I built one of those tilted glass boxes to take pics of toned coins -- pics also!

FrattLaw · May 4, 2004 4:29PM

So I decided to try and build one of the simple boxes with the angled glass to take pics of toned coins with. Well here it is ---

And here are some of my first shots. These were all 1st attempts just to see how it works. I need to practice and change the lighting a bit, but this is so easy it's incredible. Everyone should try this.

And even a toned proof came out okay -- gotta work on the lighting with this one, it has much more color.

Any thoughts, advice, help with camera settings, lighting would be appreciated!!!

Michael

ccr · May 4, 2004 4:58PM

Nice pictures and It`s a heck of a good start too! Have you tried taking your session outside in sunlight for comparison? With some saying use a lamp and others say use sunlight, I`m just curious on how it would turn out.

PS - I like the " crispness " of the major details of the Franklin and Ike.

Bikingnut · May 4, 2004 5:08PM

Thats pretty slick. What are you using to filter the light, and are you taking the pictures free hand? What watt bulb are you using? I think I would try a lower wattage first, maybe a Reveal bulb. Nice doubling on that 63 Washington.

cosmicdebris · May 4, 2004 7:33PM

It is definately a great start. 3 things will get you a better image. Lower wattage bulb, Lower the light and make sure your white balance is set for a regular lightbulb. That is how I got this image:

fivecents · May 4, 2004 8:32PM

That is a neat rig. Thanks for posting pictures of that picture box.

jonesy · May 4, 2004 8:55PM

I was thinking a little lower on the wattage also. Great pics!!

Steve27 · May 4, 2004 8:59PM

Hmm, I think I'll have to try building one of those too.

FrattLaw · May 5, 2004 12:40AM

The box was real easy to build. I took a wine box my neighbor had, attached the posts to to balance the glass on at a 45 degree angle and ran a piece of molding down the front of the box to hold the glass. I then spray painted it flat black. The diffuser is merely a piece of wax paper stapled across the 2 posts. I bought an 11x14 picture frame and took the glass from that. You can see the tripod that I mount the camera on next to the box.

As for the lighting, there are 2 desk lamps with reveal bulbs. I think they are 60 watts. I might have to try just 1 lamp on the next go around. When I took the pics, all the lights were out in the room and these were taken at night, so there was no other sources of light in the room other then the 2 desk lamps.

The white balance was set for "bulbs" and I snapped these pics using an Olympus C-5050 in Supermacro.

I didn't try to play with the pics with a editing program. The pics are only cropped, nothing more.

I'm pretty pleased for a first attempt. I'll have to play with the lighting a bit and even perhaps see what my editing software can do to bring out the color a bit. The coins look a little washed out to me, but I suppose I can correct that with a little editing.

Anyone else have any tips?

Michael

JadeRareCoin · May 5, 2004 12:53AM

What are you using to hold the camera? It's difficult to see in the image of your set-up. Is it a copy stand?

Numismanic · May 5, 2004 12:54AM

Very nice set up Michael. Your pictures came out very nice. I'm looking at getting a camera to photograph my coins and any ideas on how to do it are greatly appreciated. Thanks for sharing!

Don

solid · May 5, 2004 12:57AM

I will get around to trying this myself, and hoping it will cure my photo blues

Thanks for sharing your rig here - it looks great! I think you are well on the way, now!!!

Are any of the coins you imaged here slabbed?

Ken

solid · May 5, 2004 12:58AM

I think I answered my own question when I looked at your photos again. I
see the rings now from the PCGS slabs, right?

HalfCents · May 5, 2004 1:03AM

Nicely done, Michael. Thanks for sharing that. Now I know what to do to build my own. Good pic's, too!!!

mgoodm3 · May 5, 2004 1:04AM

Nice setup. I would pull the light back from the paper a bit; that will give a more diffuse light or you could even add an extra layer of paper. If you can get the glare even over the coin, photoshop will get rid of most of it by increasing the contrast.

XpipedreamR · May 5, 2004 1:07AM

Wow, that's really cool.

cosmicdebris · May 5, 2004 1:11AM

Give a regular lightbulb a shot and then in editing software just do a quick auto levels before any cropping. One other thing I use white paper for a diffuser and backdrop under the coin.

P.S. I use a C-5050 too.

TheNumish · May 5, 2004 1:37AM

I'm very impressed. If you add another piece of wax paper it'll soften it a little. When I used to take pictures using this method I'd hold the glass with my free hand and tilt it up and down until it looked the best.

photoman · May 5, 2004 1:47AM

Personally I use a 420 watt bulb to shoot axial lighting, diffused with ground glass.

Nice pics by the way

Doug
ANR

cosmicdebris · May 5, 2004 1:51AM

Here's your quarter with some auto level added:

lablover · May 5, 2004 2:49AM

<< <i>Here's your quarter with some auto level added: >>

Your good, very good!!!!

mgoodm3 · May 5, 2004 2:52AM

One thing that may also help is to put something black on the opposite side of the glass (right side on pic) from the light or work in a dark room. The glass reflects light down onto the coin from one side and will reflect light up into the camera from the other side.

Casey · May 5, 2004 1:04PM

Please excuse this ignorant question as I have not seen a setup like this (and why I haven't mastered coin photography yet...)

How does the glass work? Does it slide up and down against the post to change the lighting angle, and then the camera is held against the glass to take the image?

CoinAddict · May 5, 2004 1:28PM

I really like that set up, Michael. I designed an adjustable stand but I think I will build one like yours instead.

robertpr · May 5, 2004 1:51PM

I don't get the point of this setup. Does it help bring out the color or something? Not trying to be a critic but it seems that this setup creates way too much glare and drowns out luster. Not something I would want to do in a photograph. Seems to achieve decent results on the proofs though if you can avoid the glare. Bill, your SAE looks unbelievable!

FrattLaw · May 5, 2004 2:38PM

This set up was originally described by another member as a tip he had used to capture the color on toned coins. So I decided to give it a go and built the box you see in the 1st pic.

The glass reflects light onto the coin and then back into the lens. The glass is stationary and held at a 45 degree angle to the coin. Usually I had to tilt the coins to capture the color, this process eliminates that need.

Please excuse the quality of the photos Robert -- but as I stated these were my first attempts at using this setup. I have to change the lighting a bit, and perhaps use a photo editor to reduce some of the glare, but overall I am very pleased. None of my pics were touched up. Coin photography -- especially toned coin photography is not something you can master in 1 evening. But I'll keep trying to improve on the quality of the pics.

Michael

rdunnit · May 5, 2004 6:14PM

I think that the pics are nice. I have been trying to learn how to run my camera and photograph toned coins. This helps out alot. I will try out something like what you did. Great job man!

cosmicdebris · May 5, 2004 7:31PM

The biggest thing that will effect your image is the placement of the light. You have to keep it low. Also most digital cameras have an LCD screen use it. Move the coin around a little or even tilt the glass at a different angle. Every coin and image is different you have to experiment to get the best shot. I used the same technique on this toned coin.

Just a note on autolevels. All this does is tweak the white balance for you.

Barry · May 5, 2004 8:44PM

<< <i>Just a note on autolevels. All this does is tweak the white balance for you. >>

Not exactly. Levels tweaks the exposure, setting a range of blacks, midrange (grays), and whites. White balance sets the color composition.

TWQG · May 7, 2004 1:57PM

I built one of those tilted glass boxes to take pics of toned coins -- pics also!

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