Is it the camera or the photgraphers skills with any decent camera?

laurentyvan

I see "full screen views" of gorgeous, hard to image coins in a variety of threads and I've got to ask if it's the camera or the imagers skills or a combination of both that result in eye-popping images we sometimes see?

Sometimes I produce an image I'm delighted with but don't really know why, 'cause the next time, with the same methodology the image is not quite so good...

ed for spl

coinpictures

I feel your pain. I feel the same way, especially on slabbed coins and proofs. On raw coins I think I'm getting fairly consistent, but with slabs I always feel that it's a struggle.

I think it's a combination of three things:

1. Photographer's skill

2. Lighting

3. Camera

... in that order. From what I've seen and read here, the SLRs give the most flexibility and optimum performance with various exchangeable or add-on lenses, but it's a circular argument, since those who spend that much money on SLR cameras are usually pros and/or extremely experienced photographers so the quality of their work is top notch to begin with, regardless of the quality of the equipment used...

I'd really love to take a seminar/class on macrophotography, or better yet a one-on-one lesson with one of the pros here, where I could bring some of my most problematic pieces and see how they approach shooting them.

laurentyvan

I'd really love to take a seminar/class on macrophotography, or better yet a one-on-one lesson with one of the pros here, where I could bring some of my most problematic pieces and see how they approach shooting them.

I love this idea!! How could we implement it in a forum-friendly manner that would serve all interested members?

Perhaps it's time to have a pegged post dedicated to imaging coins. I wonder how many beautiful raw coins are presented (imaged) poorly on eBay, coins that might otherwise make a prospective buyer say to him or herself, "gosh, that might make a PCGSMS65" and result in a strong bid. It could only benefit TPG's.

'Course, I put aside those sellers who use deliberately-poor imaging to cover up flaws, tooling, ATing, over-grading, counterfeiting, and other sundry flaws.

TwoKopeiki

"Full screen views" are great, but my biggest challenge is taking a magnificent-looking image at high resolution and shrinking it to forum-acceptable size without losing detail and depth of it...

satootoko

The top ten factors are:

1. The Photographer's skill

2. The Photographer's skill

3. The Photographer's skill

4. The Photographer's skill

5. The Photographer's skill

6. The Photographer's skill

7. The Photographer's skill

8. The Photographer's skill

9. The Photographer's skill, including his lighting

10. The Photographer's skill, including his choice of camera

Back in the mid-50s one of the major photography magazines did an experiment in which they gave Box Brownies (a fixed focus cheapie camera comparable to disposable one-shots available now in any drugstore) to three professional photographers, and Hasselblad Single Lens Reflexes (the absolute top of the line multi-adjustable cameras in those days) to three people with no particular photographic skills and gave them all the same assignments to photograph people, buildings and scenery. It was absolutely no contest - every one of the pictures by the pros was far superior to all of those taken by the others, and it was amazingly easy to tell which were which without reading the captions.

laurentyvan

Full screen views" are great, but my biggest challenge is taking a magnificent-looking image at high resolution and shrinking it to forum-acceptable size without losing detail and depth of it...

Don't disagree.

What has your strongest aid been in terms of good imaging advice?

laurentyvan

it was amazingly easy to tell which were which without reading the captions

Ok, 1st hint, it's an understanding and proper execution of appropriate photographic technique.

We can exclude the ability to properly image large landscapes though, and enter the world of small subjects. Is it the same but (or) different?