Camera stand & lighting setup for coin photography
GotTheBug
Posts: 1,664 ✭✭✭✭✭
Can anyone recommend a camera stand/lighting setup for coin photography using a digital camera?
I own an Olympus Mark V III with a 15-45mm zoom lens and I have just started using it for coin photos. However, my setup is less than ideal - basically I'm just using the light box from my Dino Lite and resting the camera on the top of the box and shooting through the opening.
Problem is, the camera's hand grip and other protrusions cause the lens to shoot downwards at a slight angle. The net result is a coin image that is slightly out-of-round. See my post showing the results of my Barber half shoot and you can see what I mean. It's not noticeable at first glance.
Thanks in advance for any info. I'm budget minded and would consider used equipment.
0
Comments
Can you post a picture of your setup?
Coin Photographer.
I'd get a tripod, ditch the lightbox, and use a traditional three light setup.
Coin Photographer.
Are you using a softbox?
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
You might want to check with Ray and see if he is still selling stands and lights.
macrocoins.com/home.html
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
Nope.
Coin Photographer.
Grab some sugru and a plastic bag and a bubble level.
Mix up several packets of the stuff (you want it warm enough to be very pliable), place it in the plastic bag and then point the camera into the hole, using the bubble level to make sure it's level.
Once the sugru sets up, carefully remove it from the bag.
You now have a customized mount for YOUR camera into THAT hole. Use enough that you mould around some protrusions and such for better fittment.
https://www.tesa.com/en/consumer/repairing/sugru
ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
Thanks for the link. That's one possibility along with the Sugru suggestion, which is quite intriguing actually.
Tripod! Thanks for the idea - I already have one. After putzing around with it a little while I paired it with the lightbox, which eliminated the slightly out-of-round coin images. I've seen three-light setups discussed in older threads so I'll have to look at something like that. In the meantime I can work with existing equipment and nothing out-of-pocket for the moment.
Edited - Wrong photo posted.
My setup now:
Something I saw at B & H Photo - Not three lights but I'm wondering if something like this might be adequate?
Good stuff coming back at me, thanks everyone. I have a long way to go to reflect something closer to actual reality but some definite improvement compared to my old images.
While I'm thinking of it, all of the photo work is being done using the Windows photo software that comes with the computer for cropping, along with FastStone Image Viewer software for lighting and saturation adjustments, and Image LR's free online image combiner.
Before I close this out, thanks again everybody and a final question - In your opinion, which background is better for imaging coins - black or white?
get a mirror to put on the surface, then you can make your camera pefectly level with it by centering the reflection of the lens
I got one of these to put under the tray I set the coins on since some coins aren't actually mounted flat in their slab
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CV1Q6MSX?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
its a much cheaper solution than a gear head for a tripod
I like the box, keeps dust off your lens and coins. If you get one of those adjustment plates you wouldn't need the bulky tripod and keep it on your desk, or better yet a side table next to your desk so vibrations don't transfer
can your camera be tethered to a computer so you can control settings, focus, etc from it? if not you'll probably want a remote of some kind.
I think your light is too diffuse and surrounds the coin too much
that copy stand you posted looks good but you can build one for a lot cheaper. Avoid the other one similar to it, the square plastic rings on the carriage rub on the aluminum and snow fine plastic powder all over your subject when you move it. Not a problem for slabs, but awful for raw coins.
Coin Photographer and Videographer
There was a forum member that sold a refined setup with enlarging style lens and a choice of Canon/Nikon camera mount and lens. Mine is in disrepair after several years. The lighting was more flexible TBH.
Rebuilding my set up. Tinkering with some axial lighting and a couple other refinements.
I need something more flexible and compact.
Currently using a Kaiser stand with a couple of old Alien Bee lights I picked up cheaply from FB marketplace. The continous lighting component is mainly for Ebay on gets me there 90% of the time. Simple two light for banging out listings on baseball cards etc...
