Hey mgoodm3

GoldenEyeNumismatics

Could you be so kind as to post some links to a place where I can purchase some of your photo equipment (not your photo equipment, but you know what I mean). I'm an admirer (as most of us are) of your photos and would love to purchase some of the stuff you use.

pinealbany

Yes, I too would love to know some of your photo equipment. Thanks!!!!

Fletcher

I picked up one of these to use as a copy stand and it works great!

Link-O-Rama

mgoodm3

How much you wanna spend? I buy most of my stuff at B&H photo.

My main equipment at the moment:

Nikon D200
Nikon 85mm PC macro lens ($$$), indispensable for the way I image now. Stellar lens!
Sigma 150mm macro (plan on getting a Nikon 200mm macro sometime soon)
Bencher Copymate II copystand
Kaiser RB300 lights
MK digital LED minilight (have their uses)

CaptainRon

Can you please explain the differance in the macro lenses. Am I correct in thinking, that this is what judges on how close you can get the camera to the coin.

Thanks

pendragon1998

Mark,

I'm shooting with your camera's older brother, the Nikon D70.

I was wondering when you prefer the 85mm macro over the 150?

GoldenEyeNumismatics

<< <i>How much you wanna spend? I buy most of my stuff at B&H photo.

My main equipment at the moment:

Nikon D200
Nikon 85mm PC macro lens ($$$), indispensable for the way I image now. Stellar lens!
Sigma 150mm macro (plan on getting a Nikon 200mm macro sometime soon)
Bencher Copymate II copystand
Kaiser RB300 lights
MK digital LED minilight (have their uses) >>



Thanks, this info is priceless

money isn't as much of an issue as the quality of the images.

mgoodm3

The 85 is a tilting lens. It allows you to tilt the plane of focus. With it, I can get good focus on tilted coins. It's also one of the sharpest lenses made. Great optics. Downside is that it's all manual. Manual focus, manual aperture. It's pretty fiddly to use but can do things that normal lenses can't.

mgoodm3

<< <i>Can you please explain the differance in the macro lenses. Am I correct in thinking, that this is what judges on how close you can get the camera to the coin.

Thanks >>



Macro lenses allow you to focus close rthan a typical lens. This close focus is measured by the size of the object focused in relation to 35mm film (with SLR's). A good macro lens will allow you to focus close enough where the object is life size on the detector. This is 1:1. Non-macro lenses won't go much closer then 1:3 (1/3 life size) typically.

the second factor is how far away from the object are you when you are at 1:1. This is called working distance. The longer the lens (higher mm), the more working distance. Working distance is really important for getting good lighting. That's why I went to 150mm in the first place and will go to 200mm in the future.

CaptainRon

Thanks for the reply

Is there any downside to using a 200mm as opposed to using a 150mm. Is there a greater cost for a 200mm

Do they make Macro lenses larger the 200mm? and approx how much working distance does a 150mm and a 200mm give you?

Thanks
Ron

CaptainRon

One more question, if I was using a macro lense to shoot pictures of fish in an aquirum, could I attach a polorized filter still, if so could you recommend a good filter for the glass reflextion and still be polarized?

Once again many thanks
Ron

mgoodm3

<< <i>Thanks for the reply

Is there any downside to using a 200mm as opposed to using a 150mm. Is there a greater cost for a 200mm

Do they make Macro lenses larger the 200mm? and approx how much working distance does a 150mm and a 200mm give you?

Thanks
Ron >>



200mm is about the limit. 150 will give you probably 18 inches (front of the lens to the coin) when shooting a morgan at full size in the viewfinder. The extra working distance really comes in handy for small coins.

mgoodm3

<< <i>One more question, if I was using a macro lense to shoot pictures of fish in an aquirum, could I attach a polorized filter still, if so could you recommend a good filter for the glass reflextion and still be polarized?

Once again many thanks
Ron >>



The problem with polarizing filters is that they work best at low angles (optimum angle around 37 degrees off of horizontal). When shooting from straight on, there is almost no polarization of the light. Not much use when shooting coins. SInce a fishtank has more than one side that may show on an image, reflections off of the side angled away from you may decrease with a filter. If you're shooting directly into one side it won't help.

speety

I have a 300mm macro lense but i can only get to a 1:2 ratio.