Nikon D3300 for coins?

I need a new camera, and I figure getting one capable of taking great coin photos is paramount. Does the Nikon D3300 fit the bill?

I see it on Amazon being sold in various packages, but I assume a telephoto lens would be a must, as well. What lens should go with it?

 

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Calling @SuperDave

 

Nikon cameras are great (I use one as my walkaround camera), but for coins in a studio setting you will be better served with a Canon. This is especially true if you want to take detail shots. Canon cameras have electronic shutters that minimize vibration, and come with excellent (and free) control software.

 

I just use my phone, it has a 16MP camera...

Galaxy note 4

 

I thought nikon & canon people don't mix?

 

Of course they do! You see a lot of the spring breakers partying together at Cankon, Mexico.

Chris

 

D3300 is a decent DSLR but you are gonna want to also invest in a macro lens. Nikon macros (micros) are rather pricey so you may want to look at other manufacturers lenses that would be compatible with the Nikon. @SuperDave would know best as he's the resident camera guru........

 

Dave's not here, man. And I'm a third-grader by comparison to rmpsrpms, from whom I've learned 75% of what I know today.

From a technical specification standpoint the Nikon is more than up to the task. What it lacks - as Ray mentions - is the Electronic First Shutter Curtain (EFSC), a feature which causes the initial shutter opening to be not a mechanical event, but an electronic one. Rather than a shutter snapping open, the exposure is begun by the sensor being "turned on." This eliminates the tiny vibration caused by the shutter movement, tiny but large enough to reduce the sharpness of the shot. Rmpsrmps has demonstrated this photographically in the past. It has been standard fare on Canons for many years, but only the Nikon D810 fullframe camera has it from that brand.

Is this a dealbreaker? No, not necessarily. If you do your job as a coin photographer correctly, and fill the sensor with the coin itself, your resulting image will be nearly 4000 vertical pixels in diameter. This will require you to downsize the resulting image by 75% just to be able to post it online (I'm posting things at 1000px these days), and the downsizing process itself improves the sharpness of the resulting image such that nobody will ever know your camera lacks EFSC. They'll still be astounded by the quality of the images.

Where the lack of EFSC will show is in 100% crops - pieces cut full-size out of the original image to show details. They won't benefit from the downsizing bonus, and you'll be less-happy with them than you might otherwise. However, the sheer size and quality of the sensor works in your favor - for detail images, just bring a little more magnification to bear and shoot the detail individually, making it large enough to require some downsizing on its' own.

There are the further options of shooting RAW, to take advantage of the more sophisticated postprocessing options for sharpening, and/or using a more complex postprocessing program like Photoshop or the Gimp to improve the original shot.

EFSC is a "last 5% of possible quality" factor, not a dealbreaker. Yes, a D3300 will provide quality capable of making others envious of your skills. Further, if your intent is to use your Nikon as a walkabout camera for non-Macro purposes, it is (in my opinion) superior to Canon in just about every way in that usage. Nikon has a significant advantage in autofocusing systems and capability - more focusing points, better response. If I were a pro outdoor shooter, I would shoot Nikon.



Now. Lenses. It should be said first that this is not a point-and-shoot activity. The most expensive, capable lens will still require you to learn the "nuts and bolts" of photography - Aperture, ISO, Exposure, and how they interrelate. You will need to manipulate these settings manually for best result. It's that simple, but it isn't simple. Some people just don't ever adapt to the level of technical competence (and learning) required; others are intellectually oriented in that direction and can make an iPhone or an inexpensive point-and-shoot (@C-B-D is an example) create excellent images.

Plan on an advanced level of learning, be ready to exert the commitment and time to acquire the knowledge, or you will be disappointed with your expensive paperweight.

You can approach the lens problem by throwing money at it and spending $500+ on one very, very good bespoke Macro lens (quite a few exist), or you can employ lesser lenses whose capabilities in this narrow niche are just as good as the more expensive lens, but require a bellows or spacers to achieve the necessary magnification and quality. My most expensive lens cost me $65, and the camera I use it with was $84 used from Adorama. It will do this (the full-face image is half the size of the original):





....and I was in a hurry when I created those.

Whichever way you go with lenses will not change the need for an appropriate camera mount and shooting setup, which can be as cheap as a $20 tripod and a board hung over the edge of a table (kludgy and impermanent, requiring it to be rebuilt every time you use it), ranging up to a custom modified microscope stand mount created by someone like rmpsrpms (not "cheap" but pretty darned inexpensive for the capabilities you get with it). I use the latter, and thank my lucky stars every day for having it.

So that's a fixed expense either way. The bespoke 100mm-ish Macro lens will autofocus on your camera and ease the process for something north of $500, or you can drop $50 or so on a bellows from Ebay, a few bucks on necessary adapters, and start accumulating cheap film duplicating lenses for fun (to my left are a total of 9 different lenses, having cost me a cumulative $150 including the lovely Schneider Componon-S with which I shot the above), each of which are capable of providing results only hardcore enthusiasts will be able to discern from an $800 Nikon 105VR. The latter will make your experience marginally less complicated.

And there is then the additional process of acquiring and learning remote shooting software, which - although free for Canon - costs money for Nikon. Shooting remotely - controlling the whole process from keyboard/mouse, and focusing on the monitor in front of you instead of a tiny viewfinder - is a game-changing capability which cannot be lived without once experienced. Plan on using it, whatever you do.

There. That should cause an appropriate level of analysis paralysis.

 

It's true. In my poverty and lack of free time (with 8 and 10 year olds running around the house all the time), I bought $40 worth of lamps and outdoor white light bulbs/LEDs, a $12 tripod, and a $200 point and shoot camera, combined with a free Photoscape editing download, and BAM! I had pictures better than 98% of all eBayers. Not nearly as good as Dave and others, but more than good enough.

