Photo test thread: $120 used camera

basestealer

TorinoCobra71

One Red X and one Reverse Liberty Island Dollar Pic. Looks pretty damn good!

TorinoCobra71

basestealer

Sorry, I posted the URLs before I uploaded them!

basestealer

I tried these at an angle

STONE

Can't say there's anything wrong with the pics. Nice

carl

Nice photos. What kind of camera did you use?

basestealer

CASIO EX-Z50 5.0 Megapixel, slim design. It's smaller than a cell phone.

mgoodm3

Not bad. The lighting is a little soft for me.

basestealer

I think the first photo is best, but this one I took at an angle AND inside a plastic case (someone glued the case together with superglue, and I can't pry it out)

ajia

Very nice, just a bit 'soft'.

basestealer

How would you solve the "soft" problem? More light? Less?

Here's a colored coin

robertpr

If you can drop the ISO lower to reduce the grain, that would be worth doing. Also, sharpen the images using a normal sharpen filter in Photoshop or similar application prior to reducing them in size. The camera doesn't seem to be getting a perfectly focused shot. If you're holding the camera in hand, that could be why. You'll want a copystand or similar setup allowing you to point the camera straight down at the coin and shoot without you touching the camera. Just use the timer. Shoot dead on, not at an angle. The color and lighting look good. It's difficult to light these as evenly as you have.

basestealer

<< <i>If you can drop the ISO lower to reduce the grain, that would be worth doing. Also, sharpen the images using a normal sharpen filter in Photoshop or similar application prior to reducing them in size. The camera doesn't seem to be getting a perfectly focused shot. If you're holding the camera in hand, that could be why. You'll want a copystand or similar setup allowing you to point the camera straight down at the coin and shoot without you touching the camera. Just use the timer. Shoot dead on, not at an angle. The color and lighting look good. It's difficult to light these as evenly as you have. >>


I'm using a cloud dome with a stand. I'll try some more straight on shops and see about the ISO. Thanks!

robertpr

I see, ditch the cloud dome. That's causing your softness issues.

basestealer

<< <i>I see, ditch the cloud dome. That's causing your softness issues. >>


Correct, but it's also giving me even lighting. I'll go take another round without it and see.

robertpr

<< <i>

<< <i>I see, ditch the cloud dome. That's causing your softness issues. >>


Correct, but it's also giving me even lighting. I'll go take another round without it and see. >>



Yeah, if you like that then just sharpen the image before resizing it like I said.

mrpaseo

Cut the top off a Milk jug, place padding (Black) in the bottom of jug, place coin on padding, place light on outside of jug preferably from two directions... take picture.

Cost is about 5 bucks, and any camera will do.

Ray

basestealer

<< <i>Cut the top off a Milk jug, place padding (Black) in the bottom of jug, place coin on padding, place light on outside of jug preferably from two directions... take picture.

Cost is about 5 bucks, and any camera will do.

Ray >>


Thanks Ray, but that's almost exactly what the cloud dome does.

Here's 2 pictures without the cloud dome. The lighting is not nearly as soft, but there's reflection. It would be nice to show the mirrors and contrast in the proof coins without showing a reflection. I could try a flash in the cloud dome but that has a tendency to yellow the coin. I'm looking for the sharpen feature in photoshop.

mrpaseo

Try holding a piece of white paper where the reflection comes from, the flat white paper will even out the reflection and it will look smooth...

You want to see the white paper in the reflection... The white paper becomes the reflected backround (Nothing to do with bouncing light)

Try that...

Ray

mgoodm3

Shooting in a dark room help cut unwanted reflections if you're shooting at an angle. shooting straight on to the coin will produce darker fields, but you may also pick up reflections of your camera.

mrpaseo

<< <i>Shooting in a dark room help cut unwanted reflections if you're shooting at an angle. shooting straight on to the coin will produce darker fields, but you may also pick up reflections of your camera. >>



Very good advice, I forgot about the dark room...

Look at you rlast pictures, see the white backround behind the ANN on the right? If you hold white paper over your coin at the right angle this is how the coins reflection will look...

If you want the deep dark reflections, go with the dark room except for your spot lights at a level close to the face of the coin shooting just over the face of the coin...

Ray

coinman420

<< <i>

<< <i>Cut the top off a Milk jug, place padding (Black) in the bottom of jug, place coin on padding, place light on outside of jug preferably from two directions... take picture.

Cost is about 5 bucks, and any camera will do.

Ray >>


Thanks Ray, but that's almost exactly what the cloud dome does.

Here's 2 pictures without the cloud dome. The lighting is not nearly as soft, but there's reflection. It would be nice to show the mirrors and contrast in the proof coins without showing a reflection. I could try a flash in the cloud dome but that has a tendency to yellow the coin. I'm looking for the sharpen feature in photoshop.


>>



try shooting straight on, these pics are tilted, straight on should look better, adjust your light and you should get black fields on a proof.

edited to add pic:

basestealer

I think I'm getting it down with this camera--now my problem is holding the camera still. The latest photos are out of focus because I didn't use a stand--I'll need to makeshift one that works with this setup.

