For Christmas I got a new lens for my Nikon D5200. This one is really good for coins and can focus clearly from less than 1 inch away. Anyways, I decided to test it on some small cents to see how it would perform. Overall, I'm impressed, my old lenses could only clearly focus if the coin was over 1 foot away, I had to zoom a lot just to see the coin. The lens will also be good for star photography, being that it has an infinity focus. Here are some photos that I took with the new lens today. I also am going to attempt to put my grading skills to the test and try to grade them, please tell me if I am doing OK at grading. 1879 Indian Head Cent. Looks to be in around low EF condition 1909 Lincoln Cent. Looks to be in around MS-63 RB, though it could be AU-58 1909 VDB Lincoln Cent. Either a weakly struck MS-62 BN or an AU-53. The reason that I think that there is a chance it is MS is due to how much luster it has, unlike all of my other AU coins. 1910 Lincoln Cent. Looks very nice in hand, very nice surfaces. Looks to be around MS-64 BN 1859 Indian Head Cent. I found it in a roll of cents back in 2013. Looks to be in around F-12 condition 1966 Lincoln Cent, deep red color in hand which is hard to capture in any photos. I would guess that it is around MS-64 RD
Very nice images. Having static images of corner-to-corner sharp quality can help you grade surface preservation for sure. I always find lighting to be the problem with images: You can't tell if the luster of the coin is right because of the lighting used, and the fact that still images can't "tilt".
Also impressed on how good it is a photographing big silver. Like what @mlov43 said, it is way easier to capture good representations of worn coins, such as the one below, than lustrous coins. I also find toned coins to be a nightmare to photograph for the same reason... Also works great on tiny coins, such as this beat up 3 cent piece.
Hey would you pm me the cost and where you purchased? I have a Nikon with a 105 mm,and 55 mm. Just about impossible to image coins with. That why I use my scope and a light box on imaging. My Nikon an older D-40 takes wonderful images but for coins just an over kill.
Pictures look great! The only thing I can see is the light is just a little weak, it's not bringing the cartwheel spokes out fully. I can see spokes the best on the 66 at 10 & 4 o'clock but they are just a little weak.
That 55mm (the Micro-Nikkor 55/2.8?) is a terrific sharp lens; an extension tube or reversing it would make it a great coin lens. As it is, it's only capable of 0.5x magnification.
Amazing images. We can actually grade from these? Wish you could post a decent counterfeit to see how it appears. Can you zoom in on a spot? Can you get a slab so we see how the plastic reflects. Whatever the light source you are using MAKES much of the difference. The luster is just as good/better than an auction cat.
Here's a slab I took a photo of. I have a couple counterfeit coins, none are good fakes though, none US, and only one doesn't say copy I will try to take a photo though...
One thing to try. Put something lie a round toothpick, plastic flip, etc. under part of the coin or slab and it will tip the coin in the light and give a different look...sometimes better!
Mistake above...LOL. Also rotate it and take different shots. It's just like when you examine a coin for grade.
These pictures are good. A few comments: 1.) While the lens will focus up close, you actually want to pull back. With the lens further back, you'll be able to get more light onto the coin, and will take better pictures. 2.) All of the pictures are just *slightly* out of focus. Are you using a manual or automatic adjust? This will take a little practice to get the hang of how to use your lens/camera. 3.) It appears like you are only using one light. Try getting another light - it will help you light the entire coin effectively. With only one light, you are often left with bright and dark areas: part of the coin is well lit, but part of the coin is quite dark. 4.) The 1909 VDB is definitely AU. Look at the flatness of his jaw and cheekbone. The luster is also disrupted on the high points here. There are also areas of disturbance in the luster in the fields. A high grade AU coin should have strong luster - it has only circulated a very small amount.
