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<p>[QUOTE="dougsmit, post: 7743231, member: 19463"]My setup is many time simpler than that offered by </p><p><font size="4"><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/members/kirispupis.118780/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/members/kirispupis.118780/">kirispupis</a> but works for me. Still, my setup is many time more complicated than is necessary to produce coin images suitable for use on Coin Talk. The question of what settings we use is completely dependent on the light that is falling on the coin. In the last 30 years or so I have made at least a hundred changes to the way I take coin pictures and the ones I do today are very slightly better than the ones I made in the first days especially if all you are going to do with them is show them here. We might see more differences if we are making 20x30" prints. </font></p><p><font size="4"><br /></font></p><p><font size="4">In my opinion, the worst thing you can do when making a coin photo is to hold the camera in hand when shooting. I do not have a photo of my current set up or any from the last couple years (perhaps I should take one?) but I have a couple from a simple rig I made about 5 years ago for a friend. You do not need a thousand dollar tripod or copy stand. You need a way of holding the camera and the coin so they are the correct distance from each other. Scrap wood vibrates less than steel. This photo shows a (two different ones actually) geared macro focus rail that can make small adjustments but for our purposes you can put the camera directly on the wood and stack books (or bricks) under the coin to bring it within range. What that range is depends on your camera, lens or other accessories require. I like black backgrounds. The easy way to get black is not to let light hit your background material (preferably black). Here that is shown with a shade made from a tin can. Inverted black plastic flower pots are better as long as they have a hole in the bottom. </font></p><p><font size="4">[ATTACH=full]1325635[/ATTACH]</font></p><p><font size="4"><br /></font></p><p><font size="4">Lighting and exposure are entirely up to you. You look through the camera and move things until you see what you like. That is a matter of opinion. You may not agree with mine. The image below shows the same coin shot in sun and shadow. The shutter speed was higher for the one in sun and may have been a whole second for the one in shade. The solid wood rack makes the difference of no importance. I usually use artificial light since that allows shooting at night. I do not like flash since it is harder to previsualize what you will get. </font></p><p><font size="4">[ATTACH=full]1325642[/ATTACH] If you like one better, you might rotate the coin a very small amount and change your mind. ISO, aperture and shutter speed work together. If you raise one you lower another. I never shoot coins at high ISO. High ISO brings poor sharpness and tonality if you go too far. There might be a reason to shoot a flittering bird at 1/500th second at ISO 4000 but there is no reason to shoot a coin that agrees to lay there quietly at anything close to that number. This bird and most of my coins are shot at f/11. f/16 can start to lose resolution to an optical law called diffraction. Some lenses are better used at f/8. Some make little difference. </font></p><p><font size="4">[ATTACH=full]1325692[/ATTACH] </font></p><p><font size="4"><br /></font></p><p><font size="4">I threatened to update my photo of my current rig but I have taken it apart to use the components for other subjects (bugs). Not buying coins has cut into my desires to shoot and reshoot. Many times I reshoot and get a 'different' photo that is not any 'better' just different. Coin photography can be fun. </font></p><p><font size="4">New is newer than old.</font></p><p><font size="4">[ATTACH=full]1325695[/ATTACH] </font></p><p><font size="4"><br /></font></p><p><font size="4">Old (below) is more 'standard' but which is better? I sincerely doubt this coin has been photographed for the last time.</font></p><p><font size="4">[ATTACH=full]1325697[/ATTACH] </font></p><p><font size="4"><br /></font></p><p><font size="4">Also, I really despise coin photos with reflections even though several of my better friends on Coin Talk use them skillfully. When I do it, I fear that the coin will be damaged beyond repair.</font></p><p><font size="4">[ATTACH=full]1325705[/ATTACH]</font></p><p><font size="4"><br /></font></p><p><font size="4"><br /></font></p><p><font size="4"> </font>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="dougsmit, post: 7743231, member: 19463"]My setup is many time simpler than that offered by [SIZE=4][URL='https://www.cointalk.com/members/kirispupis.118780/']kirispupis[/URL][B] [/B]but works for me. Still, my setup is many time more complicated than is necessary to produce coin images suitable for use on Coin Talk. The question of what settings we use is completely dependent on the light that is falling on the coin. In the last 30 years or so I have made at least a hundred changes to the way I take coin pictures and the ones I do today are very slightly better than the ones I made in the first days especially if all you are going to do with them is show them here. We might see more differences if we are making 20x30" prints. In my opinion, the worst thing you can do when making a coin photo is to hold the camera in hand when shooting. I do not have a photo of my current set up or any from the last couple years (perhaps I should take one?) but I have a couple from a simple rig I made about 5 years ago for a friend. You do not need a thousand dollar tripod or copy stand. You need a way of holding the camera and the coin so they are the correct distance from each other. Scrap wood vibrates less than steel. This photo shows a (two different ones actually) geared macro focus rail that can make small adjustments but for our purposes you can put the camera directly on the wood and stack books (or bricks) under the coin to bring it within range. What that range is depends on your camera, lens or other accessories require. I like black backgrounds. The easy way to get black is not to let light hit your background material (preferably black). Here that is shown with a shade made from a tin can. Inverted black plastic flower pots are better as long as they have a hole in the bottom. [ATTACH=full]1325635[/ATTACH] Lighting and exposure are entirely up to you. You look through the camera and move things until you see what you like. That is a matter of opinion. You may not agree with mine. The image below shows the same coin shot in sun and shadow. The shutter speed was higher for the one in sun and may have been a whole second for the one in shade. The solid wood rack makes the difference of no importance. I usually use artificial light since that allows shooting at night. I do not like flash since it is harder to previsualize what you will get. [ATTACH=full]1325642[/ATTACH] If you like one better, you might rotate the coin a very small amount and change your mind. ISO, aperture and shutter speed work together. If you raise one you lower another. I never shoot coins at high ISO. High ISO brings poor sharpness and tonality if you go too far. There might be a reason to shoot a flittering bird at 1/500th second at ISO 4000 but there is no reason to shoot a coin that agrees to lay there quietly at anything close to that number. This bird and most of my coins are shot at f/11. f/16 can start to lose resolution to an optical law called diffraction. Some lenses are better used at f/8. Some make little difference. [ATTACH=full]1325692[/ATTACH] I threatened to update my photo of my current rig but I have taken it apart to use the components for other subjects (bugs). Not buying coins has cut into my desires to shoot and reshoot. Many times I reshoot and get a 'different' photo that is not any 'better' just different. Coin photography can be fun. New is newer than old. [ATTACH=full]1325695[/ATTACH] Old (below) is more 'standard' but which is better? I sincerely doubt this coin has been photographed for the last time. [ATTACH=full]1325697[/ATTACH] Also, I really despise coin photos with reflections even though several of my better friends on Coin Talk use them skillfully. When I do it, I fear that the coin will be damaged beyond repair. [ATTACH=full]1325705[/ATTACH] [/SIZE][/QUOTE]
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