Trying out my new macro lens. A few ok photos. Need help lol

Using an old school D200 but finally have a real macro lens to use. A Tokina atx-i 100mm F2.8FF. Definitely need some guidance on how to get better pics and set the camera settings. These are unedited except for resizing, cropping, merging. I'm using two Ikea gooseneck lights but every time I get some good lighting on the coin, the picture is so washed out. Thanks for any pointers!
Here's my current setup. I did try wrapping some tissue paper around the lights to diffuse them but not much difference.
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Comments
The first two seem to have too much light, the third looks great. The fourth coin could benefit from more light or a better lighting angle. I am no expert at photography - very far from it. But those are my impressions. Cheers, RickO
You have to diffuse those Ikea Jansjos. For an idea, try getting a few paper towels, folding them up, then taping them over the end of the light. It'll diffuse it nicely. Also, back them off, you've got them too close.
"It's like God, Family, Country, except Sticker, Plastic, Coin."
the darker the room the better until you get good.
there are 2-3 settings that can adjust how much light comes into the camera, once you tweak those and get the proper lighting angles/heigh/position etc, you're gold.
if you have a few extra bucks, pick up a shutter release remote.
Better yet, shoot tethered to a laptop with preview.
"It's like God, Family, Country, except Sticker, Plastic, Coin."
Good luck!
Great! > @DelawareDoons said:
I wasn't sure the d200 was capable of that. Will look into what I need for that.
Will check on that too. Thanks.
Tried using paper towels and tissue paper. Will give another go. Thank you.
Totally agree. Thanks .
.> @TurtleCat said:
Ok awesome will try those great tips. Appreciate it.👍
I have 10,000 posts here. Probably 50 of them say this:
Get Mark Goodman's book, Numismatic Photography. It's the Bible as far as I'm concerned. Seriously, just get it, read it, and then read it again.
What others have said about lighting is good, but your focus isn't very precise either. Fortunately, it's one of the easier things to fix. Don't use autofocus. This is one area where working live on the computer screen really helps. If it isn't focused perfectly, it will never look good.
Totally agree, don’t use autofocus. Manual focus is the only way to go. This is where the older cameras hurt as you do not get good feedback on it as you focus. It will take some experiments.
Since you’re using a Nikon, look up exposure delay mode. Should solve the need for a remote shutter release easily enough. I have mine set for 3s.
One more thought on focus with older cameras… use the date as the place to look as you focus. If you go very slowly you should see the date suddenly in focus and some die lines from the date. Odds are you’ll have the whole coin in focus. Not a 100% guarantee but I find it helps often as a starting point.
Fully agree except it is not available any more. Need a 3rd edition. Sure helped me tho, I just did what he said to do which gave me a jump forward. But IMO one has to also be willing to spend some money, maybe $2K or more on decent equipment including a good copy stand, macro, and versatile camera body. Then there is the lights, focusing rail, and other little devices that just make images better..................
Best, SH
You really don't need all that extra stuff now. Just lights, copy stand, camera body, macro lens, AC adapter, tethering cord and you're good to go. Cameras are stupid powerful and Photoshop is stupid good.
"It's like God, Family, Country, except Sticker, Plastic, Coin."
Mark Goodman's book is no longer in print and can be difficult to find, here is a link to his site coinimaging.com/. Read the articles and you can glean a ton of useful information on lighting and camera settings. Also it is not necessary to spend a ton of money (2K was mentioned) to get excellent images, great equipment can be very helpful but you already have alot of the items so now its time to read and experiment.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
Out of print! Say it isn't so......
If you're spending money, prioritize:
If you want to know what will make the most difference, for me it was:
The DSLR camera body I use was something like $300 used. The lens, I paid up for.
Always when you get new stuff, go back and set your White Balance, then take a couple shots with Aperture priority and set your lens for about f/6.3 to 7.1. Keep track of what the camera shutter speed is. After you see what that does you can go manual and adjust the speed. By then you should be fairly close.
EDITTED TO ADD - I set my camera up like that BEFORE I set White Balance, then I tweak with settings.
“We are only their care-takers,” he posed, “if we take good care of them, then centuries from now they may still be here … ”
Todd - BHNC #242
There’s 3 copies of Mark Goodman’s book on eBay right now. I’m not sure if the price is good or not though

Mr_Spud
Amazon too

Mr_Spud
I am no where near a great photographer but I took this with equipment that cost approximately $500. Again my photos will never set the world on fire and I plan to continue to work on my skills, but it is very true to the look of the coin in hand.

