Any advice on getting great pictures of your coins to post here and keep as part of a collection record?
The best inexpensive means by which to photograph coins is to put a loupe or magnifying glass in front of your camera lens. Of course you can invest in expensive photography equipment, but for those of us who cannot justify the expense, the lens method gets the job done. Put a piece of white paper on the table, and the coin on the white paper so you have a clear background. Depending on the lighting, try photos with and without flash (without usually gives me the best results).
There are a lot of cameras available for $100 or so that will perform much better than using a loupe or magnifying glass. These methods often produce blurred photos and poor detail. Just be sure that your camera has a super-macro function and you use a copy stand or tripod to stabilize your camera. Chris
Most any camera with macro will work. It's more about practice than it is about the equipment. Lighting takes time to learn. If you go with a DSLR and a nice macro lens, you are on the fast track for great images. Still a lot of practice but getting the camera further from the coin lets you play with the lighting more. Check out this link. http://coinimaging.com/photography.html
Zackly!!! Using a loupe or magnifying glass forces you to get closer to the coin, and in turn, restricts the light that hits the subject. Chris
one aspect if your starting out is too use natural light. Copper loves natural light. Many times just draw a shade on a window and that's enough light on a sunny day. Almost any camera with a micro setting and a fixed method of a simple tripod can get very good results. White is most often the best background for shooting. Photoscape is one option if you want to process your images such as cropping or combining images. Photobucket offers a good way to store your images and they have a simple backup available or you can save then on your own computer backup.
If you have a DSLR or an old film camera like a Canon AE-1, giving away my age now, a macro lens is a must. I have found a much cheaper way to go if you are starting from scratch, an endoscope camera. There are lots of them listed on eBay. I tried to purchase 2 that were to ship from China. Neither one shipped so be careful. My avatar picture was taken with my Canon DSLR. The attached pictures were taken with my endoscope/microscope camera. The endoscope cost less than $50 but you have to connect it to a computer.
I have lots of advice regarding this, but first I need to know how much money you want to spend, and what camera equipment you already have.
Good answer. I look forward to learning the reply. Also, I would suggest searching the words photo & photography to view the past threads at CT which discuss coin photography in great detail.
Thanks everyone for the replies. Messydesk, my budget is pretty low, but I already have a fairly high quality camera with macro lens- I'll try some of the tips here and look back at past threads and see if I can improve the quality of my photos.
if you already have a decent camera with a macro lens the very best advice I can offer is to get Mark Goodman's book Numismatic Photography. I have found this book to be invaluable its a solid easy to read and use book with real world , quality information.
Assuming the camera isn't super heavy, $50 will get you a cheap, 57" tripod from Walmart, a couple gooseneck desk lamps (white shades, not brass, please), and bulbs. Extend one leg of the tripod longer than the others so that the camera reaches over the table that you'll lean the tripod against. Camera about 1-2' away from the coin, depending on what combination of zoom and macro focus gets you the best image, lights at a high angle to the coin for luster and color, medium angle for dirty circulated stuff, lower angle for cameos, and at 10:00 and 2:00 around the coin for starters. Set white balance correctly. Use the 2 second self timer if you don't have a remote. Looking forward to seeing your progress. Good luck!
I have used my Cannon Elph 100 and have had very good pics to post on E-Bay. It is also a very handy camera to take on vacation.
