Photography update

spyglassdesign

Just wanted to share a few photos... I think I am making progress from some of my earlier photography! I have some stands in the mail coming that will help me correct some of the focus issues.

Fraz

I want to do it that well.

spyglassdesign

@Fraz said:
I want to do it that well.

It's not a complicated setup. The box lights up and I have two movable lights. Sometimes I use one, or both, and sometimes I use the box light too. It really depends on the coin. I also have a bigger lens and apply macro lenses to get in real close.

The barber and sitting liberty were probably the toughest. I actually had to photoshop 2 photos together because the only way to get the color to come out was to have the bright light glaring off the plastic (it's in pcgs plastic). And the barber was tough because of the soft silver finish.

Then, I spend a few minutes in photoshop editing a few settings and applying a couple sharpening filters. The raw pictures usually look over exposed to me.

Some of these were tough and I took many pictures with light from different angles... The purple was tough to get to show on the Morgan as well.

Dave99B

Keep at it…definitely improving!

Dave

LanceNewmanOCC

you're on the right track and VERY wise to post a pic of your setup.

GOTTA move those lights. it will make all the difference.

as you are looking through the cameras screen, have the lights in your hands and slowly move them around, knowing that essentially the best position for them will be around k10 and k2 (like hands on a steering wheel) although with the camera in that position could affect this general template. BUT moving the lights around while holding them and looking through the viewfinder (do you have a shutter release remote) you can also hold the remote in on of your hands and take images with the lights in various positions to find the sweet spot(s).

the darker a room is, the better until you get pretty good.

spyglassdesign

@LanceNewmanOCC oh I do that. They don't just sit there. Sometimes if it works out ill use one stationary and move the other around until I like what I see.

I haven't tried in a dark room yet. I'll have to try that when I get more to photo. I do use the ambient light from the box itself sometimes. I try it both ways until I find what I like.

Ultimately I'd like to be able to light up the fields better. Practice practice practice!

ctf_error_coins

IMO keep it simple.

Get rid of the white box.

Use two flood lights well away from the coin.

Flatwoods

Keep practicing. It will come.
I tried everything in the book unt things clicked.
I'm no pro but I'm satisfied with my pics.
I think you will have much better results with a regular copy stand.
If you are handy you can make one.
I made mine from scrap got less than $5 in it. Camera doesn't mind.

JWP

looks like a whole lot of extra work to me. I think I'd rather stick to my cell phone and do the best i can with that. Then I will apologize for the lousy photos and wait for the rush of bad photo comments to come pouring in. I can also blame it on the 2 stooges that keep yelling at me too.

Fraz

This is useful. Thanks. I experiment with iPhone and iPad. I need a stand for the iPod, it does better than the phone. I sold my SLR stuff years ago, I don’t want another camera. I want to show off good photography, though, as my coins themselves are meh.

ricko

Great pictures, some have a bit of glare.... However, much better than I can do.... Cheers, RickO

spyglassdesign

@ricko said:
Great pictures, some have a bit of glare.... However, much better than I can do.... Cheers, RickO

Thanks! The sitting liberty was a pain to get the colors to show up without glare. Unfortunately they are all behind plastic which makes glare a pain sometimes.

FlyingAl

It appears the coins are at an angle when you shoot them - are you using the ground?

A big part of getting in focus shots is that the coin and lens need to be perfectly parallel to one another or you need to use a high aperture. I'd also suggest getting rid of the box.

spyglassdesign

@FlyingAl said:
It appears the coins are at an angle when you shoot them - are you using the ground?

I realize that. Yeah getting the angle perfect is tough for my current setup when in a slab I just stand the slab on edge then try to level the camera at it 😬. I'm looking into options for a copy stand style setup for those shots.

The box works well for now for shots where I'm just taking pictures of the slab cause I can get some decent local global lighting on it. I've actually started turning the light off for closeups lately.

I tried a 'coin scope' type stand from Amazon but the quality was atrocious so I sent it back. I love the quality on my camera cause I can fix small issues in photoshop easily so I'm trying to stick with options that work with that.

FlyingAl

I just use a tripod and a stack of books. Works like a charm. Set up your two lights as slide to the lens as possible and shoot away.

spyglassdesign

Updated setup. I finally bit the bullet and ditched the box at least for closeups.

spyglassdesign

I have 2 of the silver lights. One I leave stationary while moving the second in hand. The stationary to try to light up fields and maybe some cartwheel effect then the other to fill in or highlight other areas of interest.

