Looking for a good coin camera.

frenemy

Does anyone know a good model or brand for a coin camera? I don't want a microscope, I want to be able to take clear and complete photos of coins as big as morgan dollars. Like these?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/224974665358?hash=item346188f68e:g:UOQAAOSwKplidYwh
https://www.ebay.com/itm/265404790431?_trkparms=ispr=1&hash=item3dcb5bb69f:g:e-kAAOSwfuJhD5Bh&amdata=enc:AQAGAAAA4DCzOH5SjBh+P1nGL7bX0YWtqe0QezceHapYCnd9DWsGyeJSKomEXb1Q0iGBcOerf7DL8IUHu7lccbXZU3ny+tbOFK/NycUAb7bD67JV6ZrQ7+7l2hFt+KacYfmcygnKAbSkcyucy7Jguz/iD9FPuTeF5AklUJ1O/T50OnLAvCFhllhmuXXftaHndRQHcnOzlpgzY379aE4MFbuti60DvE6SUI4JuHZBrxXeLkkY1cWhZWRJaBAtY3zijmuMe/ErFokiGEt2T85dIuTa12RfBELoQoJ1LAU6VIHHY8VUmXJ3|tkp:BFBM1vaZs5Ng

Every coin camera boasts a 5000x zoom, but I don't want that..

Cascadecoins

Both of these examples were taking with a cell phone.
Most modern cell phones can take decent macro photos with ample dedicated LED lights.
If you want to step up to pro level, use an DSLR/Mirrorless camera with a dedicated macro lens.
What's your budget?

crazyhounddog

crazyhounddog

It all depends on how serious about your imaging you want to get. Like @Cascadecoins has already said those look like cell phone pics to me. Beyond that you’ll need an SLR camera and macro lens and probably a copystand too.

airplanenut

A good macro lens will be much more important than the camera body. Do you only want to take coin photos (and within coin photos, just decent ones) or do you have other photography interests that may drive your decision? Coins were top of mind when I bought my latest camera, but some very specific other requirements totally unrelated to coins led me to the camera I ultimately bought.

hfjacinto

I use a DSLR and Macro lens for my pictures. I think it works well.

silverpop

i use a Logitech HD pro webcam 920c does good for coins and such bought it at office max for about $44.99 with tax

TurtleCat

Any modern camera with a dedicated closeup lens will do just fine. The camera is actually the small part. The hard part is setup: stand, lighting, stability, white balance, exposure.

LanceNewmanOCC

@hfjacinto said:
I use a DSLR and Macro lens for my pictures. I think it works well.

.
nothing tops a good camera and macro lens !

ocne they get dialed in, it is mostly smooth sailing.

BobSav

@silverpop

i use a Logitech HD pro webcam 920c does good for coins and such bought it at office max for about $44.99 with tax

I would love to see that setup !! and some sample pictures
Bob

COCollector

Here's one example of a dedicated coin camera system with price breakdown:
http://www.macrocoins.com/example-system-400q.html

Lots of possibilities. So be sure you have a clear idea of what you want from a camera system: http://www.macrocoins.com/custom-system-questionnaire.html

crazyhounddog

Nothing beats a good macro. At least I like mine very much.

frenemy

Just realized I've never posted on here wow.
I just thought there would be a nice standalone camera that's capable of taking decent photos of all american coins, to Morgans to dimes. My current one all the way zoomed out can do a dime, but that's it. Just decent photos, but I didn't want some elaborate DLSR setup. didn't know if there was a standalone simple camera

younique

@LanceNewmanOCC said:

@hfjacinto said:
I use a DSLR and Macro lens for my pictures. I think it works well.

.
nothing tops a good camera and macro lens !

one they get dialed in, it is mostly smooth sailing.

Reading this thread while searching for a new lens for a Nikon I use on a copy stand that won't break the bank. Appreciate it if you could share a recommendation as your photos are stellar.

tcollects

@COCollector said:
Here's one example of a dedicated coin camera system with price breakdown:
http://www.macrocoins.com/example-system-400q.html

Lots of possibilities. So be sure you have a clear idea of what you want from a camera system: http://www.macrocoins.com/custom-system-questionnaire.html

strongly recommend Ray at macrocoins.com - his systems are easy to use, and with a little practice, you can make pro images

matt_dac

As said above, the camera is really the least important part. Do you have a DSLR camera already? If yes, you can get a dedicated lens, lights, and stand for a couple hundred bucks. I purchased my setup from one of our forum members (Ray) who was super helpful. His handle is: rmpsrpms

https://forums.collectors.com/profile/rmpsrpms

savitale

Buy the book Numismatic Photography. I can’t recommend it enough.

https://www.amazon.com/Numismatic-Photography-2nd-Mark-Goodman/dp/193399004X

ricko

@frenemy ... Welcome aboard. Good luck with your search. Cheers, RickO

1984worldcoins

here is my setup:

1984worldcoins

some results with it (same coin, different lights):

hfjacinto

I only use ambient light to take pictures, if anyone is interested here is a write up I did for coin community

https://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=406383

jmlanzaf

@Cascadecoins said:
Both of these examples were taking with a cell phone.
Most modern cell phones can take decent macro photos with ample dedicated LED lights.
If you want to step up to pro level, use an DSLR/Mirrorless camera with a dedicated macro lens.
What's your budget?

This.

It's not the camera. It is the lens and lighting.

jmlanzaf

@frenemy said:
Just realized I've never posted on here wow.
I just thought there would be a nice standalone camera that's capable of taking decent photos of all american coins, to Morgans to dimes. My current one all the way zoomed out can do a dime, but that's it. Just decent photos, but I didn't want some elaborate DLSR setup. didn't know if there was a standalone simple camera

The lighting is so important, no camera will overcome bad lighting. The point of the camera stand is to fix the lighting. You could plug in almost any camera once it's set, including cell phones.

