Hi, I have access to a good digital camera, a very good pro-quality digital camera and a flat-bed scanner, but I can't get any to produce good quality images of my coins. Both cameras produce blurry images. What is the best method of photographing coins? How exactly should I do this? Thanks in advance.
Now that is a difficult thing to do. We use Nikon 4300 and 4500 digital camera's. They allow taking photos as close as 4 cm. It is just a matter of a learning curve.
Here is a great article. It also shows a neat little stand. http://www.uscents.com/articles/DCP/DCP002.htm
You might get some ideas from these sites: COIN PHOTOGRAPHY (click here) Some other searches, such as "photographing coins", "imaging coins" or "scanning coins" might yield helpful results.
Definetely put it on macro. With mine, I have to play around with it for awhile. Back up and zoom in....get close and zoom out...Take it from an angle. The only way I can get good pictures is to take it outside and at an angle. The bad part about macro is that you have to be VERY still in order for it not to blur. Here's a little trick I learned....in menu, you might be able to set the picture to be very large and very detailed. Then, on your computer, you can zoom way in and it won't be blurry since the picture is so detailed. "Print Screen"...go into paint and paste it on there...then save. I've gotton so close that "LIB" on liberty is the size of my entire monitor.
I had the same problems, but I chose to do two things and it made the world of difference. 1. Buy a tripod. The coin is a tricky surface, and it takes the automatic focus some time to get a clear picture on its focus area. On the tripod, you can essentially get a completely still camera, and a specific place on a table for the coin. 2. Use the timed shutter release on the camera, like you would if you setup for a family portrait, click the shutter and run into position so you can be in the picture. This cuts out hand jitter, and on the tripod, you can get truly stellar images. Cris
Usually blurry shots are the result of problems with the auto focus function on the camera. The problem can be caused by a number of different factors (or a combination) which include - holding the camera to close to the coin, direct lighting causing too much reflection on the coin, or shaky hands. My best advise, purchase a 4MP or better camera with a Macro feature and invest in a tripod. Personally I recommend the Canon line and use a Canon PowerShot G3 and/or G5 for my shots. Check out information on the Canon line at http://www.powershot.com.
