Fluorescent or Incandescent for Snapping Coin Pics?

ChuckC

It seems that regular 60 watt light makes coins look too golden. I've had luck with fluorescent basement light, but it's not bright enough. Any solutions?

mgoodm3

I like halogen dasklamps. They have a nice white light. As long as you get a good white balance things should work out OK.

LindeDad

Looking for the same answer. Cloudy and raining all the time here so sunlight not that usable.

ElmerFusterpuck

I assume you're using a digital camera. I use 2 incandescent bulbs (150W raised up a bit) and use the incandescent setting on the camera). I had the same yellowing problem in the past. Once I found that camera setting, problem was solved.

ElectricEye

GE Reveal bulbs

pursuitofliberty

After lots of trial and error, I've found that incandenscent bulbs work best as long as my camera in on that setting.

My best pictures to date (recently posted SLQ thread) are using Soft White 40's at about 12" from the coin, at about 10 and 2 o'clock. I also have an AutoCorrect feature, which remores the last bit of the yellow.

Barry

Doesn't matter what kind of blubs you use if you set a custom white balance in your camera, assuming it has that feature.

jom

Barry is right about the camera being able to adjust BUT it is best to give the coin a "good start" without having to rely on the camera...or software later to adjust.

I would suggest NEITHER incan or, most certainly NOT, fluorescent. I use OTT or some other natural light...maybe sunlight if you can.

1) Fluorescent does let the toning come thru but you can't get luster to show....as evidenced by any scanned coin picture you see.

2) Incancescent bulbs give good shots of luster but the toning looks nowhere near what it should. They have too high of a color temp. Too red as it were.

If you want to spend a bit for an OTT (which is what I do) or you can go cheap and just use the sun.

jom

Aethelred

I use GE Reveal 50w floodlight(s) and have had pretty good results.



It also helps in some cases to use difuse lighting, for example when you are photographing DMPL dollars and cameo proofs.

MacCrimmon

What jom said. I use two OTT lights and forget about the white balance.

relayer

I use the best light around - sunlight

ChuckC

If I were to pick up the OTT light, how many watts? I've seen them in 18 and 13. others?

ChuckC

screw the OTT bulb! I figured out the white balance thing on my camera. Take a look:

before (fluorescent):

PM FOR PHOTO

after (one incandescent on either side w/ white balance):

PM FOR PHOTO

oldcameoproofsguy

OTT lights bring out the greens in a coin



GE Reveal bulbs tend to bring out the violets

nwcs

<< <i>It seems that regular 60 watt light makes coins look too golden. I've had luck with fluorescent basement light, but it's not bright enough. Any solutions? >>

White balance adjustment.

ChuckC

nwcs - see post #12

nwcs

Ahh. And what can also help is adjusting the exposure level. Usually knocking it to the first position negative can really kick it up a notch. And softening the light with some diffusion. Learning some photoshop tricks can be cool. Here's your merc with some adjustments.



Your original is below. This is the difference that color correction in Photoshop can make. Although I spent about 30 seconds on it.

sadysta1

try taking pics in manual mode, manual mode has several setting that will make a heck of the difference taking pics

ChuckC

ahh, beautiful, thanks again

CarlWohlforth

If you are better at setting the white balance than I you will be able to use more lighting conditions than I can.

Like Jom I mostly use Ott lamps when I can't use natural light. However I think Ott lights *are* a kind of fluorescent lights. There are many kinds of fluorescent lights, warm, cool, plant and so forth. There are also many kinds of incandescent lights including reveal bulbs.

Ott lights make my coins too blue while reveal bulbs make my coins too red. I haven't mastered the white color balance thing on my camera so I'm not that flexible. Indirect natural light varies greatly, it can be blue or green depending on if it is reflecting from the sky or trees/landscaping or whatever.

My advice is to experiment with many kinds of lighting. When using artificial lights I suggest blocking all natural light as that has an effect on the results.

idocoins

What's OTT

ChuckC

i apologize for the red X's ... the geocities bandwidth limit was exceeded dangit! check back later

jom

<< <i>Like Jom I mostly use Ott lamps when I can't use natural light. However I think Ott lights *are* a kind of fluorescent lights >>



Yes they are but for some reason the type I use (Swirl) allows the luster to show very well....as opposed to other fluorescent bulbs such as in scanners.

jom

JRocco

Do you need OTT lamps or do OTT bulbs work just as well in regular desk lamps?

CarlWohlforth

<Do you need OTT lamps or do OTT bulbs work just as well in regular desk lamps? >

OTT lamps are available. But they also make screw in bulbs that can work in regular desk lamps. I think those are the "Swirl Bulbs" Jom uses.

jom

<< <i>I think those are the "Swirl Bulbs" Jom uses >>



Yup. For some reason the OTT lamps that are the tube-type don't work as well for me. I've never really been able to understand why. BTW, the tube kind come with their own "lamp" so to speak.

Here is where I got mine...although recently they were out of stock.

Here

Another

Another

Yes...they are expensive.

jom