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Budget Coin photo setup

This system has all the functions you need to take high quality photos of coins from Dimes (or smaller) to Dollars (or a little bigger, like ASEs). The setup includes Camera, lens, and copy stand, plus a very effective diffuser. The setup is based on my original "Santoku", or as I call it now "System-7", but with indirect mounting of the camera to the system.

See the System-7 here:

http://www.macrocoins.com/example-system-7.html

The specifics are:

Canon Rebel XS DSLR
Nikon 75mm EL-Nikkor with Focusing Helicoid and lens-mounted diffuser
Bausch & Lomb Microscope Stand modified for use as copy stand

Price is $535, which is a heckuva good price for camera + macro lens + copy stand. Just add a couple of your favorite lights and you're ready to go. I recommend IKEA Jansjo LED gooseneck lamps, which are $10 each at your local IKEA. Their color is very close to standard tungsten incandescent lamps (~3200K).

The Canon camera hooks up to your computer and comes with software to view the coin live on-screen. This allows you to frame the coin in the picture, adjust lighting and focus, then snap the shot. The image automatically downloads into the Canon image editing software, or you can download it directly to PhotoShop or whatever you prefer.

Shipping by USPS Medium FRB is $15.

Let me know any questions about the setup. I also offer plenty of free assistance in setting up the system and getting the most out of it, so you won't be left high and dry. Plus, I do exchanges for upgrades, etc. I've sold >60 similar systems to many happy customers.

PM me for coin photography equipment, or visit my website:

http://macrocoins.com

Comments

  • LincolnCentManLincolnCentMan Posts: 5,347 ✭✭✭✭

    Can you post some examples of coins you've taken pictures of with that system? Of particular interest to me is how it does on imaging brown high end mint state Lincolns, toner Lincolns, and toner silver coins.

    Thanks,
    Lincolncentman

  • rmpsrpmsrmpsrpms Posts: 1,817 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Well, I'm a Lincoln Cent guy, so here's one of the Toned 40-D Cents from toned roll that I'm selling on another BST post. This pic is right out of the camera...only thing I did was downsize it 50% for posting, and it's still a bit too big. The diffuser I include with the setup supports a wide range of lighting styles. In this case the light is coming from very high angle. I used two Jansjo LED lamps for this shot, both shining down onto the diffuser such that the light is coming almost straight down onto the coin. This helps to bring out the deep toning in the coin, more like you would see if you had a single halogen/fluorescent/LED light high above and held the coin so it reflects off the coin and shows its deep color. You can also adjust the lights so they shine at more of an angle to show more luster, or pull them back and make them more diffuse so the lighting is more even across the whole coin, just by moving the lights around to shine on the diffuser in different ways. Here's the shot showing the toning colors: (PS I also used one of my custom "transfer disks" with deep black background so I could avoid doing any circle cropping...the background just disappears into black)

    PM me for coin photography equipment, or visit my website:

    http://macrocoins.com
  • rmpsrpmsrmpsrpms Posts: 1,817 ✭✭✭✭✭

    You can compare this image vs the one in the collage I posted for the BST post. This coin is #2:

    https://easyzoom.com/image/126772

    I took the collage pic with my personal photo setup. Not a lot of difference. But again, lighting is the key, and this setup allows lots of flexibility.

    PM me for coin photography equipment, or visit my website:

    http://macrocoins.com
  • ChrisH821ChrisH821 Posts: 6,293 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Wow! If I didn't already have a camera I'd be after that deal!
    Do you sell the lens and copy stand separately?

    Collector, occasional seller

  • rmpsrpmsrmpsrpms Posts: 1,817 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Sure, I can sell the system without the camera, with adapter for either Canon or Nikon (or both), for $400. This would include the copy stand, lens/helicoid/adapters, and diffuser.

    I see that the image above can't be zoomed-in for some reason. Usually I can double-click and it will show it full size, but maybe this doesn't work on the BST? Anyway, I went ahead and uploaded the full size image to EasyZoom so you can see the quality of the details. You can see the image here:

    https://easyzoom.com/image/128009

    PM me for coin photography equipment, or visit my website:

    http://macrocoins.com
  • rmpsrpmsrmpsrpms Posts: 1,817 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 24, 2018 7:20PM

    The system is sold, but I have built another one as well as one of my System-1. Both are now available. The System-1 is configured as follows:

    Canon DSLR
    Bausch & Lomb microscope stand
    Novoflex bellows with camera and lens adapters
    Nikon 75mm lens with diffuser

    See what it looks like (with different lens but otherwise similar) here:

    http://www.macrocoins.com/example-system-1.html

    This new System-1 is $630 plus shipping.

    PM me for coin photography equipment, or visit my website:

    http://macrocoins.com
  • GluggoGluggo Posts: 3,566 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 24, 2018 7:56PM

    I am curious what an example of a defuser is maybe a picture of one and how you use it. Thank you

  • rmpsrpmsrmpsrpms Posts: 1,817 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 4, 2019 9:40AM

    I created a simple graphic to show how the diffusers work. Basically they take the narrow beam of a light (LED, halogen, etc) and spread it out over a wider are, making the light look "bigger". The diffuser can be masked in some areas to shape the effective light source, or to make it appear to come from a more desirable direction. Take a look here:

    Edited to add: I improved the graphic to hopefully explain better how diffusers work. The light rays coming from the source (darker blue lines) hit the diffuser, and then split into many smaller rays that shine over a wider region, making the light that hits the coin "appear" to come from a bigger light source. Take a look at the new graphic:

    PM me for coin photography equipment, or visit my website:

    http://macrocoins.com
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