DLSR with macro is very simple.

But you can buy a professional $5000 camera and if you have crap lighting you will get crap photos.

Camera stands and lights are cheap and easy. Don't let them dissuade you.

Cascadecoins

@frenemy said:
Just realized I've never posted on here wow.
I just thought there would be a nice standalone camera that's capable of taking decent photos of all american coins, to Morgans to dimes. My current one all the way zoomed out can do a dime, but that's it. Just decent photos, but I didn't want some elaborate DLSR setup. didn't know if there was a standalone simple camera

Start by getting some dedicated lights. I use these and they are great. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07T8FBZC2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_VXP7NFZH40SK43CYWCRX
Get your lens mounted on a downward angle facing down. I use a tripod with a video pan head.

If you’re using a cellphone look up the minimum focus distance for the macro mode and setup a stair step platform using books to get your phone to face the coins.

DSLR with a macro lens can produce results like this.

Call phone with dedicated lights can produce this.

Herb_T

@Cascadecoins said:

@frenemy said:
Just realized I've never posted on here wow.
I just thought there would be a nice standalone camera that's capable of taking decent photos of all american coins, to Morgans to dimes. My current one all the way zoomed out can do a dime, but that's it. Just decent photos, but I didn't want some elaborate DLSR setup. didn't know if there was a standalone simple camera

Start by getting some dedicated lights. I use these and they are great. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07T8FBZC2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_VXP7NFZH40SK43CYWCRX
Get your lens mounted on a downward angle facing down. I use a tripod with a video pan head.

If you’re using a cellphone look up the minimum focus distance for the macro mode and setup a stair step platform using books to get your phone to face the coins.

DSLR with a macro lens can produce results like this.

Call phone with dedicated lights can produce this.

I have the same light setup.

Taking photos of gold or silver (proofs or nonproofs) are easy to get great photos. The most challenging I have found are old dark coins. I take photos of Capped Bust Half Dollars and for me to get satisfactory photos I really have to work at it, and still don’t get what I want. You need to take a bunch of photos to really get your lighting down. Doesn’t matter what kind of photos you take, coins or models or race cars, it’s all about the light. Get that right and everything else will fall into place.

Herb_T

When I say getting the light right means, intensity you use, diffuser or no diffuser, positioning etc……good luck!

davewesen

hundreds of cameras and set-ups can take pictures like that

the difference is the operators ability to handle their equipment
and what they do for editing/cropping/sizing after the shot

ifthevamzarockin

This is not the camera I normally use but any modern camera will take a decent photo if you know how it use it.
I just took these photos real quick without any additional set up.
Any cheap piece of _____ camera will work with a little practice.

LanceNewmanOCC

@younique said:
Reading this thread while searching for a new lens for a Nikon I use on a copy stand that won't break the bank. Appreciate it if you could share a recommendation as your photos are stellar.

thanks.

tbh, pretty much the same ones that were good before are still good now for numismatic purposes. i'd spend some time just lookomh at sales results on ebay or the like. there are some other brands but it seems to usually boil down to nikon and canon. any decent dslr or (dlr?) with a decent macro (and compatable) lens will do just fine. the 2 intangibles will be lighting and experience. taking class-A pics is nice and certainly serves a lot of purposes but the camera phones are more than enough (again, with experience). you just gotta keep at it to find the sweet spots. - skimming through many photo threads in the archives will help you pick up a trick or 2 here n there.

i personally recommend a darker room (the man that wrote the book suggests it) to control the amount of light the lens can let in. if it is only the lights you are using, you have more control, you can expand from there once you get comfortable. if someone was dead set on having a camera/lens in lieu of a camera phone (i still really don't like digi-scopes though i've owned a couple many years ago. they are too limiting) a good setup with an inexpensive copy stand will probably be in the $250-450 range. (again i haven't checked recent values. given the state of things they could've gone up or down, a lot)

the secret i've found is to move those lights around. up, down, back, forth. i used to joke that i thought i looked like an air traffic controller. (some have done well with fixed lights, i never evolved my techniques or lights to get to that point) some people have pseudo-fixed lights, as the lights are fixed but they have goose necks or whatever they're called.

Cascadecoins

@Herb_T for the darker coins, try increased shutter exposure time and use mirror lockup mode if your camera supports it. Increasing ISO will introduce unwanted noise and grain in the image quality.

Herb_T

@Cascadecoins said:
@Herb_T for the darker coins, try increased shutter exposure time and use mirror lockup mode if your camera supports it. Increasing ISO will introduce unwanted noise and grain in the image quality.

So you mean over expose it a couple of clicks? I have a bunch of Canon gear….my latest camera is Canon 1Dx MkIII.

Here is my wife and my web site…. Www.Herbturner.smugmug.com

ctf_error_coins

Nowadays, it is more about the skill of the photographer than the camera and lights they use.

That said, a high end digital camera in the hands of a very skilled photographer will produce superior results for sure.

Cascadecoins

@Herb_T said:

@Cascadecoins said:
@Herb_T for the darker coins, try increased shutter exposure time and use mirror lockup mode if your camera supports it. Increasing ISO will introduce unwanted noise and grain in the image quality.

So you mean over expose it a couple of clicks? I have a bunch of Canon gear….my latest camera is Canon 1Dx MkIII.

Here is my wife and my web site…. Www.Herbturner.smugmug.com

Nice pics! Yeah, it takes some experimentation to dial in the proper adjustments, but I will favor longer shutter exposure time vs iso increase for my pictures. Sometimes the digital light metering doesn’t always get it correct. I’m using a canon 100mmL and a 70D. With that macro lens, its sweet spot is f/9 so I’m always adjusting shutter speed.