Help - Does anyone use a Microscope to take pictures of your coins?

I bought a used Microscope recently for looking at Gemstones but also with taking pictures of coins in mind as well. It's actually a Triocular Microscope for use with a digital camera and came with a 3 MP camera as well. I also added on a .5 Barlow to reduce the magnification and was thinking it would also allow me to take pictures of larger coins. It takes great pictures, trouble is the pictures come out inverted and so is any writing on the coins. I know that's often a function of a microscope but wondering if there is a software or hardware fix for that? Here is a pic of the scope/camera and laptop set up and another pic of the coin using the microscope set up.

 

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Hmm, I'm not sure how to stop your camera from taking the photo reversed, but you could drop the image in an editor like PhotoScape and click the 'mirror' button to flip it back. Most photo editors will have this feature or something similar to it.

 

Wizards Supply has some high quality photo Stuff made just to take coin pictures. Inexpensive too

 

It would be funny to run an auction on eBay for this newly discovered Mint error.

 

There are accessory lens that can screw in the objective lens ( bottom one yours) IF
IF the objective lens has threads to screw it in. Sometime there may be internal threads in the tube the camera is inserted to add an inverter lens, but neither is assured. Last but not least , and I suspect you may have checked, the camera can have a small switch which will reverse it in the internal system.

If neither, PhotoscapeX will https://www.wizcase.com/download/photoscape-x/
Select the image layer you want to flip and click Edit –> Transform –> Flip Horizontal/Flip Vertical.

Use to be easy to get, but now you need a microsoft account to get it free license

 

IrfanView offers this functionality

 

Here is my set up. The coin is on the base of the scope and the image is on me desktop monitor. Cost about $40 plus a taller stand for larger coins.

 

The software for my camera has an option for a horizontal and vertical flip. I was thinking that would just flip the coin 180 degrees sorta like rotate does but I'll give it a try anyway and see. OK, we have a winner! 2 winners it seems. Desertgem and AmbrOzie. Flipping it worked! Thank you! First I tried horizontal and Vertical but that didn't work, so I tried Vertical and that worked. Now I just have to make the picture a little clearer.

 

This is a Amscope brand and it does have threads to add on adapters but I already had added on a .5 barlow lens adapter which causes me to max out the stand length. They make other powers of Barlows too but some would cause me to have to purchase a different stand which I would rather not do as this stand has the option of a light below and above for use with Gemstones which will also get some use. Now if they make a longer arm than what my stand has that could work for my dual use. With the barlow I have a lot of distance between the lens and the base already so if I am using it as a microscope I have to set pillows on my chair or I need to stand up to use it that way. It has 10X eyepieces and a zoom lens inside. It think the zoom gets me to 75 or 90X but the barlow only allows for half of the max which is still way more than needed for coins. For coins I generally keep it on a minimum setting which I think is about 5x with the barlow. The minimum setting allows a wider picture which allows me to take pictures of bigger coins. When you ramp up the X settings the area you view gets smaller and smaller the more you magnify.

 

It would be a pretty unique mint error I'm sure.

 

I have the same one. except I paid more by mistake lol.
I like it but I don't have a good stand. the one it came with is too short for any coin half dollar or larger.

 

Welcome to CT!

 

I like your set up!

 

Evan,

Here is a pic I took with a half dollar and a dollar coin. I am probably as high as I dare go with it. You can see a half dollar is fine but a dollar coin is on the edge of doable but could work. I was using a quarter in the previous picture. I was able to raise it up slightly higher for these pictures but I'm pretty well maxed out now. I haven't played with software yet to see if that would help but I don't think it would.
The Barlow helps a lot to make it work. I'm thinking also if I had say 5x eyepieces or even 7x it might also help instead of the 10X that came with mine. But again if it were than it might require a longer Stem or arm or whatever it's called.

 

My wife purchased me one that have yet to open and use.

 

Really not a huge fan of microscopes, they never seem to give good detail; too much magnification is sometimes not as good as less mag.

I use a 20x loupe with an iPhone SE native camera. It works great, and the detail is pretty astounding, like below


If I really want to get close up, I'll put on a clip-on macro lens and zoom right in:




A microscope would not be able to capture the color, depth, or detail as a $7 clip on lens could.

 

Evan, I have a short stand too. For up to Morgan size I use a wooden box about 4” tall and fine tune with a cd case or a paperback book, both which give a stable base at elevation…Spark

 

Yep...sure do. I have a hand-held one that I bought on Amazon for $36. This is the kind of pictures it takes. This first picture is to show you the deal it provides, and the second picture to show you I found this error that I am in the process of having it graded with PCGS.

 

Thanks "pass the puck" that takes really clear looking pics for 36 bucks. But I wanted something for gems also and it works OK for both. I figured out how to best use mine for taking pics of the large coins. Mine has a 2.5 inch base and by just turning it 90 degrees I use my table top as the base and it gives me another 2.5 inches of length. So Daaa, not sure why I didn't think to do that before? If I just aim it over side of the table and use the floor as the base I could gain about 3 ft!