Toned lincoln photos taken with my new camera.

jzbrown

Hopefully this works. If not I apologize. I keep getting a 50k limit and am now trying from photobucket.
Only had a weeks practice and using a very basic system so they should get better soon

DorkGirl

Your angle on the coin shows off the color really well, it's pretty, but it's out of focus. If you are holding the camera in your hand, try resting your hand on something to help you. Without a stand it can be tough to hold the camera still.

Really nice for just starting!!

JapanJohn

White balance looks awesome and the lighting looks pretty good but for sure out of focus. Get a tripod or copy stand or stand and your shots will improve 1000%.

Tell us what your camera setup is and you can get more specific recommendations and tips. I tried to peek at your EXIF data but it strips when you resize in whatever program you use.

Almost there.

John

jzbrown

Hey JapanJohn - I was going to respond earlier but got caught up in the ASE debacle.
I have searched for coin photo info on this site and was led to this article http://www.coinimaging.com/photography.html by Marc Goodman. Good article for beginner.
It seemed like from his perspective you do not need a 2k setup to take a decent photo so this is what a bought.
A $330 nikon coolpix that has a macro setting.
2 16 watt halogen goose neck lamps.
Still to get a copy stand, but wanted to see if I could work with the camera I bought first.
I run Linux on my laptop so I use GIMP which is a free program similar to photoshop. That is probably why you could not strip it (what ever that means! lol)
But GIMP takes the photo off the camera and will save it in whatever format you want. Then deletes the photo from the camera. ( A good cheap way to get into a photoshop environment.


The lincoln photos were hand held at an angle so I could get the color that is why they are out of focus.
Here are a couple of others I have taken. Not world class but better than a lot of ebay photo's I see. And this is two weeks of practice. Should get better.


This was done in macro mode from about 1/4 inch above the slab surface.


here are a couple of larger pic's one trying to get luster to show and the other the colors.



It would be nice to have a thread dedicated to photography.

ctf_error_coins

It could be movement and not the focus. Get a copy stand or tripod.

rmpsrpms

Very nice looking coin.

Your technique is showing the in-hand look of the coin pretty well (my assumption). Problem is it's hard to get a good photograph of what the coin looks like in-hand. You are achieving the "look" by reflecting a light off the surface of the coin directly into the camera lens. This is pretty much what we all do when we look at a coin at a show or at home, ie we angle it around and line it up versus the available lighting so the light reflects off the coin. So you're doing what you are "supposed" to be doing. The problem is the angle makes the focus almost impossible to achieve due to the limited depth of field. If you stop down the lens to get depth of field, you'll get a fuzzy image due to diffraction. You could try axial lighting to achieve a similar effect while keeping the coin flat. I can explain further if you are interested in trying it out. A first question though: how close to the coin are you in these shots? Some folks simulate axial lighting by using a very long lens (150mm+) and slightly tilting the coin so that when the light is near the camera it shines directly off the coin to the lens. But you need to be able to get the camera fairly far from the coin to make this work.

...Ray

edited to add that axial lighting, and tilt/reflect lighting, only works well for raw coins. This is because when the light is configured to reflect off the coin, it also reflects off the slab surface, causing glare.

jzbrown

Ray about five - inches. 1/4 inch on the close up. Just working on the light right now. Have the coin propped up facing me with a flat black towel behind it.
I need to get stand. I just want to see what I can do with the minimum amount invested. Not everyone can afford a professional setup so trying to show there are other ways. I will get there some day.

rmpsrpms

<< <i>Ray about five - inches. 1/4 inch on the close up. Just working on the light right now. Have the coin propped up facing me with a flat black towel behind it.
I need to get stand. I just want to see what I can do with the minimum amount invested. Not everyone can afford a professional setup so trying to show there are other ways. I will get there some day. >>



Five inches is enough to get lights in there. Do you have an IKEA near you? Go there and buy a couple of Jansjo LED lights. They have a small head and gooseneck so you can get it in wherever you want. They are only $9.99 each so you can't go too wrong. With 5 inches available you can make simulated axial lighting happen if you like. It's only when you are closer than about 2 inches that lighting really gets difficult.

Some folks don't like the "sparkle" that LED lights produce. Turns out there is no other available light source that is as "pinpoint" as an LED. It is this point-source characteristic that gives the sparkle as the intense light reflects off the oxidized grain structure of the metal surface. If you don't like the look, it is very simple to add a little diffusion to the front of the light to make the source look "bigger" and this will minimize the sparkle and any reflective hotspots. Just tape a bit of white tissue over the LED lens and the problem goes away.

messydesk

WalMart currently sells a tripod for $14 (Targus TGT-58TR) that will work well with your camera. You have to extend one leg longer than the other two so that the camera leans over a table top. There's a hook on the bottom of the mast upon which you can hang some weight to stabilize it. Other than happening across a better deal on the used market, this is easily the best way to stabilize your camera for very little money. Once on the tripod, set the ISO for the lowest setting and turn on the 2 second self-timer. Use the white balance meant for your lights or manual (also called custom or preset) white balance, not auto white balance.

ctf_error_coins

<< <i>WalMart currently sells a tripod for $14 >>



I have no idea what the above tripod is like.

I have probably bought close to 20 tripods in my life.

