Numismatic photography stand suggestions?

vibr0nic

As many others before me have done, I am taking the plunge into amateur numismatic photography. It gives me just one more way to enjoy my collection and explore a new dimension of the hobby.

I've thoroughly read Mark Goodman's book on the subject, and I welcome other suggestions to add to my library. If it matters, my collection is primarily Morgan toners as well as a variety of gold.

At this point, I have a high quality camera and macro lens. My next step is finding a proper macro stand with lights. This one looks like it has a lot of potential. There is also a slightly smaller version for slightly less. I was wondering if anyone else perhaps owned either of these, or had suggestions on alternatives.

Thanks!

BAJJERFAN

Just bought one of these There is a little bit of side to side play when the camera bracket is on the stand, but if you have a remote shutter setup it isn't an issue IMO. Also make sure that the 2 screws that hold the adjustment wheel in place are TIGHT.

You can buy desk lamps at WalMart for around $10 each. Another forum member was kind enough to suggest that the lamps that come with those stands are a waste.

I'll be looking for a little better camera one of these days.

BryceM

The first one you list from Amazon is basically what I got.

You can get the exact same thing on eBay for a whole lot less $$. They're OK for the money and will probably last a good long while. Mine came with two lamps. The base and stand are better quality than the lamp setups. The unit is typical of mass-produced Chinese stuff - good but not exceptional.

coinbuf

The two you have linked look like thay can do the job but I could not find any reference to the wattage that the lights can handle. If you've read Mark's book you know that he uses very high wattage lighting so that may be something to consider before you purchase.

Edited to add:
This is the one I have, an excelent stand but the fixed lighting positions are not the greatest.
Kaiser

LindeDad

I bought one of the linked stands and found it to be very poorly made all I kept from the set is the lights and arms.
Almost ruined my Nikon as the attachment screw was miss threaded, stand was very unsteady with a camera mounted, and because of the angled arm very top heavy when camera and 105 lens are working at near the top.
May be better for a smaller camera but working with Morgans your going to working near the max on it most of the time..

mgoodm3

I don't know a lot about the stands linked, but I would go as large and sturdy as you can. Depending upon the focal length of your macro lens, a 23 inch high stand may not be enough for big coins. lighting need not be expensive as a couple of desk lamps and basic bulbs are good enough for most purposes. Brighter lights give you a little faster shutter speed, but if you have a sturdy stand you'll be OK.

LanceNewmanOCC

<< <i>Depending upon the focal length of your macro lens, a 23 inch high stand may not be enough for big coins. >>


+1 - and/or groups and/or just larger items
.

DeliaBug

I have this which I use on my tripod and it works great.

vibr0nic

<< <i>I bought one of the linked stands and found it to be very poorly made all I kept from the set is the lights and arms.
Almost ruined my Nikon as the attachment screw was miss threaded, stand was very unsteady with a camera mounted, and because of the angled arm very top heavy when camera and 105 lens are working at near the top.
May be better for a smaller camera but working with Morgans your going to working near the max on it most of the time..
>>



Hmm, I have a rather hefty DSLR so that is a concern. You say you kept the lights and stand - what did you eventually use as a camera mount?

I'm reading everyone's input on this.

Bajjerfan, I plan on using a delayed shutter, so I won't be touching the setup when the shot is taken - perfect stability of the stand is not a necessity. Still, I want something I can move about and use without worrying that it will fall apart. Do you find you have any issues with getting the right lighting angles and height with a cheap desk lamp?

Bryce, so you liked the stand - what kind of camera are you using? LindeDad has a heavy camera just as I do, and he doesn't sound very happy with it.

vibr0nic

<< <i>I have this which I use on my tripod and it works great. >>



Ahh, I like this, as I already have a large tripod.

AUandAG

I've had one similar to this one HERE for many years. Sturdy on the table and portable to
take outside if I need to use daylight. Simple, cheap and works well.

bob

LanceNewmanOCC

<< <i>

<< <i>I have this which I use on my tripod and it works great. >>


Ahh, I like this, as I already have a large tripod. >>


i may have to switch out to a tripod with this accessory to expand the amount of large items I can image. thanks

LindeDad

OK to show why I did not care for it you have to see my old Bencher to compare.
BTW Photbucket just changed totally.


As you can see I kept the light arms and put PAR 75 Halogen spots in them and then have the fixed duel 300w Halogen floods to the side.
Cameraq is a Nikon D90 and when I put on that old Nikon Nikor glass lens 105mm it gets heavy.
That height is fixed and set to full frame a silver dollar as shown. Also note that I had the floods on the low setting.


