Yet another one - Yes - Photography

younique

Most of you share fabulous photos. Can I pick you brain about 2 things. Your copy stand. Your lighting source. Appreciate it.

morgandollar1878

Everyone has a little bit different setup for photographing coins, but the camera and lens is one of the most important things. A point and shoot camera is good, but a good DSLR with a macro lens is ideal. I would suggest first though that you get the book by Mark Goodman, "Numismatic Photography". Since I do not know your experience level there is only so much I can suggest, however that book is a great starting point.

younique

Appreciate it morgandollar187. Using a Nikon D40 without a macro lens. Lighting seems to be key, and with this camera can't pick up fine details on error coins. Just purchased the book. Thanks.

lcoopie

The lens is much more important than the camera body
but the person working the camera is more important than the lens.

Desert Moon

The goodman book will answer all of your questions. LED's of some types are in right now, halogens are great, cfl's work as long are you let them warm up. Macro lens a must for the best images. Copy stand, don't buy one of those cheap ones on ebay that are not solid - get the real mccoy, kaiser or beseler make what we need, but be prepared to not be shy about spending some coin to get a first class macro coin imaging set up. Sir messy revealed the value of a focusing rail, best for getting your subject in precise focus......

Best, SH

kaz

I use a D40 also, with a used MicroNikkor 105 manual lens that cost about $100. Stand is an old used Testrite off eBay, very solid, and the base is the same color as a gray card so I can use it to set white balance. Lights are 2 CFL's. My pics aren't great but I think they're decent.

mercurydimeguy

The real issue with lighting is every coin is different so be prepared to shoot thousands of pictures until you develop a memory for how to position lights for a certain type of coin.



You will learn the traded off between depth of field, detail, and luster. Hard to get all 3 right. Look at even Phils from PCGS photos. There is a fair degree of artistic impression that you will develop, which will be your own unique style/your fingerprint.

Unknown

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Swampboy

Originally posted by: FadeToBlack

T3i, 100mm Canon Macro lens, LED lightning, diffused, and a big old adjustable copy stand.

Nice results FadeToBlack.



Can I ask, are you able to focus from the Canon EOS utility on your computer?

I've heard that's possible but I just haven't been able to figure it out how it's done.

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robec

Originally posted by: FadeToBlack

Nice results FadeToBlack.



Can I ask, are you able to focus from the Canon EOS utility on your computer?

I've heard that's possible but I just haven't been able to figure it out how it's done.

Yeah.



Make sure you set your lens to auto-focus, and you should be able to.



You can see me focusing on a coin here, so you can see which buttons I press. This is an older setup, but EOS utility is pretty much still the same.

It works just as well with your lens set to manual. Sometimes with lens set to auto-focus the lens may focus on the wrong thing, such as a scratch or spot on the slab.

Barndog

Two suggestions:



http://www.coinimaging.com/index.php





and

Swampboy

Gentleman, thanks for the assist and apologies for younique if I've derailed your thread.

That's a cool video FadeToBlack and I see what my issue is now.



I don't have that second screen opening for me on my T2i.

DollarAfterDollar

I built a 12" x 12" stand using 4 dowels in the corners with a clear plexiglass top and bottom. Mine is about 10" tall but I set the coin on a 3" tall base with a nice calm blue backround. The "box" obviously has a hole that the camera drops through. I use the 10 second delay on the camera for stability.

I use 3 $10 Jansjo lights from Ikea for even lighting. I diffuse 2 of the 3 with wax paper.

No computer hook up,

I have a basic digital camera with just the all purpose lense.

Whole set up was $40 + camera.

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Swampboy

FadeToBlack, many thanks to you.



That is a really cool feature.

It does only work for me in AF mode on my EF100mm f/2.8 MAcro USM lens but it does work now.



Us kids in the back of the class need all the help we can get. 2 and

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Jinx86

Taken at a coin show with 2 100 watt lamps, point and shoot Sony camera, and a lot of luck.

This image is FAR from perfect but captures this coin so well. The few marks on this coin are visible and the bright textured fields are easily picked up.

Copy stands are great and make life easy, but when in a pinch its best to know what your working with and what you can do with it.

younique

Enlightening & many thanks to those of you were inclined to interact here. Really appreciate you sharing results of your intuition in your individual choices. Very helpful! Enjoy your Sunday, or Easter if that's your thing.

rmpsrpms

What sort of fine details are you looking to image? You're not going to get a lot of good detail shots with a standard macro lens, which can usually only go to 1:1 magnification. You can use a teleconverter to get to 2x, with a little degradation. But to get to 5x or higher so that you can show smaller details, you need better optics. Here are some examples:

5x magnification


10x magnification


20x magnification

unclebob

I use an old Nikon bellows with 105mm lens.

When I really want just the variety itself, sometimes I break out an old enlarging lens and reverse it... cheap poor mans setup at a fraction of the cost.

YQQ

please remember, this Canon SW does only work for certain Canon cameras. go to the Canon web site ( not others which pretend to be Canon) SW is available for free download at the Canon site.
it is great but takes a bit of a learning curve.

FunwithMPL

I used LongStar Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs 30 watt from eLightBulds.com part# LS00308. These bulbs do the best job me.

BryceM

Copy stand - something made in Asia, sold on eBay with two adjustable light holders. Both have been re-soldered by me, but the whole contraption works well enough for now.



Lights - usually shoot with 90W halogens positioned as high and as close to the lens as I can get them. Sometimes I supplement with a third halogen, sometimes shoot with GE reveal, sometimes add diffusers over the lights, very rarely shoot with ambient light. Big lights give you lots of advantages, but they can actually melt the slab gasket if you get careless.



As I've said elsewhere, in my opinion, it works like this, in order of importance:



1) Experience

2) Stability

3) Light

4) Lens

5) Camera Body

6) Software



This is with a little cheap lens, only used for whole-slab shots:





With the macro lens:

TopographicOceans

Lighting is my enemy.
I have to go outside and use the Sun

mercurydimeguy

Originally posted by: TopographicOceans

Lighting is my enemy.

I have to go outside and use the Sun

I struggle with it also...but have come to accept what "I like."



Here's what I mean...



- I like images to show a coin's detail (relief plus surfaces)

- I like images to show a coin's luster

- I don't like coin images with hot/cold spots (eg. what shows upas light/dark spots on coins)

- I don't like coin images with uneven lighting

- etc.



There are always tradeoffs when you take in context your likes/don't likes, and you have to learn to "live with it" based on your own tastes, but not give up the quest for "end-all killer" lighting



Here's one I just shot this morning, with GE Reveal lights (60W, Color correction to offset the warmth of the lights, and diffusion). Keep in mind, this thing is tiny...like SUPER tiny.

HandH

BryceM. Very nice results. Might be the nicest pics I've seen in a while. Very sharp, natural ... While great looking does not feel like a glam shot.