I am in the market for a camera
Matnicles
Posts: 2 ✭
I need a camera so I can get into taking pictures of coins close up so I can sell them on Ebay.
I don't want it to break the bank so my budget is $500.
Any help on this would be great, thanks!
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I don't know anything about cameras but that is one fine looking doggy!
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
If 500 is your budget I would look into macro attachments for your smartphone. You’ll also need other equipment which will eat up that 500 quickly - a cheap copy stand (or a ghetto-rigged tripod if you’re cheap like me), at least 2 jansjo led lamps from ikea - probably 3 - a nice piece of black felt and a subscription to photoshop essentials.
IMHO here is where you need to start if you are serious.
Start with a macro lens. Your budget limits you to something like a Sigma 105 mm (the Sigma 150 mm is nicer but busts your budget). Maybe $250 here, but the lens is the core of the setup.
Once you have the lens, mate it with a camera body based on the mount type. Many older camera bodies take fine photos. Maybe $150 here.
Then figure out how to mount the setup on a copy stand of some sort. I was extra lucky to find a great copy stand for $10 at an estate sale, but you may find something that will work well. Try to get the camera/lens a couple of feet above the coin which makes lighting easier. Allowing $100 here
Lights. The IKEA Jansjo are OK - I use those and some other gooseneck lights.
Book - buy a book on coin photography. Numismatic Photography by Goodman is a good one.
Of course there are lots of other options. Good luck with your setup.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
I am going to say for just EBay your cell phone will do good enough provided it not older than 3 years old and is not a flip phone but a android smart phone. I am guessing you have one since most teenagers have one. Not saying your a teenager only that cell phones are every where. I have at least 4 of them myself.
Another thought:
I saw a neat setup that CoinZip had at a local show. Basically a light box and you use your cell phone to take the photos, It was quite impressive.
I cannot find a link but if you contact Coin Zip, I am sure he will send you some info on it. Small and compact and easy to use.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
Camera, macro lens, lights, copy stand... research before you buy:
https://www.amazon.com/Numismatic-Photography-2nd-Mark-Goodman/dp/193399004X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1543364620&sr=1-1&keywords=Numismatic+Photography
Successful BST transactions with forum members thebigeng, SPalladino, Zoidmeister, coin22lover, coinsarefun, jwitten, CommemKing.
For $500 you can put together a nearly world-class system! In fact you can do it for even less, perhaps $300. The drawbacks are that the focusing is manual (which is better for macro anyway), and that budget only allows for a tripod, not a real copy stand or microscope stand. But the $300 includes camera, lens, lights, and tripod...
http://macrocoins.com
get the lowest cost Canon Rebel, even used.
because theCanon SW for that comes with the Camera. Or you dwld it from Canon for free.(for a suitable for the sw camera)
get a sigma or Tamron 90mm true macro lens (not good for anything else.)
get an old darkroom enlarger stand....a must.. 2nd hand stores etc.
get ACDsee photo SW... it is priced very reasonable but works for what you want it.. i use it for about 10 years now.
and get acouple of flex goose neck lamps
then you need some "handymen" ands and tools
oh, you will also need a small pane of glass for the more difficult stuff (axial photography)
u might need $ 5-600, but worth it.
PM if you want axial instructions.
OH, white balance issues??? the canon will take care of that with auto setting on WB..
and you control everything with your mouse
Piece of cake.....
good luck
Here's the list for an eBay-sourced (all US sellers) complete coin photography system, total price of $259.80 including shipping: (or $239.82 if you have an IKEA near you)
DSLR Camera with Live View tethering and vibration-free electronic shutter: $102.46
https://ebay.com/itm/Canon-Rebel-XS-10-1MP-Digital-SLR-Camera-Black-Body-Only-GREAT-COND/302945904807?hash=item4688fba8a7:rk:1:pf:0
Camera adapter: $7.16
https://ebay.com/itm/M42-Pentax-screw-Metal-Lens-to-Canon-EOS-EF-Camera-mount-adapter-Ring-EF-S-T7i/202349161201?hash=item2f1cf32af1:rk:1:pf:0
Focusing Helicoid allowing full range of US coin sizes to be framed: $26.69
https://ebay.com/itm/US-36-90mm-M52-to-M42-Adjustable-Focusing-Helicoid-Adapter-Macro-Extension-Tube/392050385209?hash=item5b48062139:g:MY8AAOSwE7db0DTR:rk:1:pf:0
Lens Adapter: $4.75
https://ebay.com/itm/Leica-M39-Lens-to-Pentax-M42-39mm-to-42mm-Step-up-screw-Mount-Adapter-Ring/191265587326?hash=item2c8851407e:g:Z-YAAOSwnDZT1dY1:rk:1:pf:0
Sharp macro Lens: $40
https://ebay.com/itm/Mint-Vintage-NIKON-EL-Nikkor-75mm-f-4-Lens-in-CP2-Case-Pristine-SHIPS-FREE/143000649825?hash=item214b80c061:g:yzkAAOSwOkxb3mFg:rk:4:pf:0
Manual Focusing Rail: $15.29
https://ebay.com/itm/4-Way-Macro-Focusing-Rail-Slider-Close-up-Shooting-for-Canon-Sony-Camera-US/163326129406?hash=item2606fef4fe:g:roAAAOSwb-Rby7Oj:rk:2:pf:0
Tripod: $19.55 (note I have not evaluated this tripod so can't vouch for its usefulness)
https://ebay.com/itm/Lusana-Studio-17-Mini-Tripod-Table-Top-Travel-Camera-Camcorder-Travel-Tripod/372387339888?hash=item56b403de70:g:5E8AAOSwkaxbYPak:sc:UPSGround!95051!US!-1:rk:76:pf:0
LED Gooseneck Lights: $43.90 (note you can buy these at IKEA stores for $9.99 each if you have a store near you)
https://ebay.com/itm/Ikea-Jansjo-Flexible-Black-Desk-Table-Study-LED-Goose-Neck-Lamp/361771479477?epid=855505654&hash=item543b42b1b5:g:4coAAOSwZJBYAlc8:rk:41:pf:0
http://macrocoins.com
Just taking a quick look, this trip looks too puny to be sturdy enough. But the point remains that you don't need to break the budget to get an adequate setup.
