Coin Photography

Can anyone how you take your hi res coin photos? Any special camera or scanner? I used to use a 6000 dpi Canon scanner but that was on Win XP

 

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Actually, scanners are hardly the best for taking good images because they flood the subject with too much light.

Sure, you can spend a small fortune on a good camera set-up, but even the smart phones made today are capable of taking excellent images. Probably the best set-up requires a stable platform to avoid camera shake. A copy stand or tripod for a conventional camera is needed, but for the newer camera phones, all you really need is a stack of books.

As for lighting, it is better to have two or more light sources. The simplest arrangement would require two desk-top light sources positioned at 10 & 2 o'clock at about a 45 degree angle to the subject so the light bounces away from the camera lens which should be positioned directly above the subject.

Close-up images are an entirely different subject. You can use an expensive camera/bellows set-up, a more expensive camera/stereomicroscope set-up or one of the less expensive USB microscopes.

Chris

 

Camera. Tripod. Good light. That's all you need.

 

And "good light" is NOT incandescent lighting. You get the best light, by far, on a bright sunny day, with the coin positioned about a foot within the shadow of a big tree. Full spectrum and fully-diffused light. Don't stand between the light and the coin.

Personally, I use a scanner, much less fuss. My software lets you choose 9 levels of lighting. The biggest mistake folks using scanners make is using the entire 8 x 11 platform, then cropping away 90%, leaving just the coin. START with a 3x3 platform, and then 2x2 if you're not happy, then 1.5x1.5 inches, etc.

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I scan with an ancient Canon LIDE N650U in Windows XP. My biggest complaint -- it is sooooooo slow. I have no intentions of ever getting rid of XP, so my choices are limited.

 

I miss my windows XP but I really miss Lotus 123.

 

Thanks for the advice everyone. Since Ive already got a Canon SLR and a handful of lenses, I might try out a bellows setup and see where that leads me.

 

What's your definition of high res?
A Mint Mark as big as a computer screen or something a bit less?

 

High res is limited by what your monitor screen can actually display, and I am no expert on that subject. But go beyond a monitor's practical capability and you're wasting your time.

 

Monitor screens can do quite a lot these days. If I view this on my TV, I can do 4K, so resolution isn't a problem for me. My Camera can do 12 MP, which is a decent sized photo if I don't crop. I think my biggest challenge will be setting up a nice rig for macro/closeup photos. It'll take some research to find a good lens to use. I doubt I can use my 35mm, 55mm or 150mm lenses, but Im not so sure. Any input would help.

 

These images were taken with a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 phone to take photos... it has a 16 megapixel camera.

 

Wow, nice photos.

The thing I was trying to go for is a front/back photo like what you did, plus additional closeups of details like mint marks and signatures. I'll need a zoom lens for doing that. Im thinking to try my luck at stitching together some hi-res photos at 4X magnification (or greater if I can).

 

for micro work I use a Dino-Lite USB Microscope...

 

You don't need hi-res for "good enough" web coin photography. I use an old Canon 4MP camera, it's all about lighting and camera macro ability IMO.

 

i still have my XP computer, can one still use it w/o updates?

 

i use a cannon A1000, holding a magnifying glass. Missouri ingenuity.

 

The Samsung Galaxy cameras are amazing.

 

That's cool, Ive got one of those, but the LEDs are too direct and tend to reflect poorly off my Mylar flips (the 2x2s that coins are stapled in). I need some softer light to go through the plastic.

 

You need to take it out of the plastic. You'd be astonished at how much better a photographer you are with that one simple step.

 

That would be very impractical as I just went through the process of sealing all my coins up in those. To have to take each one back out to take a picture would completely defeat the purpose - and at several thousand coins, can get time consuming and expensive. Id would strongly prefer not to have wasted the past 6 weeks in sealing these up. I'll explore photography that keeps the coins in, thanks.

 

Imaging through plastic is not an impossible task. Just set your standards for quality lower, and you'll be fine.