Picture question

I take a lot of pictures of coins to sell on eBay and also just for my own benefit. What I've always done is scan the coins in large groups and then use a photo editing program to separate them. This works but takes some time, and the scans don't show things like luster well. I don't have a camera that can focus close enough to make good pictures.

What I've been doing is ok, but on another thread someone mentioned using a USB microscope. I was intrigued because it gets close enough and scans directly to the computer. But I'm worried I wouldn't be able to zoom out enough with a microscope. I don't need super close magnification. I just need good pictures. I'm not interested in spending big money on a photo setup. And I don't want something that will be more time intensive. Anyone have anything that would meet my needs? I like the idea of something that puts the picture straight to the computer.

 

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Do you have an iPhone especially a newer one? It will do just as good of a job if not better than many set ups

 

No, I have the cheapest Android phone I could find. It's not good enough for my purposes.

 

Almost all cell phones now can take good close-up photos. You can try a simple and quick set-up like this.

 

This setup is about $40. I can take a nice photo of a Morgan size or a Dime size. Then combine them with PhotoScape. The photo of the set up has the Morgan on the base and the image on my desk top monitor.

 

Do you know what you have there?

 

I've tried. It's better at getting close than my Nikon but not good enough. And I don't want to have to crop and download photos afterward.

 

I have a "MUSTCAM" 10X-300X 5 mega pixels 2592 x 1944 resolution.
I have a stand that is taller than the one that comes with it. As you can see, I am able to get the entire Morgan in a photo frame by raising the camera high on the stand. The Morgan is on the platform and the image is on my monitor.
$40, works good for me. I will gladly provide more information if needed. Some people don't like it as it is difficult to publication quality. And that may just be me, 77 years old working with high tech.

 

I need one of those optional stands, where did you get it?
Thanks.

 

I had it from a earlier camera that quit working. I looked for stands and they seem to be more expensive that the camera. You really need a rack and pinion on a post. Perhaps you could find one on eBay. The other option is to put the stand on a couple of books. Wish I could help. There are several postings on this forum regarding photography and solutions.

 

Thanks. Books would work. Otherwise I'm limited to pictures of pennies and dimes. The pitch on the threads on the mount to the base is 1/4-20, I should have some coupling nuts and threaded rod around here somewhere...

 

Good idea, if you are handy you could build an extension for the post.

 

I wish I knew exactly how PCGS does its "Trueview" photos. Most of them are amazing in detail, color, etc.