My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
Tethering to the laptop was a game-changer for me - it enables much more manual focus precision.
The overexposed photos can likely be corrected by lowering the exposure compensation setting. Also try place the lights at a higher angle near the camera at 10:00 and 2:00 near the lens. A lot of trial and error and persistence will get you there.
Way too much natural light coming in through your window. As someone said above, a dark room is best.
Check out my iPhone app SlabReader!
This video, while a bit slow to watch, has a lot of great hints and practical tips for coin photography. It also shows there is more than one way to do it and get similar results:
lately, I experimented using the build in flash on my Canon.
excellent satisfactory results...
@DelawareDoons was that 1867 used as jewelry it has 3 odd looking spots on the rim?
Successful BST with ad4400, Kccoin, lablover, pointfivezero, koynekwest, jwitten, coin22lover, HalfDimeDude, erwindoc, jyzskowsi, COINS MAKE CENTS, AlanSki, BryceM
Rattler holder.
"It's like God, Family, Country, except Sticker, Plastic, Coin."
Never use flash. Its far, far, far too bright.
"It's like God, Family, Country, except Sticker, Plastic, Coin."
Is that common for Rattlers? I only have had 2 rattlers., but never saw any marks like that on them.
Successful BST with ad4400, Kccoin, lablover, pointfivezero, koynekwest, jwitten, coin22lover, HalfDimeDude, erwindoc, jyzskowsi, COINS MAKE CENTS, AlanSki, BryceM
There are prongs that hold the coin in place. Those are the prongs. It is a dime, for perspective.
"It's like God, Family, Country, except Sticker, Plastic, Coin."
Oh ok. Mine were both dimes as well. I probably just didn't notice them.
Successful BST with ad4400, Kccoin, lablover, pointfivezero, koynekwest, jwitten, coin22lover, HalfDimeDude, erwindoc, jyzskowsi, COINS MAKE CENTS, AlanSki, BryceM
The D200 doesn't have live view. So while you can tether to a computer it would be basically just for image transfer and adjusting exposure. You can't adjust focus, zoom in, etc.
While the camera body is definitely not the most important part, being able to fully tether is incredibly helpful. Even a $200 D7000 would get you that.
Try a different color background. White paper reflects quite a bit of light.
How about this web site I hear the owner is a member here.
http://www.macrocoins.com/example-system-x.html
D200with Sigma 90mm

All of the above suggestions are cheaper than going to film school, which I did before taking on a career in numismatics. From my experience, everything that can be set to Manual should be done so, focus, ISO, white balance. You need to be in a space where you have full control of the lighting set up, meaning zero ambient light filtering in. Remote shutter releases are the way to go to minimize any camera motion.
And keep experimenting with your set-ups. Keep trying out different techniques and methods until you find a style or set of styles that produce the images that you want to see.
Custom album maker and numismatic photographer.
Need a personalized album made? Design it on the website below and I'll build it for you.
https://www.donahuenumismatics.com/.
Be OK with changing your settings for every coin. Some people may hit a sweet spot that works for 99% of coins, but I never did. Don't be afraid of Photoshop. Some coins are too contrasty or not contrasty enough to look their best right out of the camera.
I'd also try putting the lights right up against the barrel of the lens, pointing straight down.
LIBERTY SEATED DIMES WITH MAJOR VARIETIES CIRCULATION STRIKES (1837-1891) digital album
.
i've worked with ray, he is the best.
he helped me get the equip to shoot mintmarks so big and clear they are the size of other people's full size coin images.
Good to see some available at good prices. Last year I found one listed at triple those prices and that is it. I am glad I have 2 copies, one working copy, one saved.
Here is what great equip recommended by Goodman's book gets you, taken with:
Kaiser RS-1 copy stand (bought for 1/2 price retail used but in perfect cond)
Kaiser RTP arm
Kaiser lighting system, use Par30 halogens or LEDs depending on coin and what I am showing
Sigma 150 mm macro lens
Nikon D90
Velbon Super Mag Slider Macro Rail - Magnesium
Nikon DG-2 Eyepiece Magnifier
Adobe Photoshop
I did not try to cut costs in the equip, dang glad I did not. I feel like anything, you get what you pay for.
Best, SH
How is this one? Feedback? Focus still needs work.

