Magnification tool

NBSQLGeek

I use a 17X jewlers loupe. The viewing piece is very small and need something larger. I would also liek to know if there might be something with a higher magnification.

Do some of you use microscope type tools?

nwcs

I know that many people like the Intel Play QX3 microscope. You can only get them from ebay now. they're usb and scan directly into a Win box.

NBSQLGeek

Yep heading to ebay right now. Thanks very much, getting harder for me with the light in my living room and with the small viewer I have.

MrKelso

I was thinking about gettig one of those for the kid for xmas but now maybe i will have to get 2 of them. one for poppy

tjkillian

Don't bother with the Intel Microscopes: They are terrible. I bought one and it is worse than worthless. The quality is so low than it will just frustrate you.

Tom

NBSQLGeek

Just looked out ont he internet and at Intels site, they no longer manufacture them, so those our out of the question.

Going along the idea of a Computer microscope connection, I have found a USB microscope made by Scalar. Its $300 and can get up to 200X which thats very nice but would be happy with 50X.

ANyone know of any other microscopes that can transmit data to the computer.

vamseeker

The QX3 isn't useful for full coin pics, but it can be pretty handy for attributes:

at 60X magnification



at 200X magnification



What do you want for $30? Even though they're discontinued, they're still readily available new, in the box.


Vamseeker

NBSQLGeek

$30? where do you see it for $30?

coppercoins

Even at $30 I consider them a waste. The photos they create are barely discernible, and definately not good enough to really tell much about a subject, especially on copper. I have noticed that coins often sell MUCH better using other techniques for magnification than with the QX3. To me, it's one of those deals where you spend some money but get it back in higher priced sales due to giving people images that are good enough to make a decision.

I sold Lincoln cent RPMs on eBay for quite some time...I noticed that I could easily get $5-$8 for the same coins being offered by QX3 owners at $2 or $3, and many times theirs would end without bids. The reason is the quality of the images. I think the $150-$200 for a minimal set up is still far superior to buying one of these "toys". I know four different people personally who have bought them and all said that while it did come cheap, it was a waste of their time and money.

NBSQLGeek

True coppercoins, What kind of setup do you have? Tricky hunting down the info on google.com and the best information is fromt hose that actually use the scopes and have experience with them.

cjmbuffalo

I use the Achiever microscope. You can get it in 10-30x or 15-45x. You also can attach a digital camera like a Nikon Coolpix to it for photos. The scope costs $259 I find it very helpful. I believe the web page is microscopes.com if that is wrong address a search on google will find it.

NBSQLGeek

I have seen this archiever very nice looking, I think my only thing is getting good clean pictures so I can archive them in my collection database.

Amazing I work for a living working on Databases, and then I go home and create more for fun.

Shoot me.

coppercoins

My particular setup could be replicated currently for around $1000. I know it's not within many people's budget that just want something to "image" a coin for auctions, posting on the board, and what-not, but my purpose is for publishing said photos, so the set-up had to be nice.

camera - I use a Sony Mavica FD-88 digital camera (cost $900 new in 1999). The newer models are better than mine and cost much less - around $400 new. I shopped quite a bit and researched a lot of different companies before selecting the Mavica. I cannot speak for current-day cameras, but in 1999, Sony had the best optics available on digital cameras, and I liked the feature where it uses floppy diskettes instead of memory chips or cards. At the time the industry was changing by the day and I didn't want to get a camera that used media that would be discontinued the next week and leave me in the cold - since floppies are readily available, I selected this camera.

scope - I use a generic stereo-zoom microscope that has .75X - 3.5X optics and 10X eyepieces which gives a final magnification of 7.5X to 35X and everything in between. Of course if I wanted to go higher, $75 would buy a stronger set of eyepieces. I purchased the scope from a seller on eBay (Amberdepot) out of St. Louis for $320 including shipping. I recently recommended this scope and seller to a friend, he bought it, and has now grown roots in his chair and sits there most of the time looking at coins...he LOVES the scope. I did a lot of shopping before choosing this scope. No matter where else I looked, to get an infinite zoom scope (which is the major criteria I selected) I would have had to fork out a minimum of $750. This one fit the bill and was within budget. Mind you, the optics are not top of the line, but are quite sufficient for what I do. I felt that the infinite zoom was a major player because I do not like being restricted to a couple of settings. All I have to do is twist a knob and adjust the scope to the exact magnification I want....and 35X is plenty for looking at coins.

lighting - I use a 180-watt reostat controlled Eco-Light halogen light box with a dual fiber optic gooseneck light guide to light up the subject. I had to make some minor modifications to this to make it do exactly what I wanted, but I an very happy with it. Cost - $325. Other lighting solutions can be remedied, I just decided to go all-out and get the professional set up rather than continue wasting time experimenting with everything under the sun. I have found other solutions that don't work quite as well, but the purchase of this light was a very good move.

software - I use Adobe Photoshop, and have been using it for a number of years doing reprographic work. It is perfect for editing and tweaking micro images of coins. It is the best software on the market for doing this, and that's not just my opinion. It is clearly rated above all the rest. There are, however, plenty of different solutions that cost much less and give somewhat similar results. For the budget minded, I would recommend the Photoshop LE (limited edition) or comparable software that can be purchased for $75 or less.


Edited to add the definition of "infinite zoom" for those who may not know what it is...

There are three different "types" of scopes when it comes to magnification.

1. You have scopes that have a single setting - one level of magnification, and nothing else. For coins and photos of coins I would recommend something between 20X and 30X if this is the route you have to go.

2. Dual setting scopes usually come in 1X/3X or 2X/4X and usually come with 10X eyepieces giving a final resolution of 10X/30X or 20X/40X. For coins I would recommend the 1X/3X over the 2X/4X....30X is the most "typical" magnification you will see in micro-images of coins, and any scope that can get really close to this number comes more recommended.

3. Infinite zoom scopes are those that have a minimum magnification, a maximum magnification, and a knob that moves the optics up and down so you get every magnification in-between. In other words, the dual setting ONLY has 10X OR 30X. A 7.5X-35X infinite zoom scope has 7.5X, 7.6X, 7.7X, ..., 34.8X, 34.9X, 35X. If you want a 20X photo, then a 27X photo, then a 13X photo, you can do all of these with the simple twist of a knob. These are the most expensive type of scope, but come with the highest recommendation of all. They have a lot of latitude and freedom in how you shoot your coins. I held out to afford one of these.

NBSQLGeek

Thanks bro, good advice.

MrKelso

Thanks for the info coppercoins.

smprfi

coppercoins

It may not take great pictures but used as a viewing tool it works great.