New Light Box and Pictures
 

TomD eat your heart out!!!!!!

ok not really, so I had a Nikon D80 with 3 lenses and about a year ago my house got robbed...all in all the SOB's got away with $15,000 worth of goods. The insurance company said that since their was no "forced sign of entry", my policy wouldn't reimburse me a single cent...not only did they refuse to pay up...they raised my rates, go figure. Since then I have not bought a new DSLR camera so I've been using a great camera, but one that's not meant for macro images. I love my coolpix s610 but it can not do coins justice. For that reason I cant use the same techniques TomD & MorganTheGoat use, I have to use backgrounds to compliment the coins and cover up for the fact that my macro skills are impaired.

Anyways enjoy a picture of my light box and 2 coins, there's more on my photostream if your interested...

Bon Appetit:
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/DSCN0376.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/DSCN0336.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...o/DSCN0344.jpg

Re: New Light Box and Pictures
 

Nice set up....I did my own light box set up using a cardboard box with windows cut out and covered by translucent white paper. I use simple desklamps to take pics from the sides and front. It's not perfect, but it's alot better than I was doing a month ago.

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Great pictures! Not sure if you heard of Mark Goodmans coin photography book but its a must buy! http://www.coinimaging.com/index.html

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Nice, several very nice shots but how did you do the 2003 Britannia?

On flickr I especially liked the prospector shots.

Keep it up, I love to see coin photos. Do you think we should have a competition?

Re: New Light Box and Pictures
 

If were going to have a competition I cant tell you how to do the 2003 Britannia thing :36_1_30:

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Wow, I am going to have to purchase one of those light boxes and a digital camara. My HP scanner just does not cut it. What type of computer software (if any) do I need? Recommendations on a digital camara? What features should I look for when I buy a digital camara to take pictures of coins? What price range for a digital camara? I am a beginner on taking pictures of coins. Thanks.

Re: New Light Box and Pictures
 

My camera and the macro lens that I use for coins cost over $2,000 but you could buy a pretty good DSLR rig with a Sigma 105mm 2.8 macro for around half of that.

Or, for way less, you could ask MorgantheGoat what kind of camera he uses. I remember it's not a DSLR but one with a permanently affixed lens. A Canon or Nikon, don't remember which. He seems to do quite well with it.

The photo below isn't mine, Morgan took it. Shows that, correctly handled, you can do well with a P&S digital.

Re: New Light Box and Pictures
 

It looks like the "larger" coin was standing (?glued to?) on something to bring it out into the foreground...depth of field/focus on coin #2 adjusted by f-stop setting. Avoiding shadows cast from the primary coin support would be the trick.

Sorry to rain on the parade, but many of Talah's photos (excepting the Flickr Prospectors & 1/10 oz Pt Eagle shots) seem to be VERY low contrast, lacking in details of the coin surface that would otherwise bring them to life. I don't do coin photography, but compare Talah's photo of the 2003 Britannia in his first post of this thread to the photo I've attached (copied from a previous GIM post by ?somebody else?.

The attached photo seems much more vibrant, showing tremendous surface detail. Talah's photo looks flat in comparison.

JMHO, worth far less than the price paid for it.

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TomD did that '03 Britannia and it has resulted in many GIMers rabidly searching out and purchasing them, myself included. SLV helps to perpetrate this plot by using it as his avatar and is kind enough to credit TomD in his sig line.

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Hmmmm...that plot sounds like an eeeevil NWO conspiracy! Yes, that picture has convinced me that the Britannia is a pretty coin and I need one...or two...or three....or...

Re: New Light Box and Pictures
 

[QUOTE=TomD;1545037]My camera and the macro lens that I use for coins cost over $2,000 but you could buy a pretty good DSLR rig with a Sigma 105mm 2.8 macro for around half of that.

Or, for way less, you could ask MorgantheGoat what kind of camera he uses. I remember it's not a DSLR but one with a permanently affixed lens. A Canon or Nikon, don't remember which. He seems to do quite well with it.

Thanks Tom, What I might do is to start out with buying a basic digital camara from Best Buy or some other electronics store and get one of the light box mini sets that I saw on another post. Something basic would work for me. Would that be good for a beginner such as myself? Is there any photo software that you use for your pictures?

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[quote=OutlawJoseyWalesJr;1545390]If you buy one of those little cameras that you can put in your pocket, I would be quite surprised if it would be capable of serious macro shots. There are camera models that are in between the serious (and expensive) DSLRs and the pocket snapshooters. I think that very good examples can be had for in the $250-$400 range new, less if you will take one a generation or so back. They are far more capable than the pocket cameras and offer to you a much greater control ability. If you are at all serious about trying photography, you might as well get a camera with a little room for you to grow into.

I really recommend finding what model Morgan uses. I'm not really conversant about fixed lens cameras.

Software? That's a no brainer: Adobe Photoshop Elements-Don't spend the money for the latest versions, the earlier versions have all the functionality of the later but can be had for a fraction of the price. I'd say to look for version 4 or 5.

Re: New Light Box and Pictures
 

OK - My El Cheapo set up...

I have the Canon SD400 5.1 MP which they don't make anymore. Here is the Canon line up for cheap cameras. All of the SD series has digital macro capability and are as big as a pack of smokes. I am also able to cheat, especially with silver, by using the tungsten lighting setting in the macro software that removes any warm light colors. The only drawback to using this type of camera is you have to be so close to the coin you end up shooting it at an angle to avoid the reflection of your own camera.