LanceNewmanOCC

@spyglassdesign said:
Updated setup. I finally bit the bullet and ditched the box at least for closeups.

a good decision. most if not all of the pro imagers here do NOT use a light box and i really have never seen them recommended by pros. (myself included if i call myself a pro)

i used my same setup/modus operandi at home as i did at shows. move those lights around! (until you find the sweet spots)

a white background is probably recommended until you get everything dialed in. the camera will be sensitive to different colored backgrounds. white matte imo is best. (ie a sheet of paper lol)

you MAY need more height for the camera but the images will tell you that if it is necessary or if the current height is ok.

do you remove the screen cover when shooting? perhaps just have it closed to prevent dust?

spyglassdesign

@LanceNewmanOCC yes I pull the lcd out when shooting, which allows me to stand to the side easily. I will try a white background when I take more. I might try again on that standing from my other thread... That one is a b**** to image well!

I try to find a good spot for the one stationary and then swivel the other around till I like what I see. Sadly they still aren't as clear as I'd like... I'm almost wondering if it's the macro lenses affecting clarity...

As for height, for the size of the standing quarter it's about perfect. I have 6x macro (4+2) at this height with the larger lens attached. I have a smaller lens too I can start playing with (with and without the macro lenses too). Probably have to use 4x for say a half dollar or 2 or 3 for a dollar. Or like you said lift it up a bit.

I do like the larger lense so far for closeups as it really allows me to fill the image with it.

FlyingAl

I like the new setup. Do you have any images you took with it?

spyglassdesign

@FlyingAl said:
I like the new setup. Do you have any images you took with it?

Here are a couple raw unedited pics I just took. I found my macro lenses were all smudged up so that made some difference, but still not to the clarity level I'd like to hit.

robec

Since you are using a Canon you should tether it to your computer. The camera control app comes with the camera, or if your don't have it it can be downloaded free from the Canon website.

The app give your computer the ability to control the camera including being able to get the coin perfectly focused viewing it through your monitor instead of the camera's viewfinder. You can also instantly see live any adjustments you make when moving the lights or coin. I've added a photo showing the camera pointing at the coin/slab on the desk with the live view on the monitor. Using this app will make you wonder how you ever worked without it.

Also as said in a previous post, get rid of the light box. It works fine with a lot of subjects, coins are not one of them.

LanceNewmanOCC

@robec said:
Since you are using a Canon you should tether it to your computer. The camera control app comes with the camera, or if your don't have it it can be downloaded free from the Canon website.

The app give your computer the ability to control the camera including being able to get the coin perfectly focused viewing it through your monitor instead of the camera's viewfinder. You can also instantly see live any adjustments you make when moving the lights or coin. I've added a photo showing the camera pointing at the coin/slab on the desk with the live view on the monitor. Using this app will make you wonder how you ever worked without it.

Also as said in a previous post, get rid of the light box. It works fine with a lot of subjects, coins are not one of them.

.
VERY efficient and effective setup.

being able to move the coin/lights w/o having to move from the screen is wunderbar!

spyglassdesign

@robec I'll give it a shot. Thanks!

I still find the box useful when taking pictures of slabs but to change the set up at this point... I'll probably just switch to my standard lens for those larger shots next time a slab is up for photo.

robec

@spyglassdesign said:
@robec I'll give it a shot. Thanks!

I still find the box useful when taking pictures of slabs but to change the set up at this point... I'll probably just switch to my standard lens for those larger shots next time a slab is up for photo.

I think the light box would work great for slabs. We’ve probably all tried the light box for coin imaging at one time or other. I haven’t heard of anyone who has been very successful with it……….other than for shooting slabs.
Give tethering a shot. Once set up you’ll love it.

robec

@LanceNewmanOCC said:

.
VERY efficient and effective setup.

being able to move the coin/lights w/o having to move from the screen is wunderbar!

It sure beats stooping over and looking through the viewfinder. My aching back could take no more. Now I can get fat and lazy in comfort. 😀

spyglassdesign

@robec said:

@LanceNewmanOCC said:

.
VERY efficient and effective setup.

being able to move the coin/lights w/o having to move from the screen is wunderbar!

