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Yet another one - Yes - Photography

Most of you share fabulous photos. Can I pick you brain about 2 things. Your copy stand. Your lighting source. Appreciate it.
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but the person working the camera is more important than the lens.
Best, SH
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.
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.
"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso
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.
- Bob -

MPL's - Lincolns of Color
Central Valley Roosevelts
http://www.coinimaging.com/index.php
and
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.
"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso
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.
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
"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso
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.
5x magnification
10x magnification
20x magnification
http://macrocoins.com
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.
it is great but takes a bit of a learning curve.
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:
I have to go outside and use the Sun
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.
US Civil War coinage
Historical Medals