I made a very small but nice coin photography upgrade. Would like a little help

davids5104

I have heard multiple people talking about needing multiple light sources for photos. I went and purchased 2 LED desk lamps. I tried it on my first coin. The images have the new setup and use my cell phone. The main things I want is what distance from coin is appropriate. To save time for some of you.... I know that few people would purchase an expensive coin without nice photos and that a real camera should likely be acquired. The things i like about this is I do not need to use the 4 built -in lights that my microscope camera uses.... If you would like to give me some advice, I am not nearly as skilled as the other poster of camera setups so I need more general tips. I purchased mark goodmans coin photography book from amazon. Thanks all

bsshog40

Well first off, you should have just linked your pics instead of throwing in the AD for your auction. Next, the lighting looks yellowish and then too dark and then too bright. OTT lights are better as they give a natural light that looks better. Also, you may want to try a diffuser to help with glare when you need a little more light. I'm no expert so this is JMO.

davids5104

@bsshog40 said:
Well first off, you should have just linked your pics instead of throwing in the AD for your auction. Next, the lighting looks yellowish and then too dark and then too bright. OTT lights are better as they give a natural light that looks better. Also, you may want to try a diffuser to help with glare when you need a little more light. I'm no expert so this is JMO.

fixed the first issue... thanks. I see what you mean about the color. I guess I should keep the lights stationary and move the coin.... I know this may be silly to admit. but I just move both from time to time

jmlanzaf

The diffuser is key...or use a light box. That will save you the problem with the glare/reflection and give you a more uniform illumination.

bsshog40

Just so you know, It's normal to take anywhere from 20 - 50 pictures before you ever get it right. Lol And then there's no guarantee you'll still get it right. Lol

newcollect

I set my cell camera on the cardboard box my completed submissions come back in, perfect distance and stable works perfect.

Paradisefound

You did a good job; better than most of us can. Keep it up

lkeigwin

If you read Mark's book then you know he has clear preferences on lighting, from his testing.

coinimaging.com/Lighting_shootout.html

I believe that with enough practice and adjustment you can get okay results with lots of different light bulbs. But that's no excuse for using poorer lighting.

LED spot's are my least favorite, closely followed by flickering florescent. Halogen PAR flood lights get the best results with the smallest effort. High wattage is important. (Okay...halogen can be hot. So be careful.)

Above all in importance is distance from the coin and vertical lighting (alongside the camera), good for 95% of the cases.

While you learn you will take a dozen photos and toss most all. Eventually you will get good enough that a single shot is all it takes.
Lance.

Desert Moon

@jmlanzaf said:
The diffuser is key...or use a light box. That will save you the problem with the glare/reflection and give you a more uniform illumination.

Diffusers or a light box is not necessary to get good images, it is one way, but I have never used either and my images are ok.

Best, SH

Desert Moon

@lkeigwin said:
If you read Mark's book then you know he has clear preferences on lighting, from his testing.

coinimaging.com/Lighting_shootout.html

I believe that with enough practice and adjustment you can get okay results with lots of different light bulbs. But that's no excuse for using poorer lighting.

LED spot's are my least favorite, closely followed by flickering florescent. Halogen PAR flood lights get the best results with the smallest effort. High wattage is important. (Okay...halogen can be hot. So be careful.)

Above all in importance is distance from the coin and vertical lighting (alongside the camera), good for 95% of the cases.

While you learn you will take a dozen photos and toss most all. Eventually you will get good enough that a single shot is all it takes.
Lance.

Agree, most of the time, I can do it with one shot. HAL PAR30 bulbs work well for most coins.

Best, SH

ricko

Very nice pictures... not being a coin photographer, I cannot critique your skills... to me, they look fantastic. Cheers, RickO

davids5104

I just learned that a 2 light system even if poorly done results is a huge increase in PROOF DCAM image quality. I think I am all in on this part of the trade... take a look at this listing....the first 4 photos are the new system with just 2 lights and the last 5 photos were the single light.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1998-S-Proof-Kennedy-Silver-Half-Dollar-PCGS-PR-70-DCAM/263599363768?hash=item3d5fbf16b8:g:ZqoAAOSwskha1TIV

davids5104

for the photo gurus.... what do you guys think of this product?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071JN1PVT/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2W7SVTYX2YVVN&psc=1

I was thinking it may help with my lack of real camera

ctf_error_coins

You need to work on your lighting.

Try different angles with your two lights.

Try your lights at different heights.

Try your light at different distances from your coin.

Try angling the coin.

Experiment.

Practice makes perfect.

messydesk

@davids5104 said:
for the photo gurus.... what do you guys think of this product?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071JN1PVT/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2W7SVTYX2YVVN&psc=1

I was thinking it may help with my lack of real camera

It doesn't seem like something I'd want to use for coins, if it's a wide-angle attachment. It will make the coin seem far away. The 15x (not a terribly meaningful number as used) might refer to perceived size on the phone when your camera is right on top of your coin.

You want to have some amount of working distance between camera and coin so that you can get the light higher. Depending on the quality of your phone camera, you may have lots of extra pixels to work with, so that you don't have to worry about filling the screen with your coin. If you have LED desk lamps, those should work fine, but you may want to diffuse them. I use LED bulbs that look like frosted light bulbs and they get me the shots I want. They also don't get too hot and they transport well. If I want more diffusion, I hang a tissue in front of them. If I want less, I can black out the inside of the lamp shade. Do I think that people using halogens are wrong? Nope. They have a tool that works for them, and I have one that works for me.

lkeigwin

I'll take messydesk's photography advice over most anyone else's. His work is exceptional.
Lance.