What can I use to take better pics.

Proof coins are like a mirror. Like a mirror, it reflects everything in front of it IE: a camera.

Anyway, my current set up is a light box, but it makes a lot of coins seem "dark".

Can anyone help with making a good set up?

Here is a proof, reflecting the camera. It's also dark.



Another proof. Dark, and reflects the camera.


A BU silver colored coin. Horrible.


A large copper coin in an air tite....terrible.


1832 CBH, horrible contrast.


This is how nice the coin looks under a usb microscrope.

 

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I don't see anything wrong with your proof pics, but if you want to get the reflective pictures like this:


This is referred to as the ebay scam proof pictures. This one has light circulation scratches in the white(ish) fields so I take the picture at an angle and I won't get a bit of acknowledgement that it is there.

Take pictures at an angle, might have to experiment with the angle by yourself though.

 

Oh and you can clearly see some scratches on the right side of washington's bust. But not very much on the left side. Get what I am saying?

 

This time I shined the lamps directly on the coin, on the proof. Captured more detail as the light illuminates the devices.

 

Ya.

I wonder if a scanner would work better for some coins. One of the newer ones that are LED.

 

It looks great. Keep that position for the proofs :thumb:

 

Let me try that, hang on a sec...

 

BTW, what setup do you use?

I've seen some really nice set ups, but they cost $200 plus. Can't see spending that much unless I was a dealer and needed HQ pics for my listings.

 

Here is the picture taken by the seller. Whatever setup he uses is much better.

 

Here's a scan of the same quarter:

 

Ya that doesn't look good.

What setup do you use, and what software do u use?

 

Here's my setup. No joke:


As for software, I am using Photoscape. Download and instructions here:
http://www.cointalk.com/t175157/

 

(Yes, I am cheap with the setup) Nothing fancy at all. Place coin on top of black binder, shoot. Take home. Crop, combine, reflect and label. Fairly simple.

 

So I am wondering if the limitation is with my camera? Canon ELPH 100HS

 

To get the pic to look like the one in the sellers pic I believe you need to diffuse the light. Try putting a sheet of paper over the lights to do this.

 

That, I have no idea. I use my grandma's Nikon D3100 beginners professional camera. I guess it is a fairly spendy one, but I can't give any insight on yours. Looks to be a nice one with 12.1mp, better than my 10mp camera getting crap like this:

 

With diffusion, I usually get darker color rather than bright, maybe try to fiddle with the white balance.

 

Oh, found one of my favorite example pictures about angle:



Angle really does change the coin.

 

After setting the lights at a different angle, and using some photo processing, I was able to produce this:

 

It looks good but in my opinion, the first one you took looks the best. I'd prefer it over the ebay pic, this and the ebay pic show some discoloration on his face. Just my opinion.