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I have FINALLY upgraded to a DSLR and macro lens!!!
cmerlo1
Posts: 7,891 ✭✭✭✭✭
One of my best friends and fellow collectors is a retired photographer from the Associated Press. He photographed the Kennedy assassination, covered all presidents since then, and took some memorable sports images, including one that ended up on a Wheaties box. We've discussed coin photography many times, and he always told me if I bought the macro lens, I could have one of the Canon EOS 1D Mark II bodies he used while he was at the AP. I have been using a point-and-shoot since I started shooting coins over 10 years ago, and had taken it about as far as I could, using an axial lighting box and homemade copy stand. Anyway, I was finally able to afford the Canon 100mm macro lens and a set of extension tubs, along with a REAL copy stand. Like he promised, he gave me the camera body yesterday- it was still in the box and hadn't been used much; he had 3 of them and this was one of his backup cameras. I originally had two 250-watt photo floods, but they generated a TON of heat, so I replaced them earlier today with 2 85-watt compact florescent floods (they look ridiculous, but put out great light). Here are some of the first images along with a shot of the rig- any comments, critiques, or suggestions are appreciated. I have the Goodman book on order and am expecting it next week...
You Suck! Awarded 6/2008- 1901-O Micro O Morgan, 8/2008- 1878 VAM-123 Morgan, 9/2022 1888-O VAM-1B3 H8 Morgan | Senior Regional Representative- ANACS Coin Grading. Posted opinions on coins are my own, and are not an official ANACS opinion.
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Congrat's!!!
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Really all you can do now is practice.
And buy ten different kinds of lights, and...
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Those look darn good. Just how close can you get with that particular lens? Can you show for instance, doubling on a mint mark?
Supposedly, with the extension tubes, I can get really good magnification. That's the next thing I plan on playing with... I'm a variety guy so that's important to me.
Supposedly, with the extension tubes, I can get really good magnification. That's the next thing I plan on playing with... I'm a variety guy so that's important to me.
those help but zoom in as far as you can, get as close to the coin as you can, max out resolution, sharpen images before anything else, enlarge/zoom a bit and one can get really good pups images.
if you want to go pro with that camera, get a microscopic objective setup $120-140 give/take.
or just inexpensive extension tubes.
here are some samples of what mine can do: (not to compare my work to goodman, rpmsprms or a couple other members)
1 - 2
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bob
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
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I am not a fan of your lighting and think you can do much better. But lighting is probably the most difficult and trying element and, with enough patience and practice, many options can work.
Lance.
I did forget a slab under the 90W bulbs once and the inner gasket melted and flowed up and over the rim of the coin. D'oh! Glad it didn't hurt the coin. For the 5 minutes it takes to shoot the coin it's not big deal though. There is a huge advantage to having tons of light. Shutter speeds drop and you have more flexibility with moving the lights around a bit.
Keep going as you're off to a great start!