18 x 55mm lens for coin photography?

lkenefic

Or, should I opt for something in the 50 x 105 range?

yosclimber

I think you mean 18-55mm or 50-105mm.
18-55mm is a standard kit lens that comes with a camera - good for shooting people and landscapes.

For coins, the best lenses are macro lenses, usually about 100mm.
With a macro lens you can fill the sensor on your camera with the coin, so you get the maximum size image
and maximum magnification of the entire coin. You can also go even larger on part of the coin.
The 50-105mm does not work well for coins, because it can't focus on an object that is very close, like 8" from the camera.

This assumes you have a good camera body, like a Canon T2i or better.

Read up here:
https://coinimaging.com/photography.html
https://coinimaging.com/choosing_a_lens.html

messydesk

A kit lens like an 18-55 is too short. Assuming you have a "crop" sensor and not a full-frame sensor, a 105 mm macro will be what you want. With a full-frame sensor, 105 mm is good for slab shots, but you might want something longer for full-coin shots. I usually use a 200 mm macro on my Nikon D610.

CoffeeTime

What camera system are you using? The lenses you suggest are typical for general photography and often come as a kit lens. They can be used for macro, but you'll find the minimum focal distance can be larger than your copy stand so take that into consideration when shopping.

my favorite camera stores are Adaroma and BH Photo Video.

lkenefic

I'm looking at Canons on ebay.. for the last couple of months. T2i or better, 18Mp, and the 18-55 lens comes standard, like you say. I'd rather buy the camera body and the lens that I'll end up using already on it. I'd also rather avoid compatibility issues with after market lenses... I'll just have to continue to be patient. I'm also seeing additional lenses ... 70-300mm from Sigma, Tamron, and Quantaray, but like I said... I'm unsure of compatibility issues in digital cameras. I always thought these lenses were more about long distance photographs.

Film cameras seemed so much easier... either the mount worked, or it didn't. Autofocus seemed to usher in a much greater layer of complexity... at least for me

Thanks for all your help!

airplanenut

Two thoughts. First, 18-55 isn't going to be enough zoom unless you are shooting things like full proof sets, giant medals/plaques, or coin albums. I used to use a 105mm on a crop sensor, and then moved up to a 180mm as standard on my old crop camera, and now my full-frame. I still use the 105 for larger items. My 28-300 and 24-70 come in when I have really big stuff, but neither is as sharp as the dedicated macro lenses, so I try to limit their use to photos that don't need to be perfect, like slab shots.

Second, the lenses that come with a camera are almost always junk. There's a reason you can buy a $100 and a $1000 version of the "same" lens (and probably some in between). If you just want to take quick photos on vacation it may not matter, but if you want to be more serious about your photography, you'll find better lenses really do make a difference. That said, as I pointed out above, even a higher quality lens may not be useful in the context of coins because they aren't designed for macro work, but my 24-70 and 28-300 are not cheap lenses by any stretch and they do amazing work in my pursuits outside of the coin world (specifically landscapes and aerial).

Elcontador

A 28-300 lense is good for shooting landscapes and things that might eat you.
For coins, I'd think you'd need a macro lense, combined with a complicated lighting set up. I don't do indoor photography, so I can't provide more info on that.

jesbroken

Where online is a reputable company to purchase a 105mm macro lens for a rebel T6. I bought one from overseas and got burnt on it as a limit switch was missing and evidently no one could replace it and, of course, no return. My stupid, but I learned what USM means. It would have to be used as I could not afford new. Thanks.
Jim

savitale

@lkenefic said:
I'd rather buy the camera body and the lens that I'll end up using already on it.

>

To put it simply, you won't be able to do that. As others have said, it is preferable to have a macro lens for coin photography. The macro allows you to bring the camera lens close to the coin and still focus. Kind of like the difference between a microscope and a telescope. You won't find someone selling a Canon body packaged with a macro lens, at least not as a kit from the manufacturer.

Lens compatibility is not that complicated and there are only a small number of 100mm macro lenses on the market for Canon bodies. Here are two:

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM (expensive)
Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro (what I use)

CoffeeTime

Macro photography isn’t something to just jump into. Between the camera, lights, lens and copy stand you can get drawn into more costs that you thought. It’s a fun learning curve too.

This is a better overview than can be typed out here.

macro photography https://shotkit.com/macro-lens-guide/link.

lilolme

I am not a photographer but reading this reminded me of a 'discovery' when taking some pictures with my automatic camera with zoom. On the slab photos I would set it up and zoom in and take the photo. However, I could not zoom in on the coin and get a picture as it would not focus or give me the little green dot go ahead. Then one time I was doing a picture just holding the camera and not zooming in. Then I noticed I could get the camera to within about 1 inch of the coin and still get a focused (green dot go) picture. I relate this to the discussions above about lens and distance.

lkenefic

@savitale said:

@lkenefic said:
I'd rather buy the camera body and the lens that I'll end up using already on it.

