I think I am getting the hang of my new camera, whatcha think?

coinsarefun

I tried again tonight taking some images of copper.
Silver coins have been coming out pretty well but copper was still giving me problems as far as settings go.

The first image is with my older camera and the second is my new one.

The only copper coin I had handy was a Conder MidLifeCrisis gave me........thanks again Middy


I think once I find a good copy stand(one that is small and fits on my desk), the slight blur will disappear.
And perhaps slightly tilt the coin, to eliminate the blur as well

The new image color and beauty of the coin is spot on. Also, this is what it looks like in hand

Tel me what you think?

Any suggestions?



Old image




New Image

LanceNewmanOCC

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copy stand, decent price

made a lot of money with this little guy before i upgraded

i used coin albums for the small one to give height and support ;-)
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you can also switch it around to give infinite height - the little one
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Justlooking

I'm no expert, but I love the way you've been able to bring out the luster and that hint of red. Whatever you're doing, it's working!

coinsarefun

<< <i>.
.
copy stand, decent price

made a lot of money with this little guy before i upgraded

i used coin albums for the small one to give height and support ;-)
.
.
you can also switch it around to give infinite height - the little one
.
. >>








Thanks, I like the first one VERY much but it will take up the entire right side of my desk, its L shape.
and the second one is really cool as I can use my Ebay Bucks and it will be free

Now I have to decide........Thanks again!

coinsarefun

<< <i>I'm no expert, but I love the way you've been able to bring out the luster and that hint of red. Whatever you're doing, it's working! >>





That's how it really looks, its actually very proof like and the hint of mint red is still hiding there, just like the image.

I kind of chocked myself, not bad for holding the camera in hand

CCC2010

Ah thats what they call magic fingers? I mean hands! Steady as they come... I don't know what's wrong with me but i like the first pics more...the color remind's me of a Hershey's chocolate

lkeigwin

I like the first images too, Stefanie. There are elements in the new ones that are nicer, but over all the first ones have better color, focus, contrast and depth. Keep at it. You'll get there.

I always assumed you had a decent copy stand set-up because you've shown us some very pretty pictures. If you don't, you should. Stop thinking about a camera set-up on your desk. Wrong solution. Make dedicated space elsewhere. Frugal is good but don't be cheap.
Lance.

EricSan

Those a both really great images, but that second image really shows off the colors in the coin better! There are a few things you can do to help achieve more consistent and accurate color in your images. First, if your camera has the ability to adjust the white balance, this can be a big help. Just make sure you have a photographic 70% gray card somewhere in the image that you can use for adjustment after your exposure is made. If your camera doesn't have this adjustment, just place your coin on a photographic 70% gray background when you create your image. This will help the camera with a more accurate white balance for your exposure.

Eric

blu62vette

Depending on the size of the camera and lens along with value may make me look real hard for a quality copy stand, they can be found very cheap.

ricko

Great pictures Stefanie...(from one who is photographically incompetent). I may not be able to do it, but I sure do appreciate it. Cheers, RickO

BillyGoatsGruff

Pics look great!

crazyhounddog

They look just fine....Next up, 3-d....

coinsarefun

<< <i>Depending on the size of the camera and lens along with value may make me look real hard for a quality copy stand, they can be found very cheap. >>







This is the camera I bought....I don't use flash and try to manually do the white balance. It the second image I used the basic setting of "turning off the Vivid color"
Thus not having so much red.


Also in the second image I used a white sheet of paper above the camera to capture the color and prooflike fields.



Canon S95
Canon - Point & Shoot - 10 megapixel - Compact Sensor - 3.8 x optical zoom - CCD - MultiMediaCard - Standard SD - SDHC - SDXC - Pop-up Flash - 6 ounce - ISO 3200
With HS System and f/2 lens, the 10.0 MP PowerShot S95 excels in low light. HD Movies,
RAW and unique lens control ring for manual control make it the pocket camera for the serious photographer. T
he ability to shoot at higher ISO speeds and maintain excellent image quality is a key feature of the PowerShot S95.
The HS system is a powerful combination of high-sensitivity sensor coupled with the latest DIGIC 4 image processor
for outstanding image quality in a wide variety of lighting conditions, including low light.
The fast f/2.0 lens allows the user to shoot without a tripod or flash in darker conditions.
The optical Image Stabilizer corrects camera shake up to 4-stops, while Hybrid IS gives sharper results in macro scenes.






