New Camera

Ricke

Ok so I got this new camera, and I'm just starting to play with it a little.

I've always used scans in the past, but it just doesn't capture toning. Not like this, anyway.



Still just starting to get the hang of it... if anyone snaps images and does the side by side - please give me some pointers, because I'm having a heck of a time getting them sized right, and some of you guys seem to have that down to a science.

wybrit

Cool coin.

It mostly takes a lot of practice leading to continuous improvement. I know I didn't start with a basic process until I had 200-300 shots behind me.

A mini tripod or copy stand is useful for improving sharpness. I usually take 3-4 pictures of the same thing and use the best one.

Lighting: OTT lights or Reveal bulbs work pretty well. There are more sophisticated lighting techniques people here use and they'll be happy to share with you if you have not already seen the threads.

As for sizing - that is personal preference and depends on your camera's zoom and pixel capabilities. What image editing software do you have at your disposal?

Ricke

I'm using photoshop 6.0 for editing. The camera is 6 megapixel. The resolution is pretty good, but I have to take a few shots and pick the one with the least blur. I haven't set up a tri-pod/lighting system yet, but I can see where I'm going to have to do that.

Ricke

I love this... here's the same coin with a scan system.



doesn't even seem to compare.

AuldFartte

Neat coin, and that's a ton of difference between the photo and the scan. A tripod or copy stand to hold the camera perfectly steady is an absolute must. With that resolution and magnification, any movement of the camera will result in blur. Set up the tripod, then use the camera's self-timer to take the pic rather than using your finger on the shutter release. The self-timer allows the camera time to re-steady after you push the button.

I use either CS-1 or Photoshop Elements 3.0 for my coin shots. I crop it square, resize the image to at least 1000 x 1000 pixels, then use the "Save for Web" feature to reduce the resolution to the allowable amount here (50k I think) - seems to work alright, but I really prefer to upload higher resolution pics to someplace like Photobucket.com (it's free) and then link the image to the posting here.

Good luck with the new camera!