Photo Frustration

I have a Cannon SX10IS, it takes incredible photos of everything BUT coins! When in macro, it just wont hold the focus. I really want to post photos but it isnt working out. :headbang: I don't have extra cash to go out and buy another expensive camera right now. Is anyone using this camera for coin photos? If so PLEASE let me know how your doing it. Is there is a camera out there for less than $100 that would get the job done?

Thanks in advance!
Mark

 

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Shoot a couple of pics in macro mode so we can see what it's producing. Are you using a tripod or have a way to keep the camera steady?

I use a busted 3.1 camera, a loupe and an eyepiece I scavenged from an old video camera. Here's an earlier thread I wrote on it:

Cheap Coin Photography

 

you are to close to the coin..most cameras in macro mode have to be at least 6in away (roughly..i have an entry lvl dslr and can do it at 15cm=5.9in away)

 

I feel your pain. You might have to move the camera further away.

 

The photos are SO bad there is no point in posting. When I get the camera to a distance where it will focus, you can't see any detail at all. I try to put my loop in front of the lense then focus but no luck there either. I just cant hold it steady enough. I think I really need a tripod of some kind. I think I'll run out to bestbuy to see if they have something that might work. Sorry about the newb photo questions, I'm just getting really furstrated and want to post photos.

 

Oh and thanks for the link!

 

Don't get frustrated - everyone makes it sound so easy, but its not. I get photos that are sufficient for me or I use the sellers photos. I have been working at it for years, but I also don't need professional photo's.

 

Shooting very close macro with any camera is a challenge. The closer you get to your subject, the shallower your depth of focus becomes. To get good focus, you almost have to use some sort of stand or mount; if you try to hold your camera, you'll wobble a little bit between the time you focus and the time you take the picture, and it'll be blurry.

You won't get very good results using the camera flash -- if you're close enough to shoot macro, it won't give uniform illumination, and often the lens housing casts a shadow on the subject.

According to a quick Google search, the smallest field that the SX10IS will cover in macro mode is around 36x27mm. That means you won't be able to fill the field with a penny or a dime, but you certainly can with a half dollar, and you can come very close with a quarter. You'll probably get some distortion at that range, though, so you might have to settle for backing further away from the coin and then cropping your image.

I've been shooting with a good lens, and what used to be a midrange camera (Canon 100mm macro on a 20D body), mounted on a cheap tripod. I do some fussy stuff to improve the images -- I use "mirror lockup" and a remote shutter-release cable to minimize camera vibration, and I use "raw" image format so I can adjust exposure and color balance on the computer. I don't think any of that is really necessary to get acceptable images, though, especially if your target is Web images.

I've been meaning to experiment with a couple of low-end point-and-click cameras to see what they can accomplish. Don't know when I'll get around to actually experimenting and writing it up, though.

 

I think you're on the right track. Careful, though, buying a tripod at Best Buy -- a cheap tripod can be worse than useless. If you're handy, you might actually do better by getting a tripod-size screw (1/4"x20), mounting it through a block of wood, and wedging that wood block between cinder blocks or something similarly heavy.

If you do get a tripod, even a cheap one, you might get good results by using the "self-timer" feature on your camera. That way you aren't pressing any buttons or touching the camera when it actually takes the photo, and you're less likely to knock it out of focus.

If you can think about this as an exploratory journey with rewards at the end, rather than an exercise in frustration, it might be a little bit easier to take.

 

Thanks Jeff!, heres another question. What is the piece of photo equipment called that has a bed and a vertical shaft that mounts to it. Holding the camera at a 90 degree angle to the bed? I have seen them but don't know what it is actually called. I think that may be my ticket if I can find or make one.

 

It's called a copy stand.

 

Sweet! Thanks, I am good a building things, if they are expensive I could just build one.

 

Since you are looking for a cheap tripod, you might also consider a cheap copy stand. Here is one from B&H Photo that would be perfect for your camera. It will elevate from about 6" to a limit of 12" and is only $29.95

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/385012-REG/Digital_Pursuits_DPCS129_Close_Up_Copy_Stand.html

 

LOL! I was just looking at that one! Thanks!

 

You know, it would've been just great if someone had reminded me about copy stands a few months ago. I've been using my cheap tripod with the mount tilted to point straight down, and it really is kind of a pain in the neck.

Sure wish I'd grabbed one when the lab was tossing them a couple of years ago -- but at that point, I'd already realized that "grabbing things because you might need them one day" is a sure ticket to your own appearance on a reality/intervention show.

 

Check out a "Gorilllapod tripod". I just bought one, I think it will work real well.

 

I just ordered it, and so another chapter in my coin collecting is starting. I'm sure this will help with my problem and lead to another 100 questions. Thanks for all the replies and I'll keep you posted

 

The photo of the coin may appear small, but it is bigger than you think. Once you crop your photo using post processing software (eg photoshop), you will be able to show the full coin and all related details. I have found that the best size to view a coin is 500x500 pixels. Viewing a coin with a larger photo magnifies flaws that are not discernable to the naked eye and leads to inaccurate grading of the coin. Here is what an untouched photo of mine looks like.

 

What type of camera and eqipment are you using? You post some really great images!

 

I use a Canon Powershot SD880IS 10 megapixel with two florescent lights and a cheap copy stand. Here is a photo of my set up.



Please note the height of the copy stand mount. I never change it. I only use the adjustable slide based on what type of coin I am shooting. For the small coins like dimes and cents, I go further down.

Not bad for a point and shoot huh?