That last 10% is a Grand Canyon as Al can attest.
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
The hand crank on the light stand column is golden. Cannot emphasize enough what a blessing that little addition means to work flow!
Use a gray card to give me a clean background and quick WB editing.
The coffee table is a good height. If I have to go wide for anything wide like a PSA slab I need a step ladder with standard height table. A real pain.
Don't like changing glass.
Still tinkering with homemade 45 degree axial lighting setup with a round piece of plastic from Lowes.
Nikon D610 cost me around $400
Nikon Macro a couple hundred.
Maybe $200 for the lights on FB marketplace.
All have dual uses. Will show my Ebay clothing stand when finished. I like to group shoot like sized items. Coins then cards the general stuff then larger items like clothing.
The previous lighting setup was octopus arms and halogen lights attached to stand.
Lighting is an art and science.
If the forum member is around and still making them, it was a great setup for the small stuff.
Still a long way for me to get accurate toning shots but decent for generic stuff.
Tools are there to make life easier until you can master the light.
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
Over the years here is what I’ve set up. An older Nikon digital SLR mounted on a second microscope boom with Ikea daylight LED lights, a third light mounted on the microscope is used for filli as needed. The extra long gooseneck allows full light adjustments. The camera is connected to my computer so I can focus using the larger monitor image. Software for the camera lets me set the exposure and trip the shutter using the mouse. Totally vibration free. I can swap the macro lens for a bellows as needed.
"A penny hit by lightning is worth six cents". Opie Taylor
The heavy copy stand is a must. Also, no amount of camera leveling will make up for coins’ tendency to have surfaces not coplanar with the back of the slab. I tend to use wedges of stacked business cards to dial them in but am in search of a solution for a leveling pad of some sort. Here’s a shot of my latest effort:
Maybe a deformable pad like a beanbag would work. I like the idea of a small flat board with a 3 axis screw leveler. Every coin is different. Also, my camera allows me to zoom in on a very small area of the subject and tweak focus. This is hugely helpful as the focal range of a 200mm macro is less than the distance between most fields and motto lettering. After I get one part of the coin in focus I can check other areas and tweak again if necessary. Also, if you have the ability to shoot in Live View without mirror swing, do that. Also, whatever you can do to minimize vibration when activating the sensor/shutter do that. I set mine so that touching the screen takes the shot. You just need to touch it lightly. If you can set the aperture to the spot where the depth of field is enough so that the tops of the devices and the fields are in focus, but not so small that the surface of the slab is in focus that helps. I find that between f:6 and f:8 works well. As for lighting, couple things. One, setting the white balance to the known output of your bulbs is critical to getting accurate color. Try to minimize stray light as it will throw this off. I do tend to avoid using direct light, and often end up bouncing the light off my white walls which seems enough. Direct light on your slab will reflect onto your sensor and throw off exposure even if the direct light isn’t directly above the coin.
I remember my first setup. I bought all the gear, and used a tripod with the ability tho flip the center pole horizontally, and a big ball head for leveling. My first several efforts were total fiascos. I tried flashes, a ring flash, umbrellas, white curtains, white boxes, dark boxes, everything. In the end the most important things were white balance, indirect lighting techniques, and comfort. You can’t be creative while you’re hunched over your gangly setup and your back starts to hurt. The flip-up screen with touch to shoot was a total game-changer.
Good luck!
Empty Nest Collection
Matt’s Mattes
if you can't remotely control the camera to avoid introducing shake when you take a pic, you can use the cameras timer. Never seen a cam without a timer.
I posted a cheap leveling pad above. Its perfect for me because in Capture One I can set three points as focus gauges which exactly align with the three adjustment dials.
If you have HDMI out on the camera, plug it into a monitor. Much better than the tiny screen or usb tethering for making sure you nail focus. With axial lighting slabs autofocus often wants to focus on the plastic instead of the coin.
Coin Photographer and Videographer