Photographing the 2016 Britannia.

Discussion in 'Bullion Investing' started by saltysam-1, Nov 23, 2015.

  1. saltysam-1

    saltysam-1 Junior Member

    Has anyone tried to do this yet? I received my silver bullion Britannia yesterday and I find this item almost impossible to photograph correctly. It has what what I call a crackled finish in all the fields. Very similar to what our mint put on the fields of the erupting volcano on the 5 oz. Hawaiian proof bullion. It's playing havoc with my light sources and producing an exaggerated cartwheeling affect across my bullion image. I have tried several different degrees of Kalvin temperatures and lighting at various angles, source quantities and intensity. I photographed at extremely slow speeds and up to 1/100 of a second. I have played with the f stop settings as well. The only thing I haven't tried is natural sunlight. I plan to try this tomorrow. Anyone have some qualified ideas? My light tent hasn't helped although diffused lighting gives me better results. I'm using an Olympus C-5060 in macro mode with a wide angle lens at about 2 1/2 inches.
     
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  3. ken454

    ken454 Well-Known Member

    i believe you need a really good setup with diffused lighting to photograph those..
     
  4. messydesk

    messydesk Well-Known Member

    Color temperature, shutter speed, and apertures aren't going to affect anything. You need to control the lighting, and the general rules for doing so apply . If the coin is contrasty, diffuse the light. If the coin lacks contrast harden the light. Then aim it where needed to light the coin the way you want. Exposure should be what it needs to be to get a good picture. I haven't had one of these in hand yet.
     
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  5. Exclusive Coins

    Exclusive Coins New Member

    Edited: Rules: you can only list personal B/S/T comments in the classified subforums, after 10 regular posts in the coin forums,
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 24, 2015
  6. ken454

    ken454 Well-Known Member

    i only use my usb microscope to take pics and heres how the brits come out..

    Britain-horz.jpg
     
  7. green18

    green18 Unknown member Sweet on Commemorative Coins Supporter

    Shoot, I'd like a crack at it..........send the coin to me Sam. devil.gif
     
    medjoy likes this.
  8. saltysam-1

    saltysam-1 Junior Member


    Here is what I have so far. You can see the effect the crackle finish has in affecting the light. Since this is just a bullion coin and not a proof collector coin, I may just leave it as is. P1010765.JPG P1010762.JPG
     
    Last edited: Nov 24, 2015
  9. ken454

    ken454 Well-Known Member

    i'd be happy if mine came out like that....
     
  10. green18

    green18 Unknown member Sweet on Commemorative Coins Supporter

    I've got a Britannia in a 2002 Legacies of Freedom set from the US Mint. I can't remove the coin from the packaging so every time I photograph it I get reds and blues from the packaging splashing on the coin. It looks like you're getting some color splash on your coin too, Sam. Do you have a tripod and some dark (preferably black) fabric? Place that coin on the dark fabric and angle the camera down (90 degrees) and try to eliminate other sources of light (just your lamps). Don't wear anything colorful as these coins will pickup color from all sources. I'd even close the curtains.
     
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  11. autograf

    autograf Member

  12. saltysam-1

    saltysam-1 Junior Member

    I was trying to get something nice enough to post under "Post your silver bullion" thread. There is an interesting scenario, at least for me, that accompanies this purchase.
     
  13. mikem2000

    mikem2000 Lost Cause

    Interesting, seems like a challenge. I just ordered one on EBay, so when I get it, I give it a shot.
     
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  14. V. Kurt Bellman

    V. Kurt Bellman Yes, I'm blunt! Get over your "feeeeelings".

    That's some fancy shootin' there, Tex. Take it from an old school photo bug (>25 years in the business), that is a darned fine effort on a difficult to render subject.
     
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  15. JPeace$

    JPeace$ Coinaholic

    @saltysam-1, those are some GREAT photos of the bullion piece. I received my coin last week and am very disappointed in it. There is no frost contrast to highlight any of the details. I think the design is cool, but the Royal Mint needs to add a little frost to accentuate the design.
     
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  16. V. Kurt Bellman

    V. Kurt Bellman Yes, I'm blunt! Get over your "feeeeelings".

    "Can I get an 'Amen', brother?" That design just begs for a frosted Britannia and Her Majesty.
     
    JPeace$ likes this.
  17. tulipone

    tulipone Well-Known Member

    I agree that it is difficult to photograph but disagree that it needs more frosting. And HM really needs no frosting. She is as she is.
     
  18. saltysam-1

    saltysam-1 Junior Member

    Thanks for the positive comments. I guess you are your own worst critic. I never took so many photographs to obtain just two for selection. I think it had to be about twelve a side. The only coin which gave me more trouble was a holographic coin surface on an Euro Coin. It had three different images embedded. Those you have to tilt in order to see.
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2015
    JPeace$ likes this.
  19. JPeace$

    JPeace$ Coinaholic

    The pictures posted by Ken454 are more indicative of the coin in hand. It has ZERO frosting on the coin. All the detail blends together.
     
  20. tulipone

    tulipone Well-Known Member

    Mine have frosting. I could have spent a little longer thing these but the frosting really is there.
     

    Attached Files:

    JPeace$ likes this.
  21. JPeace$

    JPeace$ Coinaholic

    Nice. Mine has zero. Wanna trade? LOL.
     
    tulipone likes this.
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