi
100mm macro or 200mm macro.
Pros and cons? I know you give up a stop with the 200mm.
One other question if I may.
How far is the lens from the coin with each of these?