I need some more photography help with my Mercs

Millertime · September 28, 2008 2:21PM

Here's some pictures I've taken on a couple of different days of a Merc in a rattler. I've tried one light and two lights, raising the coin, shading the light but there's so much reflection off of the slab that I can't get decent pictures. I wanted to do a guess the grade but I can't get enough focus to do that. Recommendations anyone? I have 50 of these I'd like to get pictures of so I need to figure something out. I'm hoping to get a copy stand soon and I'm think about the Macro Lens that fits my Canon.

Two lights with the coin raised up closer to the camera and lights.

One light at 12:00 almost 12 inches above the slab and pointed away from the coin

Same as above but the light is somewhat blocked by a black camera case

Some detail (or lack of) shots. These are the best zoomed in shots I can get and they suck.

Thanks,
Millertime

blu62vette · September 28, 2008 2:32PM

Where are the lights when you shoot? Up high by the lens?

Millertime · September 28, 2008 2:38PM

I started up high by the lens in the first picture, in the second the light is close to the table and pointed away from the coin. Here's a couple of pictures of my setup. I used the lights on the left and right as my two main lights for all my pictures. I tried the single light at the top and had slightly better results.

Millertime

MikeInFL · September 28, 2008 3:38PM

Your last obverse photo is seriously overexposed. This is causing the lack of detail described because you're "bowing out" the RGB channels (i.e. they have a value of 255,255,255).

You need to figure out a way to get the camera to back off the exposure by at least a full stop, and probably more. Generally this is done by something called "exposure compensation" and how to accomplish varies from camera to camera. Look in your manual, or ask someone familiar with your particular camera...Mike

p.s. the reverse shot is both overexposed and out of focus.

BECOKA · September 28, 2008 4:01PM

This is the kind of scenario that a DSLR shines.

For a point and shoot, get as far away as you can with the coin still in a decent focus. You may need to polish the slab so the camera can focus on the coin and not the slab. It might help to slightly angle the slab which sometimes helps. I'll have a review of an olympus point and shoot up in a week or so where I ran into some similar issues being too close to the slab.

For coin shots, try to fit mostly the coin in the view finder and don't worry about the whole slab shot. They have to be treated separately.

Millertime · September 28, 2008 4:31PM

I found the exposure adjustment and here's what I've come up with in the first picture. The second is about the best I can do as far as focus. The whole slab will fit in the view finder but it's shifted up so that the dime is roughly centered. If I try to zoom (or move the coin closer) any further it's a blurry mess.

Millertime

holeinone1972 · September 28, 2008 9:27PM

I know this will sound trivial but try using a white background.

LindeDad · September 28, 2008 10:34PM

Two things might help.
Lower the wattage of your lights. The other is get some Maquirs Plastix and polish the slabs, I think your camera is focusing on the slab and not the coin.
A;so not sure what distance you are from the coin but it is possable to get too close to the small coins and lose focus.
BTW love the pearl white toning on the Merc it was the subject of a post about Walkers yesterday.

speety · September 28, 2008 11:53PM

<< <i>I found the exposure adjustment and here's what I've come up with in the first picture. The second is about the best I can do as far as focus. The whole slab will fit in the view finder but it's shifted up so that the dime is roughly centered. If I try to zoom (or move the coin closer) any further it's a blurry mess. >>

You're focusing on either the slab or the highest point of the coin - the wing, see how clear it is compared to the rest of the coin? Try focusing either on the field or the cheek area.

poorguy · September 29, 2008 12:17AM

Shoot Mercs upside down. The light hits the coin at a better angle.

Fairlaneman · September 29, 2008 12:34AM

I shoot them at a slightly raised angle and with the coin offset to the right or left. When you shoot them straight on somewhere on the dime you will lose detail. Also I never get a decent picture when the room has light from the sun. Most of the pictures I take are done in the very early morning or after the sun has set. Every once in a while a picture will come out decent if it is a overcast day. Lighting comes in from about 9 o'clock and 2 o'clock from about 24 inches above the coin. You have to play with the lighting to get the detail showing that you want. Some of the mercs I have had were impossible to shoot for some reason. Blast white coins with booming luster are the toughest to shoot for me.

Ken

mgoodm3 · September 29, 2008 12:55AM

I can't see any pics at work.

My experience with mercs is that many are very shiny. Very shiny means really hot highlights and for that you need more diffused light (more lights or fluorescents or diffusion). since I don't know what this coin looks like, not sure if this applies.

Fairlaneman · September 29, 2008 12:59AM

<< <i>I can't see any pics at work.

My experience with mercs is that many are very shiny. Very shiny means really hot highlights and for that you need more diffused light (more lights or fluorescents or diffusion). since I don't know what this coin looks like, not sure if this applies. >>

That is what he is getting, many hot spots. When you get home put that proof merc, I think it was, picture up that you took a year or so ago. It was the best picture of a merc I have ever seen.

Ken

Millertime · September 29, 2008 1:19AM

Sounds like these are tricky little suckers and I have a lot of tricks to try. I guess I could watch Karate Kid while I'm buffing the slabs.

I've been using the autofocus feature on my camera, should I turn that off or will shifting the coin to the side fix the focus issue?

What did "more diffused light (more lights or fluorescents or diffusion)" mean?

Thanks,
Millertime

Fairlaneman · September 29, 2008 1:49AM

<< <i>Sounds like these are tricky little suckers and I have a lot of tricks to try. I guess I could watch Karate Kid while I'm buffing the slabs.

I've been using the autofocus feature on my camera, should I turn that off or will shifting the coin to the side fix the focus issue?

What did "more diffused light (more lights or fluorescents or diffusion)" mean?

Thanks,
Millertime >>

Just took this with autofocus on. Somewhat blurry because it was taken freehand with no tripod. Yes they are tricky little devils. I will let the pro's answer the technical part.

Ken

mgoodm3 · September 29, 2008 2:09AM

Diffused light can be achieved by several means. It just means softer lighting.

1) highest-angled lighting tends to look more diffuse - You will want the glare of the lights just off of the side of the coin. That means glare on the slab.

2) More lights - More lights from different directions will soften things.

3) Softer lighting types - fluorescents tend to be softer than more "point source" incandescents.

4) outside help - a piece of translucent plastic between the light and the coin will help soften it.

newbiecollector · September 29, 2008 2:15AM

Which canon are you using?

This isnt a Merc but my canon s5IS, macor mode..........NOT free hand but on a real small table top tripod using two 40 watt halogen lights.

I need some more photography help with my Mercs

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