Tips wanted of taking coin pictures

Numismatics

Hello guys!
I recently bought a camera(my first camera) from Ebay.
Even though I am still waiting for the camera to arrive, I need some tips from you guys.
Many of you guys are taking great pictures, so you can teach me.

Thanks for your tips.

harasha

Try a "search" in the threads. There have been quite a few on this subject. I only would mention that something, like a tripod, be used to hold the camera steady.

cosmicdebris

What kind of camera did you buy?

ccrdragon

for me, a copy stand works better than a tripod. also, experiment with lights - I use Reveal lights for toned coins and difussed white (halogen) for proofs.

Numismatics

<< <i>What kind of camera did you buy? >>




A Ricoh 4300.

MrSpud

I got a ricoh 4200 off of ebay. I really like it. Go here if yours doesn't come with a manual (like mine) Ricoh Manuals Online . Go here if you need any of the accessories, including the hard to find remote control Ricoh accessories . Actually, the only accessory worth getting there is the remote control which I have found basically isn't available anywhere else. The others can be found on e-bay for cheap or for a bit more at Best Buy or Radio Shack. The smartcards are basically obsolete and are less and less available in the size that the Ricohs use (if the 4300 uses them too like the 4200 does) but they are readily available for cheap on e-bay. Don't make the mistake of buying one of the high power new smartcards that are in the stores now because the Ricohs have a limit on which ones they can use. my 4200 can't take any smart card with more than 16MB of storage space on them. I'm not sure what the 4300 can handle but I think it is not more than 8MB.

I ended up buying a smart card reader at Radio Shack, smart cards from e-bay, the remote control from the above link and I am using the rechargeable batteries that I bought with a charger at Best Buy and a tripod from Walmart. The swivelling lens on these Ricohs allows the lens to point straight down when attached to a tripod allowing a regular tripod to function almost as good as a copy stand. They have a pretty good macro lens that works very good in autofocus. You don't really need the remote control because there is a second or 2 delay after you press the shutter button before the camera takes the picture which allows you to move your hand away so the camera doesn't shake. I bought the remote control anyway just because I thought it was cool.