Hey everyone, I'm new to this site but have a lot of nice coins. I'd like to buy a rig to take pictures of the coins so that I can post them here. I did a simple search on Amazon and see there are a lot of these systems. Any advice on what to buy? Or just point me to a relevant post; I'm sure this has been discussed somewhere before. Thanks in advance,
Hello Mark , Welcome . Are you new to microscopes ? I recommend them for very close-ups and use your cell phone for Whole coin and partial coin close-ups . I have a Dino-lite AM3111 . Cell phone is a Moto G . The Dino-lite is very cool. Good for thing like looking for Double die errors , mint marks , other die errors , striking errors etc.... Good Luck. Need more help ? We are here to help.
I am assuming that your Amazon search resulted in USB-type cameras. Do a search on "USB Microscopes" or "USB cameras" in the "Coin Chat" forum. This topic has been covered extensively. I can tell you tell you that I bought one and was completely dissatisfied with the results. Not so much because the device was defective in any way, it just isn't the right tool for the job, IMHO. Others have been satisfied with their results. But since you can pick one up for about $50 or less, then you can experiment cheaply and see if it satisfies your needs and if not, then you can see if a camera with macro lens or some other setup suits your needs. If all your looking for is a lo-res setup to post pictures on the Forum, then you can do this with all kinds of different cameras including your cell-phone camera. Again, lots of threads here on the entire topic of the range of cameras, lenses, etc. from MacGyver setups to fully pro. Goof luck and welcome to the forum.
This set up cost me about $40. It is a MUSTCAM . It does more than plenty for me. The Morgan is on the table below the camera and the view is on my desktop monitor.
I bought a Chinese made microscope a while back. It was OK, but the software infected my laptop. I had to restore from backup to regain control. Mustcam may be fine, but it's still a Chinese company. If you go that route, you may want to make a fresh backup before loading their software onto your computer.
Hello Mark, Welcome to this august group. I have a Dinolite AM311 as well and have found it acceptable for closeup and overall coinage shots. My avatar, just to your left, was used to photograph the Czyicus tetradrachm. Good luck with your numismatic endeavors, J.T.
There are things to be aware. The magnifications of the USB cameras use photography based numbers rather than Lab microscopes numbers . There is no way in any usb microscope with a resolution of 2MP, not even 5mp to produce a sharp magnification of 300X. Below is what I think is a good comparison. This is a photo of a US Silver dollar UNC. taken with a lab microscope Left @100X and @400X on right. If I found an inexpensive USB that could do this , I would recommend it. Yes it is much more expensive, but I have used mine for 40 years so, the cost is pro-rated. Many people come to the forum each day and want to know if their coin has something that would make them rich. Maybe once in a while it does, but usually we can't help as everything is very fuzzy due to low resolution. Projecting an image on a larger screen makes it bigger and fuzzier. I am not trying to make someone upset, I can't afford my dream of a scanning electron Microscope just yet either. I think many pass over answering questions where the reader can not really see something. Last comment, If you buy one from a company such as amazon, get one that can be returned for full credit and have some special coins ready to be photographed and loaded on a page hereso you can see what we will be seeing. Good Luck. Jim
I agree with @desertgem .IMO, Mine is only really good for viewing close ups not taking pics . I use a Cell phone for whole coin pics . At $149 , you can't actually believe it to do wonders . On the other hand , Thousands of Dollars for a better set up is out of my reach . Especially for what I want it for .
Here are some photos taken by my $40 setup. I think they are more that adequate for the general collector.
Not trying to kick you but please move some lights away, or adjust the white balance, photos of coins take a lot of practice. This is a 50 MM lens and a magnifier, or if you want to go further axial lighting.
These USB cameras usually come with a LED ring light. The Morgan looks like it was shot with that ring light. Mine has a dimmer on it but it still causes glare reflections on raw coins and it is impossible to use on slabbed coins because the individual LEDs just reflect right back into the image from the surface of the slab. Because the camera has to be pretty close to the coin, there isn't much room for more traditional independent lights. There were also lots of problems with color rendition. I finally gave up on my USB camera and bought a Nikon D610 body and Sigma 105mm macro lens, built a copy stand and custom built lights. Much better but also much more expensive. As I said in my first post, it helps if you know what your goals are first before you invest but if you are uncertain, it's a small investment in a USB camera to get started and then see how and if you want to invest more.
I have an almost complete set of circulation grade coins from late 1800's to date. All but three of the Morgans. I am not producing photos for a magazine, posting to sell or competing in any contest. I do want clear photos that represent and record my collection. Occasionally, I will post one or two here for discussion purposes. In order to meet the quality standards of some collectors I would like to have a set up as some of you describe. I just photographed my set of Morgan dollars - obverse and reverse. That is a lot of photos. I'm sure that most of you understand how many coins that is and the individual set up times required to capture the finite details of each. I can set my capture process up and photo each with very minor adjustments and get the results that I desire. They download directly to the selected file in my computer. I then go to PhotoScape to crop and combine. I have, on occasion, set up specifically to capture details that were to become the major subject of the coin. But, that is not my common objective. I think the set up I have serves me quite well. But, it won't win any accolades used by professional photographers. Thanks for all the comments. I do store them in my mental database and use them when warranted.