One of my Morgan shots with the set up above.

BAJJERFAN

<< <i>

<< <i>I bought one of the linked stands and found it to be very poorly made all I kept from the set is the lights and arms.
Almost ruined my Nikon as the attachment screw was miss threaded, stand was very unsteady with a camera mounted, and because of the angled arm very top heavy when camera and 105 lens are working at near the top.
May be better for a smaller camera but working with Morgans your going to working near the max on it most of the time..
>>



Hmm, I have a rather hefty DSLR so that is a concern. You say you kept the lights and stand - what did you eventually use as a camera mount?

I'm reading everyone's input on this.

Bajjerfan, I plan on using a delayed shutter, so I won't be touching the setup when the shot is taken - perfect stability of the stand is not a necessity. Still, I want something I can move about and use without worrying that it will fall apart. Do you find you have any issues with getting the right lighting angles and height with a cheap desk lamp?

Bryce, so you liked the stand - what kind of camera are you using? LindeDad has a heavy camera just as I do, and he doesn't sound very happy with it. >>



I took this one using the cheap desk lamps that are maybe 10 inches above the coin. The camera was about 8 inches from the coin. The fonts on the slab aren't sharp tho.



My results aren't quite so hot with a white Morgan under the same conditions.



Is it necessary to have your lights the same height as or higher than the camera? Can anyone recommend a moderately priced camera that is set up for a remote shutter? I have now a coolpix S560. I see Sam's Club has coolpix L610 for about $200. It has an electronc shutter but I'm not sure if it is manual operation or not.

messydesk

I've used a couple setups with lights attached to the stand. I don't like them. Desk lamps that can be freely moved and posed are much more versatile.

DieClash

<< <i>The two you have linked look like thay can do the job but I could not find any reference to the wattage that the lights can handle. If you've read Mark's book you know that he uses very high wattage lighting so that may be something to consider before you purchase.

Edited to add:
This is the one I have, an excelent stand but the fixed lighting positions are not the greatest.
Kaiser >>



I have the same stand coinbuf. I can take decent pix, but not great pix. I'm having challenges with the lighting. And the Repro Kid copy stand doesn't allow you to change the angle that much, its pretty rigid in that regard.

I think I have about 6 different light bulbs and this is my typical result (not bad, but definitely not nearly the quality I've seen posted on these boards):

MilkmanDan

LindeDad, what is that you have in front of the halogen floods?

rmpsrpms

I use Bausch & Lomb microscope stands. They are very solid and have fine focus adjustment. The smaller ones are too small for longer macro lenses, but if you get one with a MZ7 mount you can put up to about 105mm on there. For longer lenses, I like the Nikon Macro stand. It folds up in its own box, which doubles as the stand base when in use.

LindeDad

<< <i>LindeDad, what is that you have in front of the halogen floods? >>



They were originally mounts for diffusers but work also as burn guards as those lights get real hot. Much of what is seen here is used professional equipment that I picked up on eBay.

BryceM

I'm using a Canon Rebel Xsi with a Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens. It's decently heavy, but not as heavy as a fancier body with a 150mm lens would be.

This photo is the setup before I got the macro lens. With it, I have to run the camera all the way to the top to take a whole-slab shot.

I use 90W halogens in the lights which is enough to melt the plastic slab inserts if you're not careful.

At a f/6.5 apperature, my shutter speeds are between 1/200 for dark toners to 1/2,000 for bright reflective coins.

FYI, I went back and looked, and I actually spent about the same as the Amazon add you linked. I was remembering the price for the stand without the lights.

BryceM

Here's a photo I took with the setup. It's fun to play with macros and good lights. Dollar for dollar, a good stand will make more of a difference than the same money spent on other photo equipment.

coinbuf

<< <i>

<< <i>The two you have linked look like thay can do the job but I could not find any reference to the wattage that the lights can handle. If you've read Mark's book you know that he uses very high wattage lighting so that may be something to consider before you purchase.

Edited to add:
This is the one I have, an excelent stand but the fixed lighting positions are not the greatest.
Kaiser >>



I have the same stand coinbuf. I can take decent pix, but not great pix. I'm having challenges with the lighting. And the Repro Kid copy stand doesn't allow you to change the angle that much, its pretty rigid in that regard.

