Since many have chimed in about their cameras I thought I would start a new thread kind of on the same topic, but slightly different. That is, what kind of lighting works best for taking coin pictures, specifically for those of us with the less inexpensive digital cameras. Also, how does this differ by type of coin (silver, copper or gold) and by grade (copper red, vs. copper brown as well as circulated silver and BU silver.) There was an article about coin photography in the April 2007 Numismatist but that setup cost many thousands of dollars and had reflectors, umbrellas, etc. Currently I have a 5 bulb spider type lamp that I move around to reduce shadows and get all around the coin. Currently they are regular 60 watt “soft white” bulbs. It seems to work ok at times but not always. Have others experimented with clear bulbs, standard bulbs or halogen lighting?
What you may want to try is a few of those newer type light bulb type screw in Fluorescents in your 5 lamp setup. I would suggest trying one of a daylight rating, one with a cool white rating. I would also suggest varying the incandescents similarly. If you go to even a Walmart, Kmart, etc type store they now usually have a very large array of different types of lamps. I always say to vary all such lamps for a better variety of lighting effects. Which goes where would be for you to experiment with. Some of the nicer features of the Fluorescents is the lack of excessive heat generated. Also, the larger amount of types of lighting naturally depending on your store. The use of a mirror will also help dissapate the lighting so as to avoid shadows. There is a web site called Table Top Photography somewhere where all such things are explained. Also, there are some coin web sites where that is a specific and permanent topic. Try www.coppercoins.com
Light is all about wavelength, each type of bulb puts of a different wavelength of light. Soft white is a yellowish cast, cool white is a bluish cast - you don't want either one. What you want is as close as you can get to natural light which is the full spectrum of light. Some folks swear by using natural light, but it can often be quite difficult to get the sun to shine just so on the coins. That's when you use GE Reveal bulbs, they give you about as close as you can get to natural light. Folks also say the Ott-Lite is good. One thing to remember though, always make sure that you turn off all other lights in the room when taking coin pics.
I can decent pics on circ Lincolns, but the BU and the toners cause me much grief...I just cannot get it right. I would like to see some ideas on that.
Jack, After I take the Digital Coin Photography course at the ANA Summer Seminar (only 3 months from now) I will share some ideas with you - if the price is right.
To capture toning and luster, you just need to find the right angle. Luster and toning are a matter of reflection. When you turn a coin in the light to see the toning or luster it only appears at a certain angle - yes ? Well your camera can only capture it at that same angle. You have 3 points to consider when trying to figure out the angle - the position of the light or lights, the position of the coin and the position of the camera. Get all three right and you will get your pics
Great! Which session? I am taking the course in Session 2. It would be great if we were in the same class. Charles Daughtrey (www.coppercoins.com) was announced as the instructor for Session 2 but when I contacted him asking for his recommendations on a camera to buy he informed me he will be unable to teach the course. I'll ask Jand Colvard who his replacement is next time I see her.
That is a shame for sure. Charles Daughtrey has probably taken well over 10,000 photos of just Lincoln Cents and thousands more of other items. He does have that photo section to his web site. As to attempts to photo better, try outdoors. If possible on a bright, sunny day but in the shade. Use a black background if your camera is photo eyed for light. Then the camera itself will concentrate on the coins. I've had great luck on a black bar-b-que grill cover. Usually the best results are when the grill is not being used though.
Doug mentions position of the light - obviously intensity plays a factor in there as well. Camera matters a little as Macro capabilities (distance/focusing area) matter for close-ups. Better resolution allows for greater flexability with editing. It all matters in the end - almost as equally important and not mentioned is a fixed camera either on a tripod or stand. you cannot repeatably/reliably shoot macro shots without a mounted camera or some extreamly high end camera/lens combinations. Best Regards Darryl
