Coin Photography: Macro Lens

I am finally trying to learn coin photography on my own. I purchased a sigma 150 mm macro lens, but have learned that some professional coin photographers use 180 mm macro lenses. Is a 180 mm macro lens worth the extra costs?

 

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@SuperDave would know best. I use an 105mm.

 

Depends on what you want to shoot and at what resolution... "Macro photograpers" covers a lot of ground, from Roy shooting Lincoln Cent date/mintmarks at full frame (what 5x lifesize?) to product shoots of phones and the like.

The Sigma will give you 1:1 at 15" which is plenty of room to work with for lights, etc. - except you may not be at 1:1. An APS-C sensor is 22.2 x 14.8 mm (Canon, a little bigger for Nikon) vs. a Full Frame at 36 x 24 mm.

A Morgan has a diameter of 38.1mm while a 3cs (trime) is 14mm.

So I could shoot the trime 1:1 on my Canon, but not a Morgan and to gain the extra image size I have to move the lens out. Maybe farther than your copy stand can support.

 

I'm not familiar with anyone using that size macro lens but I'm interested to hear what a few members have to say. I have seen very nice results from people using the 100mm Canon and 90mm Tamron both of which I have considered purchasing but at this point in time I'm using a bellows/ enlarging lens set up.

 

The best all-around focal length for shooting coins, of the popular dedicated macro lenses, is 90-100mm. At 150-180mm, sheer distance from the subject becomes a factor in efficient work, although Heritage uses Canon 180's in their setups. I can't say I have great knowledge about the quality of the offerings in that range, although they're all (Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Tamron) pretty darn sharp. And they each cost more than everything I own related to photography added together.

A Morgan Dollar is ~0.42x on an APS-C sensor.

 

If you've already got a 150mm lens, you might also ask yourself whether you'd prefer the same magnification with the camera mounted farther away from the coins than you currently shoot. The only reason I can think of would be because of better ability to position lights.

 

The difference between 150 and 180 is not significant and the Sigma has a good reputation. If I were going to upgrade that set up, I'd buy a full frame body rather than a lens adding only 20% more working distance. I will point out that a heavy lens like that needs a rock solid support. I prefer a home make wood stand with less vibration but those who much have a commercial one need to avoid underweight, wobbly metal which will erase any quality added by a better lens.

 

The advantage of a 150-180 over a 90-100 (which is what I have) is that the farther away you pull the lens, the higher the angle you can effectively get your lights. This makes a difference for some coins. The disadvantage, as mentioned already, is that your copy stand might not support this distance.

If you don't have it already, I highly suggest getting Mark Goodman's book on coin photography. He has a chapter about macro lenses and their focal lengths, and talks about the advantages/disadvantages of each.

 

Don't worry over your choice of lenses. The 150mm Sigma is excellent and will give you great results. The 180mm would indeed give you more working distance, but you have PLENTY already with the 150mm.

 

I have a Canon 100mm macro and a Canon 180mm macro. Between the two I have used the 100mm 95% of the time. I get sharper, better focus images with the 100.

I have never heard of more people using the 180 over the 100. I think it's actually the other way around.

With the cost of a 180 being double or triple the cost of the 100, I would stick with the 100. Especially if the results are better with the 100.

I've also owned a Sigma 150mm macro with results similar to the 180. Larger isn't always better.

The fact is I receive as good, if not better results from the smallest lens in the photo below, a Rodenstock Apo-Rodagon D 1:4 f=75mm used with microscope stand and bellows.

Below:
180mm left, 100mm center and Rodenstock 75mm on the right.

 

In addition to what's been said here, the current Sigma 180mm f/2.8 OS is a significantly larger (8" vs 6" long, 86mm vs 72mm filters) and a full pound heavier than your 150mm lens. At 1:1, the working distance is about 36mm longer. If you're planning to shoot insects or use it an "all-purpose" telephoto it might be worth it to you, but my impression is that Sigma's currently selling a lot more 150mm's than 180mm's.

My "default" choice for medium-sized coins is a 105mm macro. For large coins and medals, I switch to a 60mm macro, and for details of small areas I typically use a 50mm Apo-Rodagon on a bellows or a low-powered microscope. While I've tried a few coin shots with an older Sigma 180mm macro, given my own lighting setups I've found no advantage in using that length.

 

Can I have a recommendation on a slab lens? I very happy with my Componon 50mm f/2.8 and tubes on my Canon 1000d for close-up. My budget is under $300 and no auto focus need of course. New or used don't matter to me. Also thank you to everybody for my setup so far. @SuperDave

 

Thank you everyone!

 

You should be able to find a used Canon 60mm f/2.8 EF-S Macro for that sort of money. Since your using a 1.6x crop factor camera, the working distance for shooting slabs should be quite comfortable.

The Tamron 60mm f/2 and non-VC 90mm f/2.8 are also nice alternatives. In each case, they typically sell for a bit more than $300, but if you're patient you may get lucky.

 

Just use the 18-55 "kit" lens that came with the camera. You're not looking to do fabulous full-coin images when you just want to show the slab. Heck, I do them handheld.

 

I'm using the Sigma 150. It's a great lens.

 

What do you end up with as a working distance for Dollar-sized coins?

 

I have the Canon 100mm Macro, non L, love it.

 

Well I spent a whole $15.95 on a USB camera from China. Yes I know I overspent. No matter what kind of a coin collector you are. Do we not have enough to learn without having to go to photography school, just to take a photo of a coin. I could see the added expense and training, if I was photographing coins for numismatic news or coin world. But for CT my good all USB works just fine. USMC60

 

About 15 inches. That's a close guess.