LED bulbs for coin photography

Today's mail brought my first LED lightbulb (Hong Kong via eBay) which I will be testing and practicing with before I know if it will replace my twisty CFL bulbs currently in use.

My first experiment was done with the camera set for auto white balance and I consider it pretty close (a lot closer than the CFL's which I use with manual white balance settings). The bulb I got is not as bright as the CFL' I have been using but There are enough different ones sold that I might upgrade. This one was sold as cold white which seems relatively close to daylight balance. I avoided the ones sold as warm white when selecting.

The coin is a toned Roman Republican denarius and looks a lot like the photo.

Is anyone else using LED's for coin photos?

 

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I get the best results with halogen. I've tried just about everything, from LED's and flourescent to GE Reveal bulbs and incandescents.

CFL's are my least favorite, along with OTT's. The only downside to halogen is the heat.
Lance.

 

Thanks. I did get good results in the halogen days but recall them with less favor having melted a couple things or being unable to make some desired adjustments without burns. For a few coins at a time, they were OK but I did 700 coins one day and decided there had to be a better way.

 

I have seen many LED images with some weird spreckled blues and reds in the images. I am not a fan of them.

 

Where can I buy a halogen light fixture?
-Taylor

 

I have tried just about every different buld that is out there. I found that using a window and natural light is the best way to go. For me anyway.

 

These will screw into an ordinary light socket. You can also buy GE edison flood bulbs (PAR bulbs) in different wattage, like the 75w at the bottom.

I like to use them in inexpensive goose neck lamps.
Lance.

 

How much does it cost?
-Taylor

 

The halogen flood sells for just under $9 at Amazon. Look around for the halogena. Here's one that is much like the above one for around $5.
Lance.

 

Can I buy that on amazon or using amazon credits?

 

I find natural light to be the best but in absence of that I employ verilux....

 

I agree Green, nothing works better than natural sunlight. I didn't like any of the bulbs. I only take photos in late afternoon right near a window.

 

Natural sunlight is okay. But it won't illuminate coins and show luster and color as it should.
Lance.

 

i can't help but laugh... please clarify... are you saying natural light doesn't show a coin naturally?

 

I find it tough to get enough natural light to light the coin properly. LED is getting better all the time but I don't have much luck with it.

 

No, I am saying if you want exceptional images of coins you need to add lighting.

Do you know of any professional photographer who shoots quality images of coins with daylight alone? Of course not. It is inadequate. For that matter the best conditions call for a dark room with bright lighting directed from above.

If you would like to learn more about coin photography pick up a copy of Mark Goodman's book. It is exceptional.

Here is a thorough article on lighting that may be helpful in understanding the benefits to proper lighting.
Lance.

 

i prefer the sun for heavily toned coins. i also find it to be better for copper sometimes but i dont really have an area in the house for taking images. i use LEDs if im checking something out but not for images.
i like the way the the toning turned out on this one.

 

The spectral power curve I've seen for LED bulbs show a pronounced spike around 450nm in blue, a steep falloff in the blue-green part of the spectrum, then another more gradual peak on the yellow side of green, tailing off to very little red light at all. While one manufacturer claims to have an LED light with a CRI of 90, I've yet to see any documentation backing it up.

I'm currently using "Indoor Sunshine" CFL's with a claimed color temperature of 5300°K and a CRI of 95. However, when I measured the color temperature I got 5750°K, which puts the CRI claim in doubt. I also shoot through a diffusion panel, resulting in shots like this one:



Yes, the toning is accurate, but this particular technique doesn't do a good job of showing the luster.

 

It's interesting hearing of peoples photographic experiences in this thread.

I am just a newbie taking photos of coins (less than 6 months). I bought a copy stand a while ago that uses two 100W GE Reveal bulbs. I have done of lot of shots and tests under various natural and artificial lighting conditions, and by far my best photos were taken in indirect bright sunlight (like this one). I realize this photo still has problems with darkness on some parts of coin, but for coin color, from what I've experienced, you just cannot beat natural sunlight. By the way, my camera is a 3 year old iPhone (hand held shots only).

 

Imagine what you could accomplish with a real camera Winged fellow.

That's a real nice shot.....