What would be the most efficient tool I could purchase for looking and capturing images of coins, and maybe price ranges
a usb microscope for viewing an low quality pics...like Dino-lite.. the better pics u want, the better equipment u need , the price goes up...
Whatever camera you look in to, make sure it has a macro setting so you can take pictures at closer range. You will want a camera stand (copy stand), a variety of lights, backgrounds, etc. Depending on how many coins you want to photograph and what varieties, etc. It can get expensive quickly. If you have nothing, expect to spend at least $1000 to be able to take reasonable pictures consistently, and most of that will be a camera. Then a ton of practice. If you have less money, you can make it work but it will take a ton of trial and error and practice.
A cheap one like this would be a good starting point: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Portable-20...oscope-Gray-/311395764067?hash=item4880a24763 I assume you will be using it for errors. Anything you can't see beyond 20x-30x isn't going to be of significance.
All of those pictures were taken with a two year old point-and-shoot camera that has a macro setting, a $7 lamp, a camera tripod, and about $1 worth of materials for the background (poster board and rubber bands). For errors, I'll defer to the experts but I think there are some options available for USB microscopes that are around $35.
From what I understand, the lighting is the most important thing in photographing coins. Here is a link to an article speaks to the basics: http://coinimaging.com/photography.html There is a lot of other useful info as well. Hope this helps.
Dino-lite makes an entry level usb scope for around 100 bux and a pro stand for around the same money. Microscope.com has them.
So right you are Rick... I've own a Dino scope since they came out. I purchased it on line, however the tech service was poor. Don't get me wrong for almost 20 years now I've used my scope and love it! Alan at coinzip gives great support and good prices. I paid a lot more years ago. He also carries light boxes stands etc. I purchased a light box and tripod from him last year. When you buy from coinzip.com you get all the tech support you need plus in English. I don't say that to be funny but When I first purchased mine I did have some questions and the tech support was overseas. I know you can maybe find cheaper but .....I've never had one issue with my scope works as well today as it did the day I received it. I use mine daily..... and yes I would buy another in a heart beat. Http://www.coinzip.com/auction/item.php?id=2651 Is the model I use and paid double 15 plus years ago One other bit of advise I purchased a cheaper model before I purchased my scope and sent it back......you only get what you pay for..... and with out a doubt the first scope would of never lasted this many years,plus the images weren't as sharp.
I have an Epson V330 scanner that I use to capture coin images. It even does a good job with slabbed coins.
If a person plans to do this for several decades, and can afford it, don't go the USB route, but buy a decent trinocular stereo microscope. They cost more, but last forever. They do honest magnification , not the fake measurements the USB scopes use. 800X, my foot!. You can change the lens as needed and also as your eyes change over age, you can adjust diopters of one eyepiece to keep both eyes focused. Some inexpensive point and shoot cameras have many times the resolution of a USB scope and can be used with a lab microscope. I am finding more and more who are posting "doubled dies" which they determine with an USB scope that is NO where near in focus, also if it happens to be close, the fake magnification and resolution is so poor artifacts are present then add the fact that most digital scopes use software extrapolation and add data to fill in the blank areas, which can contribute to images that appear to be doubled. Yes a real lab type of scope is more expensive, but it will still work when Win 10.54 in the near future no longer supports USB, what are you going to do? This is happening with some very expensive astronomy USB cams, they won't work under USB on win10.
A real lab scope weights between 15 -20 pounds, it takes up a lot of room. So unless you have a place ( a hobby desk or area as such) you are looking to store a very sensitive piece of equipment . Sensitive to temperature , dust, and other environmental hazards. A real scope are used in labs. Labs are controlled environments so the scope is protected from dust and other hazards. I know this as my first purchase of a scope was a lab scope, and it went back shortly after it arrived. If you are a family with young children or pets don't even consider it. Pet hair and a 4 years old interest in what mommy and daddy are looking at may be costly in the long run. Yes if you have an area to keep the scope protected from all of the above go for it....... if not drop $150.00 into a USB scope I'm glad I did, Besides most scopes I researched used a 1 Meg camera to image . You might as well just buy a USB scope and be done with it . Your not looking to save humanity you're looking at what's going on with a medal disk,and snapping an image.