Taking Pictures of Coins

That looks very similar to the USB microscope in using. I just can’t get The resolution I’m after. The built in light also creates a lot of shadowing on ancient coins due to the high relief.

Your image looks good though.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

As others have said, practicing with whatever setup you use is as important as the equipment itself. I've tried iPhone (acceptable but not as good as I'd like), entry-level DLSR (difficult; results variable; mostly because of my impatience and possibly due to humidity issues and improper storage), and fixed lens. I gave up on the DSLR and have used the fixed lens camera for the last four or five years. Canon Powershot G16, manual mode. A copy stand is essential. Mine's homemade. A small ball of silicone putty helps keep the coin positioned. Ambient natural indirect light is supplemented by an LED Ottlite.

 

I don't seem to have problems with ancients. Only cleaning them properly.

 

LOL, whuuut?

I desiccant without hesitation. Period. I have lived in 10 States, from Oregon to Vermont, from northern Wisconsin to southern Florida (including Tennessee in between). Lived overseas, also. Never heard of a desiccant expert, but, well, LOL, would he or she be willing to replace your collection or property if you HAVE a humidity problem?

 

To clarify, he is an ancients coin expert not a desiccant expert.

I couldn’t agree with you more, that is why I have not removed the desiccant. If drawing in humidity was an issue then I think the solution would be creating a more air tight storage container.

 

Thanks, I’ll look into the Canon PowerShot G16.

I like the stand, it looks like the base structure was an old laboratory stand.

 

My microscope is a MUSTCAM with 10X to 300X. 5M true resolution. I have found that if you get too high magnification you will not get good results. I think I got it on Amazon for about $40. The stand that comes with it is not tall enough to get full pictures of a Morgan size coin. I had to put it on a taller one.

 

Agreed. And, I desiccant many other valuable things other than coins. I don't have to desiccant Gold, but I do out of habit.

 

I think Abafil is great if you have deep pockets and/or a smallish collection. For my shallow pockets, I use LIGHTHOUSE trays. Some good info in this thread:

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/coin-trays-boxes-and-labels.318645/#post-3115119

 

Just some leftover plywood and wood dowels plus a $10 clamp from Amazon but you could certainly adapt an old ring stand if you have one.

 

While your results are quite good... I think you'd do better by leaving the coin on a flat, constant plain. Eliminate that rod and the variable angle of the coin. You already have the ability to vary the angle of the camera. You don't want to have to play with both - if the coin is constant, then there is only the camera to variate.

 

Many of my coins are worn and have unevenly colored surfaces. I found the axial and ring lights did better with smooth and shiny coins while directional light did better with worn and rough coins where the shadows helped separate the raised detail. I continue to maintain that there is no single type of light that is best for every coin and I am not fully capable of guessing correctly when I make the first try. If I had to select one system to do everything, I would use indirect daylight from a north window with adjustable (usually very, very slight) fill from an LED ring light.

Those who have not tried this might be surprised how much change you get from a very small change in the coin angle. The high relief of many ancients makes it hard to place a coin level and parallel to the sensor especially when shooting the reverse of a coin with high relief obverse.

 

The problem is the short distance between the camera and the coin. I can't always get the light at the desired angle because usually it means tipping the top of the camera down and that further crowds the light's path, often making a shadow. Also, since none of the coins lay flat, having some putty to level and steady the coin works well for me, and...

This .

 

I agree, I’m now on the hunt for a tripod and camera. I found a shop near me that rents high end cameras for $12 a week, hopefully I have some luck finding the best one.

Thank you everyone for all the assistance!

I’ll try get my game a little more in order before I post another thread.

 

I’ve notice this issue especially with Greek coins, the level plane is very difficult to achieve due to the relief, and a small change in angle or slightly different light direction will greatly alter the shading and colour of the image.

I was thinking of making a plate where the coin is placed, which would have a level bubble, that way you could adjust the plane of the coin to suit the relief. Then the plane of the camera could be adjusted so that the tripod bubble matches the coin platform bubble. Then camera and coin would be on the exact same plane.

I could see how the putty would help. Is it safe to use on all types of coins? Is there a specific brand that you would recommend? I would assume that it would be inert, but I would be lying if I said it didn’t make me nervous if it was used on some of my more expensive coins.

 

Remember this is the ancient section of Coin Talk. The putty does not compare what 99.9% of our ancient coins have been through in the past. I do not collect modern coins and have no interest in shooting coins that have surfaces that might be harmed by fingers, putty or washing. If you want to get advice on shooting proof silver dollars, post the question in the modern section where readers might actually have experience in this field.

Today I watched a YouTube video on coin photography by a man who used flashes, a bubble level an had detailed instructions. His photos had a lot of glare from smooth, blank fields. He lives in a different world. TIF is an excellent photographer because she knows the only thing that really matters is pushing the button when you recognize a good photo when you look through the camera. If you don't see a photo you like, change something.

 

View attachment 1148042 [/QUOTE]

Sounds like we may have watched the same YouTube video, although he was photographing moderns I would like to think some photography tips may transfer.

My photography will be primarily ancients as we are in the Ancients section of CT, my interest in modern coinage is minimal with the exception of 16th to 17th century colonial.

My concern with the putty (valid or not) was more with regards to something like a hoard coin that was in a jar in the desert for the last 1,700 years, a 4th century Roman with silvering remaining and almost no handling in its life time. It would be a shame to damage something that has made it this far.

I’ve noticed an old thread pop up with commentary from a Professional Numismatic Photographer, who has had success with the axial lighting, I might head over there and try soak up as much knowledge as I can.

Again, I would like to thank everyone for providing feedback and taking the time to comment, as I now know some may feel like a broken record repeating their advice on this topic. I would like to say that over the last few days my understanding and knowledge on coin photography has increased substantially as a result of everyone’s help.

 

I have been using my iPad to photograph my coins for some time now. This subject has been briefly discussed recently in the following thread:

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/republican-ex-mccabe.363738/

Does anyone else use their iPad to photograph their coins? If so, what have been your experiences?

 

I have no experience with anything Apple but borrowed my wife's Samsung Android tablet to 'experience' taking a coin photo. My first attempt was done by laying the tablet on a white cardboard box about 2.5" tall with the camera lens hanging over the edge. At that distance I had to use the electronic crop feature to enlarge the image 2x. Using a 1.5" box would not allow focus and really made it dark under there. All this was outside under shade on a moderately bright day. Touching the screen focused on the coin and touching the shutter took a photo (first below). I did not like the uneveness of the light but there was not much room for light to reach the bottom of the coin. I decided a diffuser might help so I draped the Aldi's grocery ad over it and tried again producing the bottom image.


I trust you all realized my major error here. I used a color ad rather than a white paper. Had I used normal newsprint rather than a color ad, the bottom photo would not has taken on that red cast. Dumb mistake!

This shows what you might expect from this tablet in the hands of a new user on this day with this coin. The image is rather degraded by the 2x 'fake' zoom. I wish I had tried one without it and cropped the image but I did not. Obviously I would improve with practice but I'm not going to practice. I have several perfectly good cameras purchased over the last 20 years that are capable of better images. My wife likes her tablet but never uses it for photos. I don't own one and probably won't. eBay is overrun with used digital cameras that claim to be working starting at $10 with at least that much for shipping. I'd look for a used one locally where you can talk to the previous owner or get help from a camera shop. My 2006 original Digital Rebel from Canon still works. If the three DSLR's that upgraded it were to stop working, I know I could do better than with the tablet mostly because I am a camera person not a phone/tablet person. Learn whichever seems right to you.

 

Coin photo taken using my iPad:



Edit: loaded wrong photo, sorry.