>

To put it simply, you won't be able to do that. As others have said, it is preferable to have a macro lens for coin photography. The macro allows you to bring the camera lens close to the coin and still focus. Kind of like the difference between a microscope and a telescope. You won't find someone selling a Canon body packaged with a macro lens, at least not as a kit from the manufacturer.

Lens compatibility is not that complicated and there are only a small number of 100mm macro lenses on the market for Canon bodies. Here are two:

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM (expensive)
Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro (what I use)

Hmmm... Thanks for the reality check... BEFORE I wasted a bunch of money! My camera "set-up" has become untenable... at least for shooting coin photography. I'm using an old Canon Powershot 12 MP with inferior lighting and I've never really been able to adjust white balance appropriately. The only other alternative I have is my cell phone camera, which is great for taking snapshots of the family on vacation, but really no better than the 12MP Canon... thus, I'm looking for a dedicated camera set-up specific to that task.

I opted for the Canon T2i body largely from recommendations from Forum members in an earlier thread. They seem to be relatively inexpensive used. The crux appears to be getting a macro lens to go along with it.

Thanks for all of your suggestions... I'll keep on looking. Best, Leo

lilolme

@lkenefic
I don't know if this is any good or not but came up in a search. Lenses compatible with Canon T2i.

https://www.lensora.com/lensesfor.asp?camera=canon-eos-rebel-t2i

And when selecting the macro link

https://www.lensora.com/lensesfor.asp?camera=canon-eos-rebel-t2i&x=macro

messydesk

@lilolme said:
I am not a photographer but reading this reminded me of a 'discovery' when taking some pictures with my automatic camera with zoom. On the slab photos I would set it up and zoom in and take the photo. However, I could not zoom in on the coin and get a picture as it would not focus or give me the little green dot go ahead. Then one time I was doing a picture just holding the camera and not zooming in. Then I noticed I could get the camera to within about 1 inch of the coin and still get a focused (green dot go) picture. I relate this to the discussions above about lens and distance.

Many point and shoot cameras only focus close when the lens is at the shortest (i.e., unzoomed) setting. The camera and lens may actually be capable of it, but the firmware limits it to prevent the features from being too good and cannibalizing sales of more expensive products.

airplanenut

@jesbroken said:
Where online is a reputable company to purchase a 105mm macro lens for a rebel T6. I bought one from overseas and got burnt on it as a limit switch was missing and evidently no one could replace it and, of course, no return. My stupid, but I learned what USM means. It would have to be used as I could not afford new. Thanks.
Jim

If you’re buying new, B&H and Adorama are tops, though frankly and of the big retailers (Amazon, Best Buy) are fine. For used, the first two may have what you want and are good, but KEH is usually a bit cheaper. I’ve bought a lot from all of them.

TurtleCat

@airplanenut said:

@jesbroken said:
Where online is a reputable company to purchase a 105mm macro lens for a rebel T6. I bought one from overseas and got burnt on it as a limit switch was missing and evidently no one could replace it and, of course, no return. My stupid, but I learned what USM means. It would have to be used as I could not afford new. Thanks.
Jim

If you’re buying new, B&H and Adorama are tops, though frankly and of the big retailers (Amazon, Best Buy) are fine. For used, the first two may have what you want and are good, but KEH is usually a bit cheaper. I’ve bought a lot from all of them.

Those but I think UsedPhotoPro may have the best service and handling.

lkenefic

Would this lens on a T2i be useable for macro photography on a 23 inch copy stand, or is zoom more suitable for long distance photography?

airplanenut

@lkenefic said:
Would this lens on a T2i be useable for macro photography on a 23 inch copy stand, or is zoom more suitable for long distance photography?

You need a macro lens if you want to do macro photography. I know nothing about that lens, but I can tell you it won’t give you nice, sharp photos of coins.

yosclimber

This is a telephoto lens, not good for coins, but good for shooting things that are far away.

From online description for this lens:

• Closest focusing distance: 1.5m/4.9 ft.

So your camera will need to be at least 4.9 feet from the coin.
The coin will be very small on the sensor at that distance.

https://www.amazon.com/Canon-75-300mm-4-5-6-Telephoto-Cameras/dp/B00004THCZ

lkenefic

Thanks guys... I thought so, just wanted to be sure!

The_Dinosaur_Man

I recommend getting a Tamron 90mm Macro lens. I got my own (used) within the last three years for $250.00 from either B&H or KEH. The lens will be great for focusing, after that comes the matter of lighting and resolution. Some of the cameras these days are good enough to show the fainter die diagnostics.

messydesk

@lkenefic said:
Would this lens on a T2i be useable for macro photography on a 23 inch copy stand, or is zoom more suitable for long distance photography?

Buy this: https://www.keh.com/shop/canon-ef-100mm-f-2-8-macro-usm-lens.html

The only thing is that you may have issues taking full-slab shots on a 23" copy stand. You can use your 18-55 mm kit lens for that, since those shots are less critical.