It sure beats stooping over and looking through the viewfinder. My aching back could take no more. Now I can get fat and lazy in comfort. 😀

LOL... I have a swivel LCD screen so I'm not too worried about that, but the ability to focus better will be nice I'm sure!

robec

@spyglassdesign said:

@robec said:

@LanceNewmanOCC said:

.
VERY efficient and effective setup.

being able to move the coin/lights w/o having to move from the screen is wunderbar!

It sure beats stooping over and looking through the viewfinder. My aching back could take no more. Now I can get fat and lazy in comfort. 😀

LOL... I have a swivel LCD screen so I'm not too worried about that, but the ability to focus better will be nice I'm sure!

To make focusing pinpoint all you need to do is double click anywhere on the coin and a separate window opens up with a large close up. All you need to do then is put the closeup in focus. I was really surprised how far off my focus was.

LanceNewmanOCC

@robec said:

@spyglassdesign said:

@robec said:

@LanceNewmanOCC said:

.
VERY efficient and effective setup.

being able to move the coin/lights w/o having to move from the screen is wunderbar!

It sure beats stooping over and looking through the viewfinder. My aching back could take no more. Now I can get fat and lazy in comfort. 😀

LOL... I have a swivel LCD screen so I'm not too worried about that, but the ability to focus better will be nice I'm sure!

To make focusing pinpoint all you need to do is double click anywhere on the coin and a separate window opens up with a large close up. All you need to do then is put the closeup in focus. I was really surprised how far off my focus was.

do you use auto or manual focus? i noticed with my d90, that auto focus didn't do too well with preventing micro-blur which isn't a concern most of the time.

if a person didn't want to go that route, (micro adjusting the lens) someone posted one of these on the forum somewhat recently and it is a good substitute for not having to mess with the camera/lens.

robec

@LanceNewmanOCC said:

@robec said:

@spyglassdesign said:

@robec said:

@LanceNewmanOCC said:

.
VERY efficient and effective setup.

being able to move the coin/lights w/o having to move from the screen is wunderbar!

It sure beats stooping over and looking through the viewfinder. My aching back could take no more. Now I can get fat and lazy in comfort. 😀

LOL... I have a swivel LCD screen so I'm not too worried about that, but the ability to focus better will be nice I'm sure!

To make focusing pinpoint all you need to do is double click anywhere on the coin and a separate window opens up with a large close up. All you need to do then is put the closeup in focus. I was really surprised how far off my focus was.

do you use auto or manual focus? i noticed with my d90, that auto focus didn't do too well with preventing micro-blur which isn't a concern most of the time.

if a person didn't want to go that route, (micro adjusting the lens) someone posted one of these on the forum somewhat recently and it is a good substitute for not having to mess with the camera/lens.

I do manual focus also. The auto focus could and does pick the wrong target.
Your gizmo is pretty cool. I am using a focus rail which is much better than turning the lens.
It can go up and down and also side to side.

spyglassdesign

Here are the before and after (only very light sharpening and shadow/highlight editing).

It's definitely improved...thanks for the suggestions robec!

spyglassdesign

Thanks @robec and @LanceNewmanOCC
I started playing with the white balance on my camera using the EOS Utility and the zoom feature to help focus...

and this is my latest attempt. As you can see I solved the golden silver coin issue.

LanceNewmanOCC

@spyglassdesign said:
Thanks @robec and @LanceNewmanOCC
I started playing with the white balance on my camera using the EOS Utility and the zoom feature to help focus...

and this is my latest attempt. As you can see I solved the golden silver coin issue.

great strides! keep up the good work.

i doubt it matters but you can check to see what resolution the camera is set at. probably where it needs to be though.

tbh, w/o expert knowledge of the camera settings to work with your lights, i'd probably try a lamp or incandescent bulbs, just for argument sake.

i think the type of contraption the light is in will have a big effect for all of us. i used the copy stand lights that came with it which had white interiors and a small focused lampshade shape so the light was MUCH more directional while i have seen others that know what they are doing venture out from those and do very well, USUALLY the people that can't seem to get it dialed-in are people using some odd non-focused type of lighting.

spyglassdesign

@LanceNewmanOCC yea it's max res. And raw. Using the Canon software to convert. I used 600 dpi, I might try increasing the conversion from raw to jpg on my next one.

spyglassdesign

Another quick update from a few days ago vs today (thanks largely to all of you!)

JFK_Collector

@robec said:
Since you are using a Canon you should tether it to your computer. The camera control app comes with the camera, or if your don't have it it can be downloaded free from the Canon website.

