Can Anyone Recommend a Good/Cheap Digital Coin Camera?

RichR

I have an old (at least 10 years old) Lighthouse/Leutchtherm model that doesn't fully function any longer due to a lack of software upgrades.

Can anyone recommend a decent PC compatible digital camera that is easy to use with good results/resolution?

I'm primarily interested in cataloging slabs with minimal fuss...so I might treat myself to an early Christmas gift.

Thanks for any suggestions.

TurtleCat

If you’re not looking for quality exactly, you might try something like this for your phone.

https://www.amazon.com/CamStand-Mini-Smartphone-Tripod-Scanner/dp/B00UNUFEW6

Of course there are cheaper versions and variants.

yosclimber

You can get a Canon T2i for about $200 used on ebay.
You can shoot things by hand, or you can connect it to your PC & monitor with LiveView .

If you want something under $100, any generic point and shoot camera will be fine for shooting the slab labels.
It will connect to your PC with a micro USB cable, and your PC will treat it as an external disk drive,
so you can copy photos to your hard drive, then delete them.
Brands: Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Sony, etc.

And as @TurtleCat said, if you have a smartphone, you can just use the camera on that.
Download photos from your smartphone to your PC using a cable.

bsshog40

I have to agree with the others. If you're just wanting pics for categorizing, most smart phone cameras are great for that. Investment for selling might be another thing.

fathom

You can get some good rebuilt certified by Nikon on the big consumer electronic retailer websites.

coinbuf

You could see if Ray still has any of these left

https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1045766/fs-coin-photo-systems-on-sale-links-fixed#latest

joeykoins

Now, this is not your regular camera, such as a Nikon or Canon, but a microscope that you hook up to your laptop or computer. 50x -1000x magnification. Awesome to use for macro pictures. You wanted cheap price? How does $30 sound? Lol. I have two. One for a spare incase one takes a dive. Great scope for coins and/or exploring other objects around the house to entertain the little ones. Check it out. Walmart or Amazon.

jesbroken

What do you consider cheap? Do you have an exact price range in mind, a brand in mind, quality limitations, or other capabilities such as, connectivity, wifi, tethering, etc?
Jim

BryceM

I bought a used Canon DSLR for $200-300 IIRC. I added a good macro lens, a copy stand, and lights later.

Hydrant

Good/Cheap? Oxymoron; i.e., you get what you pay for.

mrcommem

You can buy a Sony Nex 5n for under $200 on e-bay. If you have some vintage lenses (Canon, Nikon, Minolta, Vivitar, and others) available you can just buy the body and an $10 adapter. The coins photographs in my sets were taken with this camera with a late 1970's Minolta lens.