Best rig for die attribution and photography

So, I've been going back and forth with myself for months over buying a trinocular stereoscope + inexpensive camera. Now, I'm contemplating just setting up a camera rig with an inexpensive dSLR, a stand and some lights.

My basic use case would be identifying varieties (VAMs, minor DDO/DDRs, OMMs, etc), with whole-coin photography a nice but not strictly necessary bonus. Which way would you go on this, with a budget of a few hundred (say $400-700 range)? Any suggestions on components?

I'm thinking the camera setup might be the way to go, but I'd like to hear from folks who take photos through their scope as well.

 

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Send a PM to rmpsrpms (Ray) on these boards. He's genius when it comes to this area.

You can find him in this thread.
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/1941-d-toned-roll.270000/

 

I use the same rig as my full coin photography. I just change out the lens I use for the higher mag macro work. For the high mag macro work I use a Tominon 35mm Macro lens.

Here is what I get with it. This is an un-cropped image scaled down to 1250px from a 7360px wide image. It's a 1941-S over S RPM FS-501 Mercury Dime.

 

I use a Bausch & Lomb StereoZoom 4 and a point-and-shoot. Fluorescent ring light with a card taped over about 1/3 of it gives me even lighting and a little depth. The stereoscope is comfortable for inspecting the coin, and then when I need a picture, I pick up the camera and point it through the eyepiece that gives me the better view of what I want to photograph. I'll also use my hand to shade additional bits of the ring light if needed. Distance from the objective and light to the coin is about 3 inches.

I have taken no fewer than 20,000 (yes, twenty thousand) pictures this way. While the technical limitations of this setup are greater than using a microscope objective on a bellows attached directly to a DSLR, it's seamless to go from inspection to photos, and you can't use a DSLR like a stereoscope. This setup is definitely doable for $400 or so, especially if you already have a P&S camera.

Both my setup and the one that Ray will recommend have their merits. Which you use depends on how you want to use it.

All the pictures on this page were done this way.

 

Also do what @robec said. Ray is a walking computer with an incredible amount of information on this stuff. I picked the lens I used for that photo above based on his recommendations.

 

This is the setup Ray built for me. The bottom photo is the setup sitting on my old setup with a much larger desktop footprint.

 

Are those lights (first photo) the Ikea ones Bob? I hear good things about them..........

 

Yes they are. You will need to diffuse them with tissue or something similar otherwise hot spots will be all over the photo. The light is cool to the touch so you don't have to worry about fire.

 

That was my next question......thanks Bob.

 

How much do "Rigs" like that cost?

How easy are they to learn how to use properly?

 

A converted microscope stand will cost close to $200, maybe a little less. Bellows are under $50. The 75mm f4 Rodenstock Apo Rodagon D M1:1 lens price varies. B&H sells new ones for $600 or if your timing is right you can find them on eBay for ~$300 used. I picked mine up from eBay.

If you can work a camera this setup is a jewel to use, especially if you have a camera that has tether capability. Being able to focus and place the coin and lights in the optimal position while watching live on your computer monitor is a god send and a must.

 

I love the photo! I would think that 7360px would be enough for my intended uses. Any setup that can make the mintmark on a dime an inch tall on my screen gets my respect.

Great magnification, and, obviously your setup is suitable for attributing varieties. Is the color in the pictures accurate? I love the detail, but I want to also be able to capture colors accurately.

If I could produce something like the image in this thread, I'd be very happy. I'm a total novice with a camera, but I'm still relatively young and willing to put in the time it takes to learn.

 

Stand = 200
Bellows = 50
Lens = 600
Lights = ?
Camera = ?
Total = I suspect the total cost will be over 1000

Working a camera = understanding things like shutter speed, aperture, ISO, manual focus, white balance, RAW format.... I'm sure I'm leaving out a few settings.

Moral of the story is this is NOT a setup for a beginner, this is a setup that will require a lot of time, and knowledge to operate after you have spent a lot of money to purchase it.

I'm not trying to discourage anyone from perusing a "Rig" like this if you have the passion to learn how to use it. Rather I'm trying to point out that this is not a "Rig" you take out of the box, set it up, and POOF you take fantastic photos.

 

You can spend $200 on one of Ray's custom modified microscope stands if you wish. Otherwise a $20 tripod will do perfectly; it will just be more difficult to make it a permanent installation.

A good used dSLR can be had for under $200. Lenses - good ones like the 75mm El-Nikkor - can be had for $50 or less. I shoot a $20 El Omegar.

One of the reasons these dSLR/bellows combinations are so popular is they're cheap. $400 is enough for the whole rig, and that should include a microscope objective which extends your reach into microscopic imaging.

 

(referring to my setup)

I don't care about the color when documenting varieties, and actually don't even want the color, as it is distracting from the detail on the coin. Everything is converted to grayscale, usually by keeping only the green channel of the color information, sometimes by keeping only the red channel, whichever removes color variation better. Then I increase the contrast to better show what I want to show. If I want a good color, it's going to be of the entire coin, for which I use my DSLR.

 

Thisthisthisthisthis.

Color is only a hindrance to the actual information you're trying to convey, unless you're Ray and doing it in 3-D .gif style.

 

And here's an example of a variety close-up I shot today illustrating why I don't want color. 1878 VAM 122, MS63 with medium dark toning with mottling. Not hazed over. Crappy NGC slab.

Original picture with P&S through eyepiece.


Contrast enhanced and sharpened to show the repunched I better (yuck).


Convert to grayscale by keeping only the green channel. Same contrast enhancement and sharpening.


Convert to grayscale by keeping only the red channel. Same contrast enhancement and sharpening.

 

Good photos?
Priceless

 

I just got two of those 'Square Head' (I can say that because I am one) lamps off of Amazon and I love them. Here's a shot of my rig.........

 

Nice!!!!

You should try a couple of shots with some kleenex covering the lights for diffusion. I should lessen the white areas without hurting the luster.

Just for comparison.