The app give your computer the ability to control the camera including being able to get the coin perfectly focused viewing it through your monitor instead of the camera's viewfinder. You can also instantly see live any adjustments you make when moving the lights or coin. I've added a photo showing the camera pointing at the coin/slab on the desk with the live view on the monitor. Using this app will make you wonder how you ever worked without it.

Also as said in a previous post, get rid of the light box. It works fine with a lot of subjects, coins are not one of them.

Would you let us know what you are using on your lamps to diffuse the lights?

robec

@JFK_Collector said:

@robec said:
Since you are using a Canon you should tether it to your computer. The camera control app comes with the camera, or if your don't have it it can be downloaded free from the Canon website.

The app give your computer the ability to control the camera including being able to get the coin perfectly focused viewing it through your monitor instead of the camera's viewfinder. You can also instantly see live any adjustments you make when moving the lights or coin. I've added a photo showing the camera pointing at the coin/slab on the desk with the live view on the monitor. Using this app will make you wonder how you ever worked without it.

Also as said in a previous post, get rid of the light box. It works fine with a lot of subjects, coins are not one of them.

Would you let us know what you are using on your lamps to diffuse the lights?

Those are half dollar roll caps. I’ve since changed to ping pong balls cut in half.

The square edges of the caps kept grabbing the lens and became a mini nuisance. The roundness of the balls work much better.

JFK_Collector

@robec said:

@JFK_Collector said:

@robec said:
Since you are using a Canon you should tether it to your computer. The camera control app comes with the camera, or if your don't have it it can be downloaded free from the Canon website.

The app give your computer the ability to control the camera including being able to get the coin perfectly focused viewing it through your monitor instead of the camera's viewfinder. You can also instantly see live any adjustments you make when moving the lights or coin. I've added a photo showing the camera pointing at the coin/slab on the desk with the live view on the monitor. Using this app will make you wonder how you ever worked without it.

Also as said in a previous post, get rid of the light box. It works fine with a lot of subjects, coins are not one of them.

Would you let us know what you are using on your lamps to diffuse the lights?

Those are half dollar roll caps. I’ve since changed to ping pong balls cut in half.

The square edges of the caps kept grabbing the lens and became a mini nuisance. The roundness of the balls work much better.

Thanks for the suggestion. I had some plastic half holders around, so I tried them. A 1964 Proof with and without using the caps:

WITH OUT:

WITH:

I think with the diffusion, it is a better picture.

robec

@JFK_Collector said:

@robec said:

@JFK_Collector said:

@robec said:
Since you are using a Canon you should tether it to your computer. The camera control app comes with the camera, or if your don't have it it can be downloaded free from the Canon website.

The app give your computer the ability to control the camera including being able to get the coin perfectly focused viewing it through your monitor instead of the camera's viewfinder. You can also instantly see live any adjustments you make when moving the lights or coin. I've added a photo showing the camera pointing at the coin/slab on the desk with the live view on the monitor. Using this app will make you wonder how you ever worked without it.

Also as said in a previous post, get rid of the light box. It works fine with a lot of subjects, coins are not one of them.

Would you let us know what you are using on your lamps to diffuse the lights?

Those are half dollar roll caps. I’ve since changed to ping pong balls cut in half.

The square edges of the caps kept grabbing the lens and became a mini nuisance. The roundness of the balls work much better.

Thanks for the suggestion. I had some plastic half holders around, so I tried them. A 1964 Proof with and without using the caps:

WITH OUT:

WITH:

I think with the diffusion, it is a better picture.

I’m not sure what type lighting you are using but those LED’s I’m using puts out a strong, narrow beam of light. Diffusion is a must with those in order to spread out the light a little more evenly.

JFK_Collector

@robec said:

@JFK_Collector said:

@robec said:

@JFK_Collector said:

@robec said:
Since you are using a Canon you should tether it to your computer. The camera control app comes with the camera, or if your don't have it it can be downloaded free from the Canon website.

The app give your computer the ability to control the camera including being able to get the coin perfectly focused viewing it through your monitor instead of the camera's viewfinder. You can also instantly see live any adjustments you make when moving the lights or coin. I've added a photo showing the camera pointing at the coin/slab on the desk with the live view on the monitor. Using this app will make you wonder how you ever worked without it.

Also as said in a previous post, get rid of the light box. It works fine with a lot of subjects, coins are not one of them.

Would you let us know what you are using on your lamps to diffuse the lights?

Those are half dollar roll caps. I’ve since changed to ping pong balls cut in half.

