I have morphed from a Bencher Copymate II copy stand, 100mm macro and 180mm macro lenses and CFL lighting to a system that Ray (rmpsrpms) made for me. This consists of a microscope stand, 75ARD1 lens, inexpensive bellows with adaptor and two Jansjo LED lights. These photos also illustrate the size difference between the large macro lenses compared to the 75ARD1 lens and the much smaller footprint of the microscope stand compared to the copy stand. Here is the lens The Rodenstock Apo-Rodagon 75mm (75ARD1) lens in comparison to a 100mm and 180mm Macro lens Showing the small footprint of the microscope stand in comparison with the CopymateII copy stand. This is showing the coin image shown live when tethered to the computer
rlm takes some great images. It goes to show that it's not all about the cost of your setup. It's about the time you spend learning the setup you have. Practice and more practice.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=Desktop Copy Stand&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top Nav-Search= here is a few. I need one.
The bellows fits onto the camera via an adaptor. The lens screws into the other end of the bellows. I have a Canon. Adaptors for both Canon and Nikon are readily available.
I got mine from B&H Camera in New York, paid $350 delivered. I need better lights. I also plan on getting lots of practice soon with the holidays coming and vacation time. I'm a huge fan of Robecs images and if I can get half as good as him I'd be a happy camper.
I think this is what I need. If your still making them. I know this thred is old but fingers crossed!
I'm trying to buy that same setup from rmpsrpms if he's still making them. Are you still using that same camera? It seems like being to able to use your computer to preview is perfect. What model and software are you using? I see in the pic it says eos utility. I don't have a camera yet but I want to make sure whatever i but has that function. I don't know if an older rebel would be compatible.
I recently bought a set up from Ray and am very pleased with it as a camera newbie. The camera is a gently used old Rebel XS which he vets for quality. The EOS utility software is Canon's and even with a Mac laptop I got it running pretty easily. If you don't have a Mac he will send the software. With the Mac I downloaded the utility and then an update to get it working (and when I updated my OS it was a pretty simple step). I use a very basic photo editor (PicMonkey) instead of the fancy stuff a lot of other people use. But the EOS utility is what runs the camera and lets me use my laptop for viewing. The Canon download came with editing software too, but I haven't even looked at it. If you go to his webpage this is the setup he sent me: http://www.macrocoins.com/example-system-6.html. I have a bunch of medals in addition to coins and wanted the flexibility to go bigger (I can shoot up to 75 mm). I went from this: to: and barely know what I'm doing yet.
Send Ray a PM. He is still making these setups. I can't say enough good things about Ray. He knows more about camera settings, techniques and just plain general knowledge than you even want to learn. The EOS software, which allows for computer control of your camera (tethering), is a free utility that is packaged with most Canon EOS cameras. This includes most, if not all of their entry level models. This gives you ability to preview every shot on your monitor live. The coin shown on the monitor in my post can even be magnified 200x more for better focusing. The software also lets your computer take charge of other camera settings including white balance, exposure setting, aperture, etc. as well as snapping the picture. Here is a link to compatible models. https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/support/self-help-center/eos-utility and a link describing the software. http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/product/canon_software/eos_utility.do
Your pictures look great I'd be more then happy with that! I already ordered a light tent from Amazon and the IKEA flex lights. Should I return the tent? I don't see anyone on here using them. It was only $15 but if I don't need it no sense in having it lay around.
I've never had much luck with a tent. Maybe others have. They seem to hide a lot of detail from the coin. They have a tendency to eliminate shadows which are needed to show borders, luster and depth. If it is a fold up tent it might be better used as a deflector, although you could make one for far less than $15.
Keep it simple. Easier said than done. I am currently using a Canon Rebel Eos XS. As soon as I figure out my new Canon 70D I'll be using that. Canon software for close up shooting is the best I have seen. As you can see by the pic below I use a laptop with a second screen which makes it much easier to integrate the software. Lighting is with lights using LED bulbs with high Kelvin rating which gives crisp white light and wonderful toning sensitivity. I have been using digital cameras since they came out starting with the very old school Sony Mavika which used a floppy. My cameras started with film and I have upgraded about every five years or so. Your goal should always be what your eye see's. When I'm travelling I use my Microsoft phone quite a bit. They have Zeis lens and shoot RAW format. Excellent pics can be taken with it. Oh, one more thing, I use Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom for processing. These can be bought from Adobe for $9.95 a month and are continually updated. I hope this helps, most of all have fun and take a lot of images.
Hi ManDime, I'm still building setups for folks. In fact I just shipped my 50th system! And they are all different. You can go to my website shown in my sig line to see some of the variants I've built, and PM me or use the website link to contact me with your specific needs. Ray