Adrian - what kind of camera setup do you use?

its4real

Those pics on e-bay are scrumptuous! Really vivid and the lighting always seems perfect. Everythings in focus, foreground and background.

Wanna let us in on some of your photographic secrets?

ANACONDA

It has taken my years to learn how to shoot coin pics and there’s no way that I can put all of that info into a short post, which of course is what I have to do in order to make some people happy. So, as space permits here is some of the most important stuff.

I use a Nikon Coolpix 990 digital camera with a stock lens. I have two of them, one at home for taking images and one at my law office for viewing images for posting purposes. At home, the camera is in the same room as my Smith and Wesson 9mm and at the office it’s in the same room as my 357 with hollow points.

I use natural lighting for the most part (northern exposure) and try to take pictures either shortly before sundown or shortly after sunup. Some of the most important things that I have learned are the proper use of the white balance options on the Coolpix and how to take scratches out of holders. (three steps to a nice shiny slab …..and no one likes scratches on their ten thousand dollar coin…or even their hundred dollar coin for that matter.)

Also, I have found that when working on images, it is best to work on them in low light settings so that your eyes can properly adjust to just what is on your screen. [And for any of you who view the phrase "working on images" as an indication that I somehow try to alter the photos to make my coins look better than they are, please know that my objective is always accuracy. If you don't utilize contrast, brightness and sharpening tools in Adobe Photoshop, your images will never accurately portray the coin. And for any of you who still have your cross hairs on me, check out my feedback. I have sold many expensive coins to people who have them in hand and can view my images simultaneously, and I believe that most people are impressed when they get the coin with the fact that the coin actually looks incredibly similar to the images….or better. Buying and listing really nice coins helps make people happy but I truly try to give the most accurate photos I can, and I spend quite a bit of time doing so. Properly listing a coin can take quite a bit of time but I think it is worth it. No one likes getting a coin that looks great on the screen but like a dog (or bear….) poop in your hands.]

Also, the very most important thing to know in photography is that no one sees what goes in the trash. My Dad once said “adrian, if you would throw away 99% of your photos, you might actually look like you know what you’re doing…” So, this completes my fifth paragraph and is a good place to say I gotta go to the bathroom and I also have a lot of work to do so if I don’t come back and answer any questions you ask, hang in there I’ll try to get to them soon.

nwcs

Another thing to add on. I discovered recently that the best way to capture color is with low light. And definitely the light source settings and proper color correction are essential tools in good photography. I think my recent thread shows a few nice subtle captures. Link

coinguy1

To those of you who had said that Adrian brought nothing to these forums, please view his above post again - it is but one example of his informative contributions here. By the way, I would like to thank him publicly for giving our company photography tips that have enabled us to improve the quality of our web site imaging significantly. Actually, significantly might be an undersatement, at least according to some clients who have given us feedback on the subject.

Mrpawn

Thanks for the tips on digital pix. Looking forward to trying low light in my next attempt at photos of toned coins.

Jr

TONEDDOLLARS

Adrian,

Thank you for the info on picture taking. Anyone else care to chime in with their expertise on this subject. I know I and others need all the help we can get. I find it one of the hardest things to do well on the web.

jadecoin

On a budget of $100, you can get reasonable colors from a scanner too. Here is a nice 1820 Randall coin we recently acquired. The colors, including the overtones of autumn gold on the obverse and violet on the reverse are accurate. What does not come through is the stunning luster of this coin, which rivals that of any 1881-S Morgan dollar!

Sincerely,
jadecoin

mdwoods

That's the one gripe I have with a scanner, it doesn't capture the luster. Try scanning a nice brown Lincoln cent. A scanner captures the detail wonderfully, but usually makes the cent look dull and lifeless, when in fact it may have a very nice luster. A camera does a much nicer job of capturing the luster. I recommend Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 to people who can't spring for it's big brother Adobe Photoshop. You can adjust contrast and brightness, eliminate yellowish overtones and generally make the coin photo look pretty close to the coin itself. Here is a photo I took of my 09 Indain Head cent, the color balance was adjusted, as was the brightness and contrast in Photoshop Elements. I used a tan background under the slab.



I still need to improve, but thanks to many forum members, I am slowly getting there.

its4real

I'm lovin' this stuff!

Keep it comin'....I'm takin notes...

shylock

I've been admiring many of your registry images Mark. And you're right about a camera's major advantage being its ability to capture lustre. Adrian's tip about white balance is the most critical for digital cameras. No matter how good the lighting or imaging software, if the balance is off the color will never be quite right. A few basic tips I'd add, for what they're worth:

Using the camera's timer is a must if you don't have a remote shutter release cable. Even on a tripod a camera is ultrasensitive in macro mode and will pick up some movement from your finger pressing the shutter.

(For Nikon users) Let the camera automatically measure the white balance in manual mode -- the pre-set settings Nikon offers never seem to match up right. And then shoot the images in manual mode. Be sure to let the camera measure the background color without the coin in the picture. I've found a black background more accurate for PCGS slabs and a white background more accurate for NGC and ANACS. Since I image mostly copper this might not apply to all coins (or all cameras), so I'd suggest experimenting with both.

Natural, diffuse light is the ideal, and I've found the best alternative to the sun are these lamps or something comparable that replicates full spectrum sunlight.

Here are two images of the same RB copper. The first is from about a year ago without using the timer, without measuring the white balance (used auto), using a white background and fluorescent lighting. The second uses the methods I mentioned above and is pretty much exactly what the coin looks like without any software adjustments.

jadecoin

(Warning: large images for dialup users)

Here is a link to an extremely lustrous 1812 Capped Bust half, which we just sold to Superior Galleries. The stunning colors are fairly represented, but this coin had prodigous luster and screaming cartwheels. In the image, it looks subdued. Ditto for this 1820/19 Bust half, which I attempted to image right through the mylar holder. On the other hand, my image of this fully struck reverse 1892 Libety Nickel does show a little of the satiny luster. Again, this one was scanned through the mylar holder. Some luster also showed up on this 1832 Capped Bust half, but once again, the cartwheels are much more active on the actual coin.

Bear in mind that each of these scans is completely unedited or enhanced in any way. You are seeing the images exactly as the scanner picked them up.

Sincerely,
jadecoin