Any Tips for Taking Better Photos of Coins?

It's not a 1:1 lens (1:2) but is certainly well regarded and is the equivalent of about 82mm on your camera. If you want to go 1:1 you can get an extension tube, meaning you've other options to explore should you so choose.

It strikes me as a fine and affordable choice. Glad you like it and all has worked out well.

 

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I did get an extension tube. Just didn't' use it for that photo.

 

There you go! Now have some fun with your new toys.

 

Thanks, I'm definitely having fun trying things out here.

 

Awesome! It's more fun than coins, but don't tell anyone here I said so.

 

Here are some photos using the extension ring...

 

Great! Ensuring the sensor is perpendicular to the coin's surface will help with getting everything sharp. Also, are you stopping down when shooting or...?

 

Yes this is important as well. Do you have a tripod or copy stand? These really help with this.

 

Parallel would be even better

 

I have a tripod I have been using. The close-ups above were not taken with a tripod though since I was just playing with it. I've wanted to get a copy stand and that is next on my list.

 

Yes, or that too... haha.

Thanks, Dave.

 

There's an old Pentax Copipod on goodwill and ending very soon that might work with a little playing and if on a budget. It's basically a four-leg tripod that allows a camera to be mounted via a lens' filter threads pointing directly down. It's probably not the best option though.

If you care to search past threads there are different examples of copystands folks have built. After selling my film equipment some years prior, I put one together using an old tripod head, paper cutting board, and maybe $15 worth of stuff from a hardware store that worked splendidly with a camera similar to yours.

Another option may be to consider using an old enlarger especially since they can ofte be had for next to nothing these days. Buying an actual copystand is certainly an alternative, but can get rather costly for nicer versions. However, it's also very possible that the Chinese make something that would work well and is cheap. Still, a tripod should work fine as long as careful and if not shooting many coins each day. Equipment can get very expensive rather quickly, especially if buying what we want instead of just what we need, so if money is an issue just be sure to do your homework and weigh all options.

 

Looks like momma didn't take your Kodachrome away!

 

It will mount and shoot, but you can only use it in unmetered manual exposure mode (as well as manual focus).

 

Same as an AIS then, right?

 

Correct. Only a handful of older film camera bodies distinguish between AI and AI-s lenses.

Mid-range and high-end Nikon dSLR’s do allow metering with such “non-CPU” lenses.

 

You can add contacts to a lens, or get adapters that will fool the camera into thinking a CPU lens is attached. This allows Aperture Priority mode to be used.

 

Interesting... is this just Nikon (and perhaps Pentax) due to the side connections, or...?

 

Unfortunately, pre-AI-s lenses have a non-linear aperture lever action. "Chipping" one allows all exposure modes to be used on a D3100, but you'll only get an accurate exposure reading wide open or fully stopped down. So if you're going to the trouble or expense of chipping a lens, start with an AI-s lens.

 

Aperture Priority doesn't care about aperture linearity for manual lenses. Just set the aperture where you want it to get acceptable DOF, and the camera will evaluate actual exposure levels and set the exposure time (and ISO if left on Auto) to give proper exposure based on your metering settings.

Edited to add: I think you may be right if the actual lens is chipped, since the aperture will still be active. My comment was based on using lenses with adapters, such that the aperture is fixed and not wide open during focusing.

Second edit: it's almost certain that some level of exposure compensation is required for coins. The nonlinear aperture could be compensated using this method such that the desired exposure results. Typically coins are photographed at f/5.6, f/8, or possibly f/11, so EV values can be entered if the aperture is changed. This should not eliminate the use of non-AIS lenses with chips. It just requires an EV to be entered if the aperture is changed.