The square edges of the caps kept grabbing the lens and became a mini nuisance. The roundness of the balls work much better.

Thanks for the suggestion. I had some plastic half holders around, so I tried them. A 1964 Proof with and without using the caps:

WITH OUT:

WITH:

I think with the diffusion, it is a better picture.

I’m not sure what type lighting you are using but those LED’s I’m using puts out a strong, narrow beam of light. Diffusion is a must with those in order to spread out the light a little more evenly.

I use three of the same lights that you showed in your picture, my set up is:

LanceNewmanOCC

@JFK_Collector said:
I use three of the same lights that you showed in your picture, my set up is:

neat microscopic objective!

using 2 tubes MAY be giving you that micro white blur. that is a LONG way for the light to travel up into. (there is a technical term for getting that blur but i can't recall it ATM)

obviously it is your setup and can do as you like but i also used one of those with only 1 extension tube on my nikon d90 and got much clearer results. (no offense intended) just to give you confidence that what you are using can produce better results. NOT that those are bad at all. loved seeing the TDO!

HOLY SMOKES. i just saw you have MORE tubes in the back of the image. lol

there is a chance the focal point was more on the plane of the slab and not the coin. although i've only seen a couple images so these could just be an anomaly as i KNOW i got plenty of variations in the quality of my tens of thousands of images.

thanks for sharing. i love those objectives mounted on a dslr or similar.

LanceNewmanOCC

here are a coulpe exampes but i won't call them A+. for sure a solid B to B+ though.
.
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lady morgan's lip clash on the reverse. a double smoochy smoochy

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i'm sure you already know this but the focal plane is RAZOR thin and this image shows JUST the distance from the rim to the field is a HUGE gap at these magnifications. lol

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a neat collar clash but a weaker one. i like these particular ones because it is JUST the holes and not all the funky rim fin business.

ProofCollection

I am a noob photographer and I barely know or don't know any of the camera lingo. I want to start using my wife's Canon EOS Rebel T2i to take coin photos. I have a light box which is already a big improvement, but I need to buy a macro lens. Ideally I'd like to be at $100-200 max but there are 3 $400 options at BH photo video that I would consider. I just can't tell which ones would be best. I don't need extreme close-ups, I have a digital microscope for that, but I wouldn't mind the ability to take similar photos with this camera if I can get that functionality also. Mostly I just want to take TrueView equivalent photos and good photos when I sell something on ebay. I just don't know which specs to value over others. BTW, I'm using a 12" light box. Here are the 3 options I'm looking at:

1. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1519141-REG/tokina_atx_i_afm100ffc_atx_i_100mm_f_2_8_ff.html
   This one has a 11.8" minimum focus distance and is auto-focus, but no magnification.

2. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1128066-REG/venus_optics_ven6028c_60mm_f_2_8_2x_ultra_macro.html
   This one magnifies 0.1 to 2.0 with min focus of 2.36" but is manual focus

3. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1399601-REG/venus_optics_ve2528c_laowa_25mm_f_2_8_2_5_5x.html
   This one has a min focus of 6.81" and magnification 2.5x to 5x but is manual focus.

I'll consider any other suggestions but keep in mind that even at $400 I'm pushing my budget.

Any advice here is appreciated. My inclination is to go with #2. I talked with a BH Photo rep but I'm not sure he really understands shooting coins. His recommendation was #1 because of the auto focus, but I 'm concerned about the long min focus and lack of magnification. I can't imagine auto-focus is something I would miss but would love to hear opinions.

Tramp

@ProofCollection

This guy makes it look easy.

https://youtu.be/lflzUgd6NKc

https://www.talkaboutcoins.com/howtophotographcoins/

Cocoinut

I'll have to try the half ping pong ball trick to diffuse the light from my 2 narrow-beam LED lights. I can get good results now, but I'm constantly moving the lights around trying to get the most accurate color. I have a simple setup, using a tripod and a cheap plastic stand with an adjustable leg so. My camera is a 6-year-old Nikon D3400. Last year I bought a 40mm f/2.8 macro lens that greatly improved the sharpness. I initially focus manually to get the image as sharp as possible, and then switch to autofocus. Doing a manual focus first produces sharper images for me. Not every picture is a winner, but perhaps the ping pong ball will help them to be more consistent. I've been using digital cameras for over 20 years, and I'm still perfecting my technique. There's been a lot of trial and error, but my best photos rival TrueViews.