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Photo Experiments continued: Still trying to get really nice pics of that #%&$@ quarter!
mgoodm3
Posts: 17,497 ✭✭✭
The experimentation continues. I have decided that lighting for very lustrous coins is best from higher angles. Low-angle is too harsh. Low angle also brings out the scratches on the slab (cheek scratch is on the slab). The only problem with high angle is that it requires the camera to be farther away from the coin, thus a smaller image, that will make small coins more of a problem. I have decided that my camera has better sharpness with less zoom and the camera closer, rather than the opposite (yes jeremy, I keep the focus icon in the green the whole time for both situations).
The pic below has lighting from 3 angles: about 10,1 and 5 on the clock. The problem I get with multi-angle light is that there is no shadowing on the letters and the letters get less defined (look at the date) and look less sharp. I used diffuse light on this picture which improves it in this situation. I will next try high-angle light from the top of the coin in the 10-2 range and see how that works, +/- the grocery bag diffuser. Obsession makes perfect, you know.
My own harsh criticism of the pic below is: A little glare across the top, I think from the light being too high angle up there. It's also a bit out of focus, but not too bad. I really like the lighting on the face, that's what I'm after.
The pic below has lighting from 3 angles: about 10,1 and 5 on the clock. The problem I get with multi-angle light is that there is no shadowing on the letters and the letters get less defined (look at the date) and look less sharp. I used diffuse light on this picture which improves it in this situation. I will next try high-angle light from the top of the coin in the 10-2 range and see how that works, +/- the grocery bag diffuser. Obsession makes perfect, you know.
My own harsh criticism of the pic below is: A little glare across the top, I think from the light being too high angle up there. It's also a bit out of focus, but not too bad. I really like the lighting on the face, that's what I'm after.
coinimaging.com/my photography articles Check out the new macro lens testing section
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Comments
Collector since 1976. On the CU forums here since 2001.
Oh yeah -- nice pic! I'm jealous!
Michael
09/07/2006
This is about the best shot I've been able to get of a Washington Quarter. It's not blast white but the luster is still pretty brilliant. It was taken with a Ricoh RDC-5000 and one 100 watt bulb (kept a good distance away so as not to melt the slab
Jeremy