This is a new type of digital camera from a developing company which has aspects coin photographers might find very interesting. http://www.lytro.com/ It is a camera that focuses after shooting and not before, and captures a block of digital info at different focal planes with a microlens array. If you were taking a photo of a coin, click first and then bring portions into sharp focus as needed. Check out their photo gallery. You could focus on the surface of the coin and then on the devices, people would stop saying your photos are out of focus. It would not replace "stacker", but I would guess that would come later since the info is there, just needs to be implemented. Also the depth of image info is such that it can generate 3D from the single shot which can be viewed on a screen with 3D glasses. I have no financial interest in this company. I suspect their first try will be like the Apple Lisa, but I like the direction. Jim
Well not sure I understand everything, but it sounds interesting. I am wondering how they take pictures of like the same coin with different light sources and get the same type picture. So would a MS66 brown IHC look the same with various light sources. I also wonder what kind of price tag they will first have - seems like the initial release of things bring big prices.
The price point on these will most likely be insane! Just pick up an entry level dslr with a nice Macro lens to go along with it- you'll get some great shots with that combo.
I haven't researched that yet, however my new Nikon coolpix L120 takes wonderful macro pics-as well as let's you zoom and edit on the camera. I have several pics to upload this week, including pics of LMC's and the anniversary "extra fingers", but I already have pics of my 72 variety 3 Ikes ( http://www.cointalk.com/t182620/ ) on here. This was my first time using it for coins, so the pics could have been much better, but the pics of the Lincolns I will post this week will show you that a camera can cost less than $375 and get you what you need to post or sell online.
You REALLY have to dumb it down for me...so you can't take a sharp image of the entire coin, but you can select multiple areas of the coin that as you move the "focus box" around the surface of the coin with your mouse everything within the focus box becomes sharp and in focus? If so, I'm not so sure I like that. I'd prefer just to have a sharp image of the entire surface without having to interact with it. I'm probably misunderstanding the concept/purpose of this. -LTB
I am sure it will be somewhat expensive and clunky, being the first model. My interest is the "block" of information that is taken with each shot, that allows sharp focus at every level. The data is the key in my mind, as even the software that is currently available only allows one area in sharp focus at a time; since the total data block contains the info of every area, and new software could be developed to use the sharpest focus for each area in the final digital photograph. Just has such possibilities in photography, IMO. Jim
It appears that the camera's software allows selective focus on objects that are at different distances from the camera. How this would be of any value to a photograph of a coin is a mystery. Even the field and devices of a high relief coin are close enough that any camera's depth of field will put everything into focus. It's rare that there is any advantage in taking a high angle picture of a coin so that selective focus would be advantageous, indeed an angled picture would only be used to bring a specific feature into focus. This camera might be good for landscapes or general photography but I fail to see it's value for photographing coins.