I don't use a light box. I just have trace paper taped to 3 halogen drafting lamps that I point away from the coin towards the ceiling and walls for reflected light back at the coin. White walls reflect white. You can't shoot in a room with allot of colors or wall art that will reflect those colors. I fiddle with the lights for the proper angles to accent the coin with shadow and contrast. I shoot at night so there is no daylight straying in. Sometimes I hold a piece of paper above the coin to draw a shadow or filter strong light. Low tech and proud.

It usually takes me 200-300 shots to get one good one on the detailed coins like the Brits but with simple coins only maybe 10 shots like with the Lunar Ox. I have photoshop but never use it. I usually just crop images in an image viewer called ACDSee which you can get a free version I think.

I hope this helps, good luck.

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FWIW, I install ACDSee as the default picture viewer on every windoze computer I use. I paid for my version in 1998 and have never, EVER seen a reason to upgrade it. It simply blazes and works perfectly. I'm certain the newer versions have better features but I cannot imagine it rendering any faster.

Re: New Light Box and Pictures
 

[quote=TomD;1545573]Thanks Tom, for helping me out. It will give me an idea of what I plan to spend. I will be honest with you on this. I am not really that serious about photography but I was planning to get a basic camara ($100-$150) just for decent pictures. The reason I was wanting to buy one because I wanted to post better pictures of my coins on this forum. The pictures do not have to be razor sharp but I want them to be better than what my HP scanner can do. I will ask Morgan about the fixed lens camara (if he did not post yet). I will plan to eventually get Adobe Photoshop Elements. Thanks Tom for answering my questions. I will plan to buy a digital camara but it will be something to just get by for the time being but will take better pictures than my scanner. I guess I am just cheap.

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If this is TED, stop giving out my paid for ACDsee version to everyone...LOL, just kidding. My buddy installs it on all the PC's he builds. I have 3.1. I don't know what version they are up to now. It is a great little program with some decent editing tools that suits me just fine.

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Morgan, This really helps me alot. I now have a really good idea about the type of camara to get. I am cheap too (on non-PM related stuff). I will definately check this out. Any of those camaras will probably take better pictures than my HP scanner. I was planning to PM you but I just scrolled down on this thread and saw your post and decided to respond to it instead of PM-ing you. I will not get the light box. I will get a little creative with that. I will check out ACDSee. As I mentioned to Tom, this will be something to get me by but will take better pictures than my scanner. I am sorry I did not respond any sooner because I just got home from work. I will check out the web link on the Canon camaras. Thanks for your help Morgan (and Tom).

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Thanks Morgan (and SLV>GLD) for the ACDsee tip.

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My only warning is that my technique will not work with incandescent or fluorescent lighting. You will end up with all yellow light and be disappointed in the result. My lamps are 110 W Halogen.

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Thanks for the warning Morgan. I will keep that in mind.

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Another good tip... http://www.oldversion.com/

ACDSee is at the top of the list.

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Thanks for the link. I added it to my favorites. I have to thank you for the recommendations and tips for getting me started. It will take me a while to get the digital camara and get everything set up because I am currently feeding the gold and silver monkey that is on my back LOL.

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You are correct, my camera is also 1/10th the price of his, my last camera would have done amazing works if it wasn't in the hands of someone who can't even begin to appreciate it now :s10:

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Skill and practice are the 2 absolutely necessary elements. Quite a few of your shots show promise. Your 2003 Britannia shot shows ability with composition. Keep posting your shots, I'd like to see them.

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TomD, What is this coin?
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2117/...d14d70d3_b.jpg

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SLV>GLD's ACDSee version is v2.22b2. Nothing like a good beta, eh?

I remember TomD posting that coin pic and even telling us what the initials stood for but danged if I can remember any of it, now.

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That would be a 2008 Bald Eagle in silver proof. (Link to US Mint) This was one of the US Mint deals that you had to jump on immediately because it sold out almost immediately.

Reverse like so:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3479/...c5f45e84_b.jpg

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Sorry to hear about the loss of your camera. I've managed to collect gear over the years, ranging from my 1969 Nikon FTN (stolen, s/n ground off, recovered) to my 1979 Canon AE-1 (High School grad gift) & my current Canon Rebel XT/350D (purchased to take photos of my FAST moving kids!).

WARNING: I'm going to be a "gumby" here...I'm good at it, and it comes naturally to me.:wink:

That being said, good photos (IMHO) have VERY LITTLE to do with the gear used to generate them. You can make great photos with an Argus Cintar 35mm camera, or the latest Hasselblad digital super-duper break-the-bank system.

While your former camera may have been "spiffier" than your current Coolpix S610, please don't sell yourself short. Like I said before, I don't normally shoot coin pictures. I think that your camera is just fine for taking good coin photos - it's your lighting that might need some work. The composition of the Britannia coin photo is pretty neat.

See the attached photos. They were taken with my 2005 Sony DSC-V1 (5 MP camera, versus your 2008 vintage 10MP Nikon unit).

I deliberately didn't use any bounced/slaved flash systems (Vivitar 285/285HV) in these photos. I set it up on my kitchen table, using a pair of my wife's slacks (black polyester) as a background. The coin (a generic 1oz silver round) was set on a black plastic telescope lens case (a plastic tube, ~1" dia x 1.5" long) to allow it to stand off from the background. Lighting was mainly from my Lowes/Harbor Freight/??? halogen lamp (same as you used in your photos, I think). I grabbed a piece of aluminum foil, and a piece of white paper (from one of my son's school projects) as diffusers/reflectors in some photos.

No editing was done to these photos, other than cropping (via Adobe Elements 2.0).

Note how the changes in lighting tend to accentuate or obliterate surface detail.

Yes, my photos are nowhere near as nice as many of the photos posted. I'm just trying to show (in a gumbyish manner!) how lighting can drastically change the appearance of a coin. I'd encourage you to focus on lighting in your photos - the composition is very good.