the brightness can be edited via some type of ev +/- button as well. i think there may be one on the outside of the camera, depends on model though. internal settings are probably better to get used to.
did you tinker with the ISO and aperture settings?
you are getting closer. do you push the button on the camera for shutter release?
The exposure needs to be adjusted. Are you shooting in manual mode? That is the best way. Set the ISO to the lowest numbered value, turn off auto ISO adjustments, set the aperture to F10 (as a good start), and then adjust shutter speed until it looks right.
With some cameras you can do an exposure delay mode which can be handy to minimize camera shake. Some let you use a remote app on your phone as a shutter release. Worst case is to use the timer. But I think the issue is more about getting focus nailed down on the camera more than camera shake. What I’m seeing is the plane of focus isn’t on the right area.
My starter advice is to get the date perfectly in focus with some of the field in focus at the same time. If you pull that off the odds are the rest will fall in place.
I took auto focus off and set it to ISO 100.
Yes, I have it on a 5 second timer.
Here's the setting I'm using. I'm still getting use to the terminology. This is manual mode, right? Lol



Appreciate the guidance.😎
The Tokina lens you are using is an excellent lens and a good value at current prices. The Nikon D200 is plenty of camera as well.
One thing to check with respect to focusing is to be sure the sensor is parallel to the coin. Use a bubble level on the camera and surface to ensure your focus is the same across the coin.
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
Just looking at my setup, I can see that the camera is too heavy for my copy stand base. Its definitely not level. I'm going to beef it up.
@coinJP the picture you showed shows the lens is in manual mode. The CSM you see on that dial stand for (M)anual focusing, (C)ontinuous focusing, and (S)ingle focusing. You want to keep it at M. It’s not the same as manual mode for exposure, though.
From the top dial (where the MODE button and on/off are) I can easily see your settings. Your camera is in Manual mode. That is good. Aperture is F10 is set that’s good. You are set to auto white balance. You’ll want to make that a (PRE)set white balance as it will save you a LOT of grief. Your shutter speed is currently 1/10. You can use the back dial on the upper right (horizontal dial) to make that faster/slower. Given what I’m seeing rotate that dial until you see 30 meaning 1/30 exposure. Then adjust the dial left or right to taste.
You also have the camera set to record JPEG images in Large basic. That’s fine but you will want Large fine jpegs instead as the quality is much better - it also means having the white balance set correctly is essential. There are some vids on YouTube to help you do all the settings. You’re actually very close. If you were near me, I could have you going in about 10 minutes. That’s how close you are.
One of the things I keep in my camera bag is a WhiBal white balance card. Comes in handy in many photo scenarios, not just coins.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
I use autofocus. It is better than my eye.
There’s no one magic set of iso/aperture/exposure.
I do recommend a rock-solid copy stand rated for the weight of your camera. They are expensive.
I also recommend a remote shutter release. They are cheap.
LIBERTY SEATED DIMES WITH MAJOR VARIETIES CIRCULATION STRIKES (1837-1891) digital album
Alright great to hear! I see what your referring to now about the 1/30. Ok will change it to Large fine JPEG. Yes, I watched a few videos , need to replay them. Thanks.> @messydesk said:
I do have one! It has grey scale, white and black. Thanks.
Ok this I shot before I fixed the white balance, etc. Will fix the settings as suggested and take another shot of the same coin. Give 20 min.

While camera settings are not absolute, some work better than others for imaging coins. As an amateur imager ... I think these are a good starting point. Or stated another way ... these work for me.
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces