AdamL

...and I still can't get good coin pictures. They're blurry. No detail shows. When I used my brother's camera I just turned it on macro function, held it really steady and got pretty good pictures. Then when I experimented with different lighting, angles, etc. I was able to get good coin photos. I even tried the same setup and lighting as when I got pictures I liked with my brother's camera, but I still can't get good pictures with this new camera.
Any ideas?

__________________
Speak the truth, do not become angered, and give when asked, even be it a little. By these three conditions one goes to the presence of the Gods.
-Buddha

raider34

Hmm, are you zooming in on the coin? Maybe the camera is too close to the coin. Or I've noticed sometimes my camera doesn't focus under lights (lol I have no clue why), try some pics with just natural light.

JrCoin

yeah. trade cameras with your brother

What kind of lighting are you using? If you are utilizing an external flash you will have to manually set your fstop and shutter speed. Some kind of tripod mount wouldn't hurt either. Macro is a fussy deal, you'll need to get the camera distance from your subject just right. Not every coin is going to look great under the same set up. Sometimes you need to play around with it a bit. If you're using on camera flash you aren't going to get good pictures. Flash look better in my opinion with something filtering the light to soften it. Out of curiosity what kind of camera/set-up are you using?

rlm's cents

First, do not zoom in. Most cameras have a much longer focal length when zoomed. i.e. mine is about 1' with no zoom, but 14" when zoomed - and, no, I did not leave the decimal point out. Alternatively, read teh directions and make sure you are far enough back.

Secondly, you have to hold everything still - more so than what most humans can do. Either get yourself a tripod or make do taking pictures on a table.

__________________
The monkeys stand for honesty, Giraffes are insincere,
And the elephants are kindly but They're dumb.
Orangutans are skeptical Of changes in their cages,
And the zoo keeper is very fond of rum.

Hobo

[quote=AdamL;576025. . . I . . . held it really steady and got pretty good pictures. [/quote]

I agree - you cannot hold a camera as steady as you think. ANY movement of the camera will cause blurring in the photo. Get yourself a tripod or copy stand or something that will hold the camera steady.

__________________
No state shall emit bills of credit, make any thing but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts, coin money . . . - US Constitution, Article 1, Section 10

ANA LM-3799; OHNS LM-59; SUSCC R-4005. All coins stored in bank safe deposit box.

raider34

Yep it can be hard. I don't use a tripod or anything, but I usually have to rest my arm over the table to keep it steady, or hold the camera real close to your body.

green18

Great advice from Hobo....

__________________
They also serve who only stand and wait....John Milton

HandsomeToad

I say that you don't have the Macro turned on and/or you don't have it set on AUTO (the little camera thingy, not the P).

Ribbit

desertgem

Out of curiosity, what type of camera is it? And it is amazing how much better the operation can be if one does read the instruction book, especially the section on macro, auto focus choices, white balance, and Image stabilization ( if yours have it).

I found that I could finess the auto focus area to be sure the area of the coin I was photographing was the center of the autofocus . On mine, I can not set the white balance except on the "manual" setting, but it follows through when I switch to auto. The Image stabilization settings vary on cameras, but it virtually eliminates a tripod.

Jim

Just Carl

I presume this is a digital camera so depending on the size of the card, you could shoot many, many pictures. Not sure but today most cards are either SD, XD or compact Flash. If so, and your camera has several different megapixel ranges, you could use a card that would allow you to take thousands of photos.
The reason I mention this is since your camera is new to you, you may be a little overly expectant of fantastic photos right from the start. Sort of like a new car, get to know it first. Now again, depending on the card size, just take your time and shoot, shoot, shoot. With a pen and paper record what you do each time. Then when you put them on your computer and the ones that do turn out great, you'll have the method written down. And eventually you will have good photos.
As a rule most digital cameras require more light than a film camera. So try it outside on a dark surface, not in direct sunlight though.
Again, usually it's not the camera, it's the person using it. Here is another tip. If you do not use a tripod, when taking any kind of photo, stop breathing. What most people don't realize is when you breath, your chest expands and contracts. Since your holding something in both hands, usually, your arms are touching your sides and moving with you chest movements. If your arms are moving, your hands are connected to them and they are moving too. And your camera is in your hands.

kanga

When I use macro with my camera I still have to be about 6" away AND can't completely zoom in.
I sort of make up for that by shooting at the highest resolution the camera offers.

__________________
ANA Member
APS Member
ARA Member

There are 10 types of people: those that understand binary, and those that don't.

LSM

Here's a site that some of you may find interesting about coin photography: http://www.tabletopstudio.com/docume...hotography.htm

Lou

ahearn

My experience has been that you MUST use a sturdy tripod, especially under normal lighting. A close-up shot will magnify even the smallest camera shake. Try to set the shutter speed at something faster than 1/60 sec. (might have to set Shutter Priority mode).

And if you have a digital SLR, some macro lens require that you be quite a distance back at max zoom. I have one that requires about 30 inches back.

HandsomeToad

I have never used a tripod, although someday I will be getting one, and I don't have a focus problem. The only time I have a focus problem is when I get the wrong angle or too close, but my initial button push will tell me I'm too close or at the wrong angle, since my focus box won't show up or won't be square (I don't know how to say it except that way). I utilize the focus box to make sure I'm at the right angle and not too close, before I ever take a shot, so I don't have problems usually with focusing, unless my camera setting got changed accidently, then I will have out of focus shots.

Ribbit

Ps: I use a Sony DSC-H7.

AdamL

Well, I AM SURE macro is on. I have tried alot of different things. Lots of different lighting. Lots of different zoom, or not zoomed. The on thing I know I haven't tried is a tripod, because I don't have one. I was able to the camera sturdy enough to get good pics with my brother's camera, but maybe I need a tripod for this one. I read over everyone's posts carefully and I apreciate all of them. I'll try resting the camera on something to keep it steady. And maybe I'll buy a tripod. I'll also try out some of the other things suggested in this thread. Thanks. And I'll let you guys know what happens.

__________________
Speak the truth, do not become angered, and give when asked, even be it a little. By these three conditions one goes to the presence of the Gods.
-Buddha