Basic Coin Photography question
redraider
Posts: 188 ✭✭✭✭
There are tons of Photography threads on the forum and I love how some of the veterans are willing to help newbies with photos! I could not find this answer to my problem in any of the existing threads.
I received a new copy stand (thank you @in2coins) and have been playing around with a new camera and lens as well.
My photos are greatly improving, but I still have a lingering problem that hopefully I can get some help with. The focus is on the middle of the coin and the top and bottom of the coin in my photos are not completely in focus. Is this an aperture thing, or something else? Any suggestions on how to fix this?
Im still playing with lights, but the color in the photos is very realistic to the coin in hand. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
BTW, there is a small scuff on the slab covering L in LIBERTY.
Comments
Make sure that the coin and lens are perfectly parallel, and then I use an F stop of F-8 to F-10. That should fix your problem.
Coin Photographer.
What camera body are you using? Reason I asked is that I had a similar out of focus issue on the outer periphery of a coin with Sony a7r I borrowed from a friend. I wanted to test one before buying.
I’ve always used Canon and Nikon bodies paired with Canon and Nikon macro lenses. I’ve used the lenses with both bodies with an “adapter” and never seen an out of focus issue.
With the Sony a7r, I paired it with a Nikon macro lens with correct adapter and as shown below, the Sony camera pic shows similar out of focus like yours compares to Nikon lens on a Canon body.
Test comparison below.
Thanks! I’m using a Nikon Z7ii with a Nikon 105mm Macro lens. I hope to have more time tomorrow to play around with this entire new setup. Will post results when I have something new to share.
Nice camera! If your lens has image stabilization, I would turn it off.
And as FlyingAI mentioned, increasing your f stop will definitely sharpen up the photo. I always pay close attention to his suggestions 👍🏼!
Nice coin by the way!!
As @FlyingAl said, the issue appears to be an issue with the aperture being open too much/not enough depth of field tied with the surface of the coin not being parallel to the imaging sensor. It could be that the slab you are shooting is parallel, but the coin in the holder is not. If that is the case, you may need to shim the slab a bit to get the coin to be parallel. If the coin is parallel to the surface of the slab, then it's got to be an issue with the camera sensor and table surface you are shooting on.
Increasing your f stop value too much will start to introduce diffraction which will rob your of image sharpness. It should not be too much of an issue at around f/11 but getting up to f/16 and above it will start to rear it's ugly head, especially as the magnification increases. I suggest the range that FlyingAl mentioned above. Good luck!
It's been a month or so, here is the most recent photo taken. I really quite pleased with these results thus far. I made some adjustments and I do not think I was completely level. Still learning, but much improved.
Very nice pics and 1873 1C DDO FS-101, S-1to boot! Nice!!!
Very much improved!! Fantastic work.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33. Young fellow suffering from Bust Half fever.
BHNC #AN-10
JRCS #1606
Here is the "True View" of the same 1873. This is what made me want to get better at photography. It was an investment, but long term, a worthwhile one!
And a second "True View" of the same coin.
This coin had quite a journey. It was in a PCGS MS63BN holder. Tried for an upgrade and they graded it AU58+. Now back in an MS63BN holder. Not going to mess with it anymore.
Wow, that 63/58+/63 ride must've spun you around! Awesome coin. Did you photograph the '73 w/ compass oil? The photo is incredibly clear through the slab. I'm restarting my whole photography setup. Havent changed it in 10+ years and I've learned so much over that time that I want to implement. Thanks for posting and following up with your update photos.
https://imdb.com/name/nm1835107/
@Bodin - There was no compass oil used here, it was taken directly though the slab. I had the advantage of a brand new slab for these photos however!
Compass oil? Is that to remove scratches on the slab? I've never heard of that. If I need to remove scratches, I give it a dab of Goo Gone. However, I didn't apply anything to the images below.
@CoinPhotos the compass oil isn't to remediate the slab - just to render its flaws invisible for the duration of the imaging. Check this thread out (where I started with mineral oil, but learned that compass oil had better properties, courtesy of @Mr_Spud).
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1094423/mineral-oil-for-coin-slab-photos-before-n-after
New website: Groovycoins.com Capped Bust Half Dime registry set: Bikergeek CBHD LM Set
Several things about focus and sharpness. I have always used f6.3 based on what Goodman mostly presents in his book, but sometimes go up to f8. Then, based on recommendations from @messydesk, I got a focus rail so I can micro-adjust. Finally, I tether the camera to my labtop while shooting and in particular it works perfectly with my new Nikon Z6ii camera body that replaced the Nikon D90. With these 3 things, I get sharpness and good depth of field every time, never have to reshoot for being off focus………………..
Here are three different shootings of my same ‘practice’ Morgan with different looks (different light conditions), trying to optimize for the perfect Morgan look:
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Great pics.