NO WAY is $14 Tripod any good, just no way.

rmpsrpms

<< <i>

<< <i>WalMart currently sells a tripod for $14 >>



I have no idea what the above tripod is like.

I have probably bought close to 20 tripods in my life.

NO WAY is $14 Tripod any good, just no way. >>



It doesn't have to be all that good to work with a lightweight camera. Long as it doesn't fall over... and even then you can tape the legs to the table.

A pretty good option is two 2x4's, each about a foot long. One acts as the base, the other the vertical support. Nail the vertical to the base in the middle. Drill a series of 1/4 inch holes so you have some height flexibility. Install a 3-4" bolt in the best-height hole for the size coin you're shooting and secure it to the stand with a nut and washer. Mount the camera on the end of the bolt and secure with another nut and washer. Nice rigid stand, and less than $10 invested.

ambro51

Cruise the yard sales, too heavy usually and bulky to ship cheap on ebay....

buy an old enlarger base and stand. it is perfect for rock steady camera support. Since only 11 people in the world do darkroom work anymore, these are a dreg on the market.....similar things are $10 at the local yard sale. Unbolt the enlarger head, make a flat plate that takes a 1/4 20 thumbscrew and youre in business.

PS the closer you work to your coin, the less depth of field you have. if your camera is further away, you can get that tilt in without losing focus.


cut off the head....

ctf_error_coins

<< <i>Since only 11 people in the world do darkroom work anymore, >>




LMAO

jzbrown

Here is a stand I am thinking about. The best thing is that it is made in the USA. If we are ever going to get the economy going again we need to try and support usa products. All the large corps keep sending jobs and mfg overseas so they are not going to do it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/230687438505?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Sorry about the political discourse if anyone is insulted.

Regards,

Jim

ambro51

ugh. not impressed.

go with a modified old enlarger. mucho cheaper and mucho stronger.

blu62vette

Pass on that stand. You will find something much better for cheaper.

ctf_error_coins

Don't buy that one.

messydesk

<< <i>

<< <i>WalMart currently sells a tripod for $14 >>



I have no idea what the above tripod is like.

I have probably bought close to 20 tripods in my life.

NO WAY is $14 Tripod any good, just no way. >>


I didn't say it was a good tripod, but for a lightweight point and shoot in a wind-free, climate controlled, stable environment it is likely good enough.

rmpsrpms

<< <i>Cruise the yard sales, too heavy usually and bulky to ship cheap on ebay....

buy an old enlarger base and stand. it is perfect for rock steady camera support. Since only 11 people in the world do darkroom work anymore, these are a dreg on the market.....similar things are $10 at the local yard sale. Unbolt the enlarger head, make a flat plate that takes a 1/4 20 thumbscrew and youre in business. >>



Enlargers as copy stands work great but just make sure the enlarger you choose has a vertical post and not a sloped one. Sloped ones make composing the shot more difficult since the camera moves laterally with the vertical adjustment.



<< <i>PS the closer you work to your coin, the less depth of field you have. if your camera is further away, you can get that tilt in without losing focus. >>



Unfortunately this is not true. If it were then everyone would go for very long lenses and get great DOF. Actually, DOF is related only to the effective magnification. So if the coin is the same size in the viewfinder, it doesn't matter if you are using a 50mm or 500mm lens, DOF will be the same.

mgoodm3

<< <i>

<< <i>Cruise the yard sales, too heavy usually and bulky to ship cheap on ebay....

buy an old enlarger base and stand. it is perfect for rock steady camera support. Since only 11 people in the world do darkroom work anymore, these are a dreg on the market.....similar things are $10 at the local yard sale. Unbolt the enlarger head, make a flat plate that takes a 1/4 20 thumbscrew and youre in business. >>



Enlargers as copy stands work great but just make sure the enlarger you choose has a vertical post and not a sloped one. Sloped ones make composing the shot more difficult since the camera moves laterally with the vertical adjustment.



<< <i>PS the closer you work to your coin, the less depth of field you have. if your camera is further away, you can get that tilt in without losing focus. >>



Unfortunately this is not true. If it were then everyone would go for very long lenses and get great DOF. Actually, DOF is related only to the effective magnification. So if the coin is the same size in the viewfinder, it doesn't matter if you are using a 50mm or 500mm lens, DOF will be the same. >>




When you are talking about a single camera, the above statement is correct. DOF is based almost purely on the magnification in macro photography. The only caveat is that field of view and magnification vary by the size of the detector. A point and shoot will have more DOF at the same field of view compared to an SLR because the POS will be working at a lower magnification.

messydesk

<< <i>... A point and shoot will have more DOF at the same field of view compared to an SLR because the POS will be working at a lower magnification. >>


Freudian slip, Mark?

ctf_error_coins

<< <i>

<< <i>... A point and shoot will have more DOF at the same field of view compared to an SLR because the POS will be working at a lower magnification. >>


Freudian slip, Mark? >>



I saw that too and cracked up

drwstr123

"When you are talking about a single camera, the above statement is correct. DOF is based almost purely on the magnification in macro photography. The only caveat is that field of view and magnification vary by the size of the detector. A point and shoot will have more DOF at the same field of view compared to an SLR because the POS will be working at a lower magnification."


Here's a bean to go with that.....



™

messydesk

Wrong color for the bean, drwstr123.