Ring Flash Photos - CBH's

LVGT · August 21, 2011 7:41AM

My wife just bought a ring flash, so I decided to test it out on a few coins. It may not be the best source of lighting for coins, but I think it does a pretty good job and man is it simple.

Here are a couple shots. What do you think?

lcoopie · August 21, 2011 8:06AM

Those look pretty good

Tonedlover · August 21, 2011 8:48AM

I agree! Is it really just as simple as pointing and shooting?

LVGT · August 21, 2011 8:54AM

I put the camera on a tripod (I don't have a copy stand), focused and shot.

mingot · August 21, 2011 9:19AM

I really dislike the way the ring lighting shows the coin, sorry

BuffQuarter · August 21, 2011 9:20AM

Might as well put them on a scanner. Same difference.

adamlaneus · August 21, 2011 9:24AM

Very flat lighting. It captures very little luster and sort of looks unnatural.

Here's a dirt cheap way to make a ring flash less flat:

Get some electrical tape and tape up much of the flashhead so that you only have a few spots where light can get through. Then it'll look more like typical illumination.

LVGT · August 21, 2011 9:25AM

I think I will try that out.

adamlaneus · August 21, 2011 9:28AM

You basically want to tape up so much of the flash that it's firing at practically full power to illuminate the coin. You want the smallest slits possible for illumination. I think, anyway. Experiment.

ldhair · August 21, 2011 10:52AM

They are the best I have seen using a ring flash. I agree that very little luster shows.

rmpsrpms · August 21, 2011 2:54PM

You shouldn't have given up your technique so soon. People hear "ring light" or "ring flash" and their knees jerk. Actually, ring illuminators can be really good for technical grading since they illuminate everything fully, except narrow shadows around the devices. But they do kill any luster that's there by reducing local contrast.

keyman64 · August 21, 2011 3:20PM

I have a ring light as well. When I tried to use it for coin photography, I did not like the results.

Ring Flash Photos - CBH's

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