 

Truth, and proof of my favorite truism that all I (and others like me) are doing with our complex imaging rigs is squeezing the last 10% of possible quality out of our images. You can create quality, gradable images with an iPhone 5.

What you_can't do is create the detail images necessary for any sort of variety analysis, and smaller-diameter coins like Small Cents will be at the lower end of "acceptable" for grading purposes. In your case, C-B-D, I expect the attitude and commitment which enabled you to find and leverage the small "sweet spot" of a P&S camera would also enable you to make an inexpensive USB camera - well-chosen - suffice for any detail images you might require.

 

I have an older Nikon DSLR and love it. While I am sure the Canon with the electronic shutter can theoretically provide better pictures, it is probably well beyond the point of diminished returns. So much goes into photographing coins that I doubt the shutter vibration is my biggest photographing flaw.

With that said, one huge benefit to the Nikon is the availability of cheap macro lens from the 70's and 80's. They don't have autofocus and they don't autometer, but these are not big drawbacks when shooting coins in a studio environment. If you want to shoot insects, get a new expensive one, if you want to shoot coins you can pick up an older macro with great optics for around $50. I have a Micro-Nikkor 55mm f.2.8 lens and I can fill the sensor with most coins.

 

My coin rig is a Nikon D60 and a 90mm macro lens on a copy stand with two lights. I bought the camera and lens used from a major retailer in New York and the copy stand on eBay. I have about $400 in everything. I'm happy with the pictures I get.

 

See, that's why I can't seem to get engaged with high-end coin photography. Don't get me wrong, I've fallen in love with Todd Pollock's pictures and by default all higher end photos but when "better than most" is achievable with minimal cost and effort, I just can't get into it myself. I am a bit envious of the camera geeks though

 

the current D810, and the older D1, D70, D50 and D40 cameras have the electronic shutter capability.

But if you use a remote release and good sturdy tripod you can get good shots.
With the Nikon's D7000 and up you can use MUP - Mirror Lockup to minimize shake. The MUP allows you to release when you want to (not set to 1 second as below).

With the D5x00 and d3x00 you have to use Exposure Delay which releases after a 1 second delay of the Mirror Lockup.

 

I bought my ex-girlfriend a Nikon D7110 a lot of features for sure and a Nikon macro lens. the body alone was $900, the Nikon macro lens $300. it takes very nice detailed photos. amazing detail. now she just needs a tripod. not buying it for her. lol

 

I'm in love with my D810. Where I go, it goes.........

 

The D3300 is fine for your needs. More important is your selection of lens and camera support. The nice thing about Nikon is that you can use manual focus lenses back to the last 1970s unmodified. The 105mm f4 AI Micro Nikkor (ca. 1978) is a really sharp lens I used with my D80 and continue to use with my D610. You should be able to pick one up used for under $200. The other lens I use is a 200mm F4 AF Micro Nikkor, but that was considerably more spendy. The D610 is a full-frame camera, which makes the 200mm a really nice length to have. For a DX (APS-C) format camera, 200mm is only good for smaller coins.

For a support, get a sturdy copy stand. You can use some tripods, but not the cheap ones. If you have ever seen the setup I have been taking to shows since last year, I use a carbon-fiber tripod that allows me to invert the center mask. While this is quite stable, I still prefer using a copy stand at home.

Also, spend the $10-15 on a remote trigger for the camera. With my D610, this allows you to hit the button once to flip up the mirror, and a second time to trip the shutter. This minimizes vibrations from the mirror flipping up. The D3300, while it supports a remote, may or may not support flipping up the mirror and tripping the shutter separately.

There should be no need to further upgrade your tools until your skill at using them surpasses their capability to serve you well.

 

I use a 4-year old Nikon but especially for your first interchangeable lens camera, I suggest you find a way to try various products "hands-on." You may find yourself preferring something like a micro 4/3rds system. Choosing a tool you are comfortable and confident about using is far more important than specifications and technical nitpicks du jour.

Here are a few "comments on comments."

• To get the last quantum of sharpness for coin photography, you'll likely want to use the "Live View" mode of your camera. When you do, the vibration advantage of Canon is greatly reduced.
• For DX cameras like the D3300, in the U.S. Nikon sells a "Macro & Portrait Two Lens Kit" for $500. It includes a fast "normal" lens (35mm f/1.8) and a stabilized 85mm macro lens.
• The D3300 does not have the "mirror-up" mode that the D610 does. Nikon offers it in the D7200, but that's a lot more money. But "Live View" leaves the mirror up anyway.
• Reserve some of your budget for support and lighting. The lighting setup for, say, an old large cent is not going to be optimal for a modern proof, and vice versa.
• As others have touched on, how much "kit" you need depends on your intended use. If all you want to do is document your collection for insurance purposes, you need a lot less stuff than if you want to print 18x18" enlargements of an overdate.

 

Live View is part and parcel of remote shooting; the mirror stays locked up during the entire process. That makes a dSLR configured in such fashion - Live View, tethered to the monitor - a perfect tool for roll and variety searching.

 

A lot of good advice has already been posted. Currently I am using a Nikon D5100 and a Nikkor 105mm Micro lens. For full slab and larger items. I switch to a Nikkor 60mm lens. The camera is tethered to my desktop computer with Control My Nikon v3.0 software. This allows me to focus using the large image on my monitor and to view lighting changes pre exposure. I have also used enlarger lens' with a Nikon PB-4 Bellows.

The key, as Dave has said, is to learn how to get the most out of whatever equipment you have.

Study and practice is what it takes.