Coin Magnifying Camera

What are those camera things called where you can zoom up really close and see the coin and it pops up on the computer? I have a small x40 thing that costs a few bucks but I dont know what the big thing is called.

thanks

 

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you thinking microscope?

 

I think so

 

Maybe something like this..

 

Cool thanks. I’ll check it out.

 

Before you buy , ask for advice. Most USB cameras under $150 are junk. Also you will need a high resolution TV or you will get pixelation that looks real but isn't. Jim

 

Okay thanks. I probably won’t buy one just yet

 

All the devil you need is a decent 'point and shoot' camera with 'macro' capabilities. No need to spend a bundle. I did it for years before the rabid dog in me bought the Nikon........

 

Heck, even some of the new camera phones take better than decent pictures....

 

Haha well I have a cheap android... My photo quality isn’t that great. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did though.

 

Matthew, taking decent photogs is no big secret. There are many threads on this forum which will assist you with doing so.

 

Plus you can order a magnification lens from wish im pretty sure for like nuthin that fits on your phone.

 

Oh cool

 

I use this in conjunction with a test tube stand (from Amazon, $21) to raise it the necessary 18-20" to be able to get pic of a slabbed coin (need to put slab sideways). Works great; spent about $60.

 

That picture lacks the details I look for in a Morgan Dollar. I'm not an expert on photography but would consider a different option.

 

It looks to me like the camera focused on the label text; the coin surface is out of focus.

It also looks like this image is very heavily compressed. Like @Chuck_A said, it's hard to make out any details on the coin.

Does your camera provide options for saving images at different quality levels?

 

From my experience, I would avoid any camera that is tied to a computer. The trouble is every time Microsoft (in my experience) and probably Apple does an update, the camera will not interface with the revised software. After contacting the camera company, the thing gets jacked up again, but as soon as there is an update, the interface is history.

If you want one of these cameras, you use a computer that never interfaces with the Internet for updates, and use that with the camera exclusively.

I have expressed these problems elsewhere, and have been shouted down for it. I spent $450 on a fancy camera some years ago and got very little use out of it because of this problem. I have a very good computer expert who takes care of my machines for viruses and malware, and he has no luck with getting this device to work.

Don’t waste your money; don’t buy them. I use a regular camera, push the image size to the limit, and if I need a super close-up, I crop it.

Here is an example of what I do. This is a 1797 half dime, which is a very small coin.

 

Your experience and mine have been very different, apparently. I've had the same Canon T3i for 6 years now, through two different computers. I always have it tethered, and always use the software on my computer to fine tune the shots. Showing the picture on my computer screen allows me to see exactly what the shot will look like, compared to the tiny little screen on the camera.

 

Yep, same here. I paid less 4 years ago. It's all we need. If it's good enough for us, it's good enough for them! I put my money where it counts. Not coins, the granite counter tops!

The detail and focus is fine.

 

These USB microscopes use very low level resolution cameras ( 1.9 megapixels) (check on the resolution of a cell phone 10 years ago and its camera is better.

Also from https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1106421-REG/carson_mm_840_eflex_75_300x_led_light.ht

"At the core of the device is a 1.9MP CMOS imager, capable of capturing 1600 x 1200 images and 640 x 480 videos and delivering them to your computer via a USB cable. The magnification of the resulting images is dependent on the size of your monitor and scales at 3.6 - 14.3 times the size of your monitor in inches. For example, a 21" monitor will give you 75 - 300x magnification, while a 32" television screen will produce a 114 - 457x magnification"

There is a difference in resolution ( how close 2 points can be to each other and seen as 2 objects rather than 1 blurry one) and magnification ( how big physically it is by their definition). This company is honest enough to say all of this, but most people won't understand the limitations.

The photo below shows the surface of a mint silver dollar @ 100X ( morgan on left, peace on right) from a thread on toning and refraction. On the USB you will not see this as the resolution is too low





This is the Morgan surface to show the flow lines and the reflective surfaces at 400X.

USB camera are Ok for whole coin photos, but for varieties their pixelation often shows abnormalities that are not true images and make it difficult to discern true ones.

Not trying to dump on people, as I know they are inexpensive and our brains does a lot of wetware 'photoshop' when we look at it, but for new users that get upset when they say they see it, and no one else can , it is an explanation.

IMO, Jim