MrBluster

That a pretty good picture. It beats the heck out pf the scanner that I use.

coinman420

basestealer, use a copystand or mini-tripod, my tripod holds the cam 3-4 inches from the coin. use macro, play with white balance and light settings, my cam is a $140 nicon coolpix L3. 5 megapixel. lighting and settings are more important than the cam.


edited for sp.

AUandAG

not only are they mushy (soft) but I don't think they are in focus. These are proof
coins, right? I think the images need to be razor sharp. But, I'm not good at the pic
stuff myself and should not be casting stones.
bob

GoldenEyeNumismatics

pretty good! Not much luster visible but still a good pic

drwstr123

basestealer

The one problem I'm having with this camera is focus. I still think the best picture so far is the very first one in my OP, even though the lighting is soft.

There seems to be problems with the camera getting gold to show correctly.

Some gold

basestealer

And this is silver but it looks bronze in the photograph

basestealer

basestealer

basestealer

coinman420

<< <i>
>>



your photo is excellent so how about you give me and basestealer some tips???

drwstr123

Coinman&baseS-if your color is right, don't worry about "white balance". Flash off and use your timer. If you can slow the speed of the pics, go to ISO 200. f stop at 22. You're good to go. Practice, practice, practice. Mike

basestealer

On my expensive cameras I can take great pictures--but this slimline camera I want to use for quick pics, and they are thus far horrible (except the first one, which isn't accurate because it flattens the proof). I thought this thread might benefit others too, because someone posted last week in response to a question about a 1 inch blurred photo on ebay that "maybe the guy didn't have $1400 photography setup"--I believe great pics can be taken with low rung cameras, but I might have to change that opinion. Certainly decent pics can be taken though. At least, pictures larger than a fingernail and more in focus. I've got about 9 digital cameras, and each one requires a slightly different setting and setup to photograph a coin. This slim cam is giving me a lot of trouble because I haven't figured it out yet. Maybe it can't take pictures of coins!

drwstr123

I've found that many inexpensive cameras can take great pics. I've got an old (one of the first) Casio that does a fine job. My cams a 6.1MP and I shoot all at 1.5MP. So the myth of more is better is bull. It's really a question of perserverance. If you can turn off the flash, set the timer, and get the color right (W/B), that's what you need. Mike

coinman420

keep trying different lighting/settings and you will get it,

basestealer

OMG. I feel like a moron now.

I didn't have macro turned on. I took some new pictures and they look much better. Good enough for my purposes, I think.

robertpr

<< <i>OMG. I feel like a moron now.

I didn't have macro turned on. I took some new pictures and they look much better. Good enough for my purposes, I think. >>



Heh. OK, let's see 'em?

mgoodm3

<< <i>

<< <i>OMG. I feel like a moron now.

I didn't have macro turned on. I took some new pictures and they look much better. Good enough for my purposes, I think. >>



Heh. OK, let's see 'em? >>



That works wonders for focusing.

Bring on the pics.

basestealer

Gold still didn't look too good but here's some of the other coins redone, after I found macro. I suppose I can try all the experiments over again now that I have the macro button located.

mgoodm3

What white balance setting are you using?

basestealer

basestealer

<< <i>What white balance setting are you using? >>


Auto.

drwstr123

<< <i>

<< <i>What white balance setting are you using? >>


Auto. >>


Just for fun, try switching the W/B and see the different results. Mike

mgoodm3

That might be getting you into trouble with the gold. The camera is trying to counteract all that yellow and orange. Try one of the fixed WB settings that fits the lighting you are using best.

robertpr

<< <i>That might be getting you into trouble with the gold. The camera is trying to counteract all that yellow and orange. Try one of the fixed WB settings that fits the lighting you are using best. >>



Or if you're using Photoshop, you can go into curves and then use the white balance dropper on the brightest glare point on the coin, or put a white object next to the coin so that you have something to click on with the white point dropper in photoshop curves after taking the picture.

Mesquite

You have to stop holding your camera. In the absence of a copy stand I set my camera (Nikon coolpix 885, $80 off of ebay) on my dining room table. There is a "stand" - whatever you want to rest the coin on vertically, and a light source - here I have one lamp using a 40 watt reveal bulb. The camera sits on the table in front of the coin. Now, the coin is not perfectly vertical, the top of the coin leans on the box. For a true photophile the focus being out ever-so-slightly at the top and bottom of the coin would not do. But, for many applications this works well enough.



If I set my camera so that it is dead-on with the coin, I get a reflection of the camera in the coin. Here the camera was about 4-6 inches from the coin.



To remedy this I moved the camera to the right just far enough to eliminate the reflection, set the timer and presented a black teeshirt background to reflect in the mirrors and waited (right at the edge of the table is OK. The shutter clicked and here is what I got.



I use PaintNET to rotate/sharpen/crop my photos. That is freeware you can find off of the internet.

The final product is this. Not THE BEST, but not too shabby either. Hope this helps.

basestealer

Gold.

Mesquite

Just shot these two (not the same coin) with the exact same setup as shown above. Not bad, and with more attention to lighting and exposure they could be improved.