I think I have about 6 different light bulbs and this is my typical result (not bad, but definitely not nearly the quality I've seen posted on these boards):

>>



Yep thats just about the same type of shot that I get, the limited movement of the lighting really limits the quality, however I'm only using a cheap point and shoot camera not the high end SLR's and macros that everyone else on this thread is. Thats one of the reasons if I want a real nic pic I send my coins to Mark Goodman.

vibr0nic

Some of these posts are above and beyond. I'm really enjoying seeing these complete setups, and the resulting images.

Lindedad, I can see how the Amazon item might seem like a downgrade after the setup you had! Thank you for sharing that.

AUAg, nice one. Simple and inexpensive.

One concern I have is keeping the lens as parallel as possible to the coin. In his book, Goodman talks about this - he even talks about propping up the edge of a coin slab with a dislodged or crooked coin just to get everything precisely aligned for optimal results. As this relates to the camera stand, something that is sturdy and straight (or adjustable) is obviously key - the last thing I want to do is start with a crooked camera mount.

Bryce, your setup image has me leaning in that direction at this point. It looks very simple to manage.

rmps, I will check into that.

Dieclash, are you saying you use 6 lights for one shot?

rmpsrpms

Here's one of my B&L stands with bellows and lens:



and a pic taken with it



Here's a similar stand with the MZ7 mount, with Nikon camera and 105VR lens:

DeliaBug

<< <i>One concern I have is keeping the lens as parallel as possible to the coin. In his book, Goodman talks about this - he even talks about propping up the edge of a coin slab with a dislodged or crooked coin just to get everything precisely aligned for optimal results. As this relates to the camera stand, something that is sturdy and straight (or adjustable) is obviously key - the last thing I want to do is start with a crooked camera mount. >>



Since you mentioned tripod, what kind do you have? Mine is Polaroid and it has 3 bubble levels in it. Once I get that squared I use a torpedo on the boom and level that off. But it is definitely not professional grade, and the cost is commensurate.

And LindeDad, that setup is awesome!

rmpsrpms

There's a neat trick to make sure your coin is perfectly parallel to camera sensor...

Focus on the coin, then put a mirror there and stop-down the lens. Look through the viewfinder or Live View, and adjust the camera / tripod / stand until you are looking right at the center of the lens. Most accurate method you can use, and no need for anything to be absolutely level.

BAJJERFAN

Can anyone recommend a suitable camera in the $300-$400 range with remote shutter control and the ability to add a macro lens some time in the future? I'll be pretty much dedicating it to taking coin pics.

LanceNewmanOCC

<< <i>I've used a couple setups with lights attached to the stand. I don't like them. Desk lamps that can be freely moved and posed are much more versatile. >>


+1 - mine are fixed but John is right. the flexibility of moving the lights at will beats the crap out of static positioning and i do detach mine from time to time for those just special coins
.

renomedphys

I think they are priced by weight. Get a heavy one with no plastic anywhere near the mount. That's my advice.

rmpsrpms

<< <i>Can anyone recommend a suitable camera in the $300-$400 range with remote shutter control and the ability to add a macro lens some time in the future? I'll be pretty much dedicating it to taking coin pics. >>



I've become very fond of the Canon XS. It is Canon's first consumer grade camera with Live View and EFSC (Electronic First Shutter Curtain) so can tether to your PC for camera control, previewing, and automatic download to editing software. It is "only" 10MP but I don't find that much of a limitation. I have the T2i as well and trade off between them. The T2i is 18MP, but in reality there is not that much difference. For web publishing of images, I like to down-size to 800x800, and on the T2i this is a small crop plus 4x downsize, while on the XS it is a small crop plus 3x downsize. Not much difference. You can pick up a used XS on eBay for perhaps $200-$250 for body only, so you're well within your target budget.

MikeInFL

I use a tripod.

It stores smaller, and I also use it for other photographic endeavors (wildlife, sports, etc.).

DieClash

<< <i>...

Dieclash, are you saying you use 6 lights for one shot? >>



To clarify, I have 6 different sets of bulbs. I only use 2 at a time with the Kid Repro stand.

-Kirk

UtahCoin

Here's what my convoluted setup looks like. I have six light sources, 3 with 5300K CF bulbs and 3 with 6300K CF bulbs. With different lights in different positions I can illuminate just about anything. The paper makes a cheap light diffuser too. I got the big heavy duty professional copy stand at a yard sale for $25. The camera is a Canon 60D with a Canon 100mm Macro lens.



And a recent example of a proof set.

Raybo

I have the same copy stand Utah, along with a few of the desk lamps and the mess of wires.