I am trying to get a good close up of my coins and am having trouble getting it clear, im using a 5 mega pixel so im not sure if that is it, How have you guys had success with getting good photos, for example what kind of lighting ect
Does your camera have Macro mode? If it does, that will help. Also, use a tripod or copy stand, so the picture won't be blurry. Charlie
The type of camera you have could make the difference. As already noted do you have a setting called Macro? What brand and model is your camera? If your camera does not have a Macro setting, you still have other options. You could just get a magnifying glass stand and take the pictures though that. If your camera has threads on the outer part of the lens for filters, you may want to check a camera store for close up lens filters. Vivatar makes a great 3 filter enlargement set in numerous filter ring sizes. If your local photo store dose not carry that inticate types of camera impliments, try B&H company. That would be www.bhphotovideo.com and request a catalog. There are many on line photo organizations but B&H is probably the largest in the world. If your camera dose have a threaded filter ring, it should have a notation somewhere on the front indicating the mm size which is important in purchasing filter size enlarging lenses. If you can not find then in your size, there are also adaptor rings available to change from one size to another. As to lighting, you could get silly there also and buy all kinds of lighting props from the same types of companies or just take the photos outside. During the daytime, that is. You may find that just putting a coin on a black bar-b-que grill will give the proper background. If the background is to light it may fool your cameras photo eye into thinking it has to shut down to much. Then also as already noted a tripod is most usefull. If you don't have one and don't wan't to buy one, try holding the camera a little more loosely. Take a deep breath and hold it while taking photos. If you hold a camera to tightly, you muscles being tightened cause you hands to shake ever so slightly. The reason to hold your breath is that while breathing, you chest expands and contracts, taking your arms with it and this also is a cause for poor quality photos.
Doug Smith's ancients site has a few photography tutorials/articles on it. http://dougsmith.ancients.info/ ~Brian
It is possible to use a scanner to scan an image of most coins. It's not as good as a nicely lit photograph but I find it good enough most of the time.
My camera is only a 3.2 Mpixels but I get good results. Fortunately it has macro capability so that explains a lot. I know I can do better but "better" will require a LOT of fiddling and fussing. For "better" I can go into Manual mode and control the image settings even more. My biggest improvement would probably show if I could figure out my best lighting setup. I've got two "white light" OTT-LITE's. Excellent light quality. I've just got to get them positioned correctly.
yeah ive only a 5. mega pix so macro is a must and VGA mode for the size format also you can zoom well in macro at a distance, it may look poor on the screen but once you press the shutter button you will see the clear picture. tripod would be nice but i have set mine to anti shake which works qwite well. still learning tho.
If you have a good quality scanner that usually works well it most instances From there you can upload those images to photobucket.com and make any Correction there its a free service and the images are fantastic
Many cameras that have the Macro function have a button or dial that has a "Tulip" icon. Here is an image of a few that may help:
Megapixels are about the least important thing when it comes to taking photos of coins (IMO). Important factors, IMO, are: 1) Working distance -- how far can you get away from the coin and still get an acceptable shot. More working distance = more light position flexibility = better coin photos. 2) Ability to do a custom white balance. While you can do it in post-processing, getting the capture done correctly in-camera will yield better results. 3) Manual focus. Auto focus is generally useless with coin photos. The ability to focus manually is a must. 4) Good sensor dynamic rage. For photos that really pop, you need a sensor with good dynamic range. It is not a coincidence that the more expensive cameras have better sensors in this regard. 5) A solid camera support. Most people use a copy stand. Personally, I use a tripod (already had one when I got into coin photography). As for the question posed by the OP, I use simple incandescent Reveal bulbs in $1.99 clamp on reflectors like you can buy in Home Depot. I use either one or two bulbs, depending on the coin and effect I'm looking for: Take with a Nikon D300, a Micro-Nikkor 200mm, and two lamps. Have fun....Mike
I have an 11 megapixel Sony and an 8 megapixel Fuji - I still use the macro function for either/both... I also use Reveal lightbulbs. I use my copystand on my dining room table, underneath a chandelier. I use five 60 watt Reveals in it. Here's a photo of the copystand that I use. I paid around $60 for it:
