I am trying to learn how to make better pictures, especially those of coins. I have a Canon EOS and was given the Canon Zoom Lens 58mm It also says EF-s, 18-55mm and the strange numbers 1-3-5-5-6-15. (No idea what those are). Is this an acceptable lens for taking coin photos. If not, what would you recommend? Your help would be so appreciated. Thanks.
I just use my Phone and it does just fine , or I guess . I use my Microscope for really close up shots . Then I edit it by cropping, lighting, etc...
What Sensible Sal uses it the basic way. Your camera is much more advanced than that and it seems to be a pretty capable camera. I have the Nikon D3500, so Canon should also be good. EF-s is the lens mount type (Canon cameras are EF mounts) and 18-55mm is the focal length, or the zoom. Go straight to 55 to avoid distortion from the wide angle of the 18mm. Also make sure you have good lighting, which doesn't mean an iPhone flashlight or your moody bedroom lights. It means good bright white office lights or even bright kitchen lights. If you manage to navigate the settings, go to full auto mode but on the "white balance", select the type of light you have. Bright office lights would be LED and sunny daylight would be daylight setting. Usually the camera does it auto and doesn't do too bad on it. Once you have your pictures, download them to your computer and edit them with iPhotos or something simple. And that's it! As you experiment more and learn more about photos in general, you will get better and better. I would definitely suggest exploring your camera for a good hour and going through settings and seeing what certain settings do to your image. Then you might also want to take it out while you walk or something, again to get more experience and to get used to how your camera works and most imprtantly what settings affect what. Hope this helped!
I use Photoscape and I love it for editing . Also, it has a combo . feature where you can display side by sides and vertical displays .
Agree with above. Experiment with the settings on your camera. Take multiple shots of the same coin with the same lighting but with a different setting changes, exposure etc. on your camera. When downloaded to your pc study them together and see what worked best for you. Most important is to have a stable support for your camera like a copy stand or a tripod if you can position it so the legs are not in the way. It is not a quick learning curve, practice, practice, practice. There are a load of good websites dealing with the subject of beginners to DSLR photography
If it is an option, download the canon utility tool- tether your camera to your computer and use live view to take photos. https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/support/self-help-center/eos-utility Use 2 light sources positioned at approximately 10 and 2 o'clock respectively.