Where else can you get all this information and such thoughtful replies from knowledgeable people within hours.
This forum rocks.
Over
"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso
Yikes! The guy want ebay images, not trueviews...
If it's for ebay, any cheap point and shoot with macro will probably work for starters. I'll bet you can pick up a decent one for $50-$100 bucks. (I use my ol' trusty Canon G12 for coins.) You should probably work on your lighting and editing first, coins are a different beast than normal photography. Camera doesn't matter so long as it produces a decent image quality, the hard part will be learning how to light and edit/resize the images. Good technique wins over equipment...
Also consider that part of the cost is the software you use. The free software you can download from the camera manufacure's site might be quite good, but I've been using Photoshop for more than a couple decades, so I've never tried any.
If you decide you don't want to really get into it or find you only have a short run, your initial investment will be small, and the camera can actually be used as a camera.
If you decide you need something better once you reach the limits of your current setup, then you should look into more specialized equipment and software.
It's probably adequate but maybe a more traditional one would be better. There are 13000 tripods for sale on eBay for under $30, so many choices. The Zomei Q111 looks pretty good:
https://ebay.com/itm/ZOMEI-Q111-Professional-Photography-Equipment-Tripod-for-DSLR-Canon-Nikon-Sony/352222118388?epid=25008801089&hash=item52021301f4:g:cGIAAOSwSrNaCWKj:rk:9:pf:0
The problem with most tripods is getting close enough, since the tripods don't go very low. But you can always add height with books or whatever to raise the "stage".
http://macrocoins.com
On eBay...
Investing in a good setup and learning how to use it to do good photos will pay for itself many times over in improved sales and profits.
http://macrocoins.com
@Matnicles ....Welcome aboard... Absolutely fantastic advice in the posts above... and the reasons I do not get into coin photography...
Cheers, RickO
Be careful and check to ensure your purchase has tethering capabilities. Many of the cheaper ones do not. Tethering is such a time saver. Macro lens and stand, as many have said. It may be simpler to use a good smart phone and apps until you see what you need, saving a lot of money temporarily. Mark Goodman's book is highly recommended. Best of luck.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Yes, very important. The Canon Rebel XS I recommended above comes with Canon's Digital Photo Professional software, which is pretty much all I use. I don't use PS and only occasionally use LR when I'm doing more extensive adjustments. The camera also comes with EOS Utility, which gives you most camera controls on your monitor. You can view the whole coin live on screen for framing the shot and adjusting lighting. It has a zoom window so you can do critical focusing. You can adjust exposure/sharpness/saturation/white balance parameters with mouse clicks and immediately see what the effect is. Snap the shot with your mouse, and it immediately downloads to the DPP software for editing.
Be careful when looking over other cameras for "tethering" capability. Many cameras can "tether", but what it means is that you can download images via USB cable or BT or WiFi, but what you really want is the Live View capability. Canon cameras from the XS onward can do this using the EOS Utility, which is free with the camera. Nikon cameras can also do this, but you need to buy the software. Only a few other cameras are capable of doing Live View, so again be careful when you are talking "tethering".
CAVEAT: EOS Utility works for all Windows and most Macs but Canon has not yet released a working version for Mojave OS.
http://macrocoins.com
EOS Utility may not officially support macOS Mojave, but it works just fine with the handful of camera models I've used it with.
Which version of EOS Utility are you using with Mojave?
http://macrocoins.com
Actually now that I consider further, I believe I needed to download the latest version from a different regional Canon website. I think I downloaded from Canon UK. Canon USA is apparently slacking.
I am running EOS Utility 3.9.
Thanks Davideo, I will try that.
http://macrocoins.com
rmpsrpms
Good information and thank you. I did not know that some camera's do not tether. I guess I got lucky when I bought the Cannon T6i. It is in the lower range of the camera's. I could not see myself spending 4 grand on a camera. 600 to 800 was more in my range and even then I had to save up or work it off which is what I am doing now! If I can just stop buying coins!