New coin, new to coin photography. Opinions?

Very impressive photos with a minimalist setup. Way to go!

 

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The two LED lights you cite are sufficient. No need to switch to halogen, as that will just generate a lot of extra heat. Keep the camera parallel to the surface of the coin. In general, move the lights as high as you can without getting glare from the slab. This is sometimes difficult, especially on some NGC slabs that may have bulged (seemingly a recurring issue with these).

The reason you aren't seeing the same depth of the luster cartwheels with the camera is because you have two eyes and the camera has one. One thing I often do when deciding how to light a coin is look at it with one eye closed. It gives you a more accurate picture of what you could see with the camera.

And, yes, these are good pictures for a cell phone.

 

Thank you. I thought they looked decent. I can see how one little movement of the light makes everything change. Sometimes the slab is what makes taking the photo difficult

 

So, I do own a Nikon d5200 it has a couple extra lenses. I took some pictures. But I don't think I have a macro lens. Wondering what might be a decent macro lens to combine with this camera?

 

Manual focus 105/4 Micro-Nikkor. I used one with my D80 all the time. You should be able to get a decent one (no haze or fungus on glass) on eBay for around $150. Here's a review. The 105/2.8 Micro-Nikkor will be a little more expensive, but will give you a brighter viewfinder for focusing.

 

A Nikkor 105 2.8 Macro is a fantastic lens for coin photography. it is more expensive, but worth the money. I combine it with my D810 to capture images like these.

 

I was just looking at that one. https://www.imaging-resource.com/lenses/nikon/105mm-f2.8d-af-micro-nikkor/review/
If that's the one you're talking about

 

this is the one I have. https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-p...f-s-vr-micro-nikkor-105mm-f%2f2.8g-if-ed.html

 

I saw these too but yea. More than I'd spend to start. I may try a used one of the versions without the vr

 

In that case, I'd recommend the manual focus AI-s lens. The auto-focus without the VR is sort of a white elephant of 105 Micro-Nikkors. It is bulkier and doesn't auto-focus very fast, and for macro you usually want manual focus, anyway. The only drawback is that you won't have the meter on the D5200, but you don't really need it, since you'll be looking at the exposure on the actual images.

 

So, would this be what you are talking about? https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/802079229-USE/nikon_telephoto_macro_105mm_f_4.html

 

Yes. That's the f4 lens I have. There's also an f2.8 lens they made. You can find both on eBay as well as used at camera shops. The f2.8 lens will cost a little more, but not as much as the current VR lens.

 

As I was looking I see a lot with problems like fungus and haze. I spotted that one that didn't sound too rough

 

B&H is a good company to work with, so that's not going to be a junk lens, although there may be some cosmetic issues. They have a good return policy, as well. It's priced a little higher than most eBay lenses, but the extra $ might be worth the peace of mind to you.

 

That's where I am with anything I buy. And yes, some Ebay sellers aren't trustworthy.

 

very beautiful coin, and nice pics, i liked the last pic of your first batch, and all the other after..nice job!

 

Thank you!

 

I have an old Kodak point and shoot; it's an Easyshare 2700 that I bought at Sams Club about 2006. I cannot get a quality coin photo out of it—I even bought a tripod for it. It goes through lithium batteries very quickly, too. I wanted to send a friend a photo of the clam chowder but couldn't because the batteries were almost dead.

 

Your D5200 is plenty good enough. Use your 18-55 mm because Nikon's kit lenses have super good focus distance which basically means that the closest thing it can govus onto is super close. Also, with 20ish MP, cropping in won't do any harm to the quality, especially if it's just for eBay. I use a D3500 with the 18-55mm Nikkor kit lens on a Zomei Q666 tripod. For my lights, I have three super bright daylight temperature Ikea LEDs, and I put them at 45°, 90°, and 135° to get six cartwheels. Also, always keep your coin flat and perpendicular to the camera lens. Below is a quick example of my photography.

 

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