Coin pic lighting?

ElmerFusterpuck

I've taken some pretty good coin pics with my digital camera, but I still get the problem with the large coins being too dark at the bottom or over a part of it. You get great lighting if the light is right over the top, but then you get the reflection of the bulb. I use a portable lamp with a 150 watt bulb right now. Is a halogen light a better choice? What's the best position and distance for the light source? Any input here would be appreciated!

DanC

ElmerFusterpuck,

The operative word is lights... plural. I use 3.

GE Reveal light bulbs are the best. You have to experiment with various wattages and angles - cameras see them differently. Oblique lighting with 75, 60, and 40 watts works great on proof coins.

Copper is tough.

The cheap clip-on light fixtures seem to work pretty good.

LanLord

DanC has the good information. Multiple lights are key.

DanC

In fairness... it's Russ that did all the hard work. I just picked his brain.

stujoe

Yep, mulitple lights and play with the angles depending upon the reflectivity of the coin.

I use two 20 watt halogens and the overhead, ambient light is from a 60 watt reveal bulb but the best combination will depend upon your camera.

Cam40

Another consideration is background color.
Useing various colored paper as a background gives different results as far as how the coins color comes out.

I,m talking opaque colors.not hard solid colors.Like a baby blue,or pale lavender color.

Just a suggestion...

DanC

One thing Russ stresses, and I agree (at least from some experimentation) that a black background is best.

reason being: black background forces the camera to focus on the frosty white of your PR70DCAM.
The other biggie, is adjusting your contrast balance (if your camera has that setting - I believe most do)

If your pix are dark despite multiple lights, bump that contrast up a bit. You'll be pleased with the result.

ElmerFusterpuck

Thanks for all the replies (so far)! Looks like some more lights are in my future. I believe my camera does have that contrast adjustment as well. I'll fiddle with it within a week or two and post some results. Meanwhile, it's time to get ready - Long Beach awaits tomorrow and Friday...

DanC

ElmerF -

If I can help in any way - please feel free to PM me, and if you want to send any pics my way - I'll be happy to assist in any way I can to get you up to the level you desire.

I've got a long way to go myself, but if I can help save some time and aggravation - It'll be my pleasure.