Here is another example , the first was done professionally, but IMO made it look to dark and brown.

It really has more luster and red in it, so I tried to capture that but is not as crisp because I need to use a copy stand and have better lighting.
This was taken straight one with no white filter for light.



Original






Mine

Swampboy

I would have sworn you've been using a DSLR on a professional copy stand Stef.
You really do get the most out of what you've got if you'll pardon the expression.

coinsarefun

<< <i>I would have sworn you've been using a DSLR on a professional copy stand Stef.
You really do get the most out of what you've got if you'll pardon the expression. >>




That is the story of my life!!
Make do with little I have

morgansforever

Great job on the pics, you certainly get the most out of your P&S.

Justlooking

You have a steady hand ... and a keen eye for two very nice-looking coins.

stealer

Is it just me or do the second set of images in the OP look washed out?

Oh, high five, I take pictures by hand too except mine look lightyears worse than yours.

Cam40

you could hold the camera to a pole or broomstick and lean it
against the table to steady the shot too
and excellent job on getting the color right.

Wolf359

Hands any surgeon would envy with those photos.

messydesk

Just goes to show you can get decent pictures without spending a lot of money. I like both Conder token pictures, actually. The first shows the evenness of the cappuccino coloring, while the second shows more contrast and the extent of the remaining red. You can't always get both of these in one picture.

Based on the specs, there's a 30 cm close focusing distance with the lens at full telephoto (105mm focal length equivalent on a 35mm camera) whether or not macro is turned on. At this setting a dime will be 586 pixels in diameter and a silver dollar 1247. The camera is small enough for a desktop copy stand, but you'll need a place to put lights, too. With the camera on the copy stand and using the 2 second self timer, you'll pretty much eliminate motion blur. You'll also be able to set the sensitivity for ISO 80 instead of whatever higher setting is required for hand-holding the shot. This will make your result much sharper.

There's a version of CHDK available for the S95, but as the S95 already supports shooting in RAW mode, adding CHDK seems unnecessary.

coinsarefun

<< <i>Just goes to show you can get decent pictures without spending a lot of money. I like both Conder token pictures, actually. The first shows the evenness of the cappuccino coloring, while the second shows more contrast and the extent of the remaining red. You can't always get both of these in one picture.

Based on the specs, there's a 30 cm close focusing distance with the lens at full telephoto (105mm focal length equivalent on a 35mm camera) whether or not macro is turned on. At this setting a dime will be 586 pixels in diameter and a silver dollar 1247. The camera is small enough for a desktop copy stand, but you'll need a place to put lights, too. With the camera on the copy stand and using the 2 second self timer, you'll pretty much eliminate motion blur. You'll also be able to set the sensitivity for ISO 80 instead of whatever higher setting is required for hand-holding the shot. This will make your result much sharper.

There's a version of CHDK available for the S95, but as the S95 already supports shooting in RAW mode, adding CHDK seems unnecessary. >>







Thanks for the help, I just purchase a inexpensive copy stand and when I get it will see how it works and post some new images,
Any other settings you can recommend?

messydesk

Do not use auto white balance. Use custom white balance instead (looks like two wedges with a dot in the middle on Canon cameras) and calibrate white balance to a gray card or white piece of paper using your intended light source. Also, always use the image size and quality setting that results in the largest file size.

coinsarefun

<< <i>Do not use auto white balance. Use custom white balance instead (looks like two wedges with a dot in the middle on Canon cameras) and calibrate white balance to a gray card or white piece of paper using your intended light source. Also, always use the image size and quality setting that results in the largest file size. >>





Ok, but there also is a setting that says what type of lighting.....ie.....daylight, florescent, auto, cloudy. I always use tungsten as the others are not accurate color for lighting.
Is that ok, or should I be doing something else?

Timbuk3

Good job, nice pics !!!

kimber45ACP

lordmarcovan

Umm, yeah, I think you have the hang of it.

I assume you use Photoshop for the copying and pasting onto your custom background?

My antiquated image editing software won't do such a precise copy selection, nor do I have the capability of creating a repeating background pattern like that.

messydesk

<< <i>Ok, but there also is a setting that says what type of lighting.....ie.....daylight, florescent, auto, cloudy. I always use tungsten as the others are not accurate color for lighting.
Is that ok, or should I be doing something else? >>


If it's accurate, then you're fine.

NewEnglandRarities

Love the pics Stef. Getting good pictures is not an easy thing to do.