i have a nikkon 10 megapixels. not good enough for macro close up on small objects like die cracks,or extra finger on the new 2009 penny.do you have eny recommendation on what camera to use?thanks.:hatch:
I was wondering the same thing. I have the same only Samsung with the macro. There is no way to get those shots. I think most use a microscope in front of their camera, but let's see what they say. Chuck
I have a Sony Cybershot DSC- H50 9.1mp and a cheapie Kodak CX6330 3.1MP. For most of my coin photography I use the cheapie Kodak with a loupe in front of it. It gives me closer pics. Sometimes I use natural light, sometimes one lamp, sometimes two, depending on the final image I want. This is the technique I use. The pics aren't technically perfect but decent enough for examination.
You could try a stereo microscope with a digital USB eyepiece camera. Then you'll have the microscope as well which is the only way you can see the magnified coin in '3D'. (As long as you have two good eyes).
for $100.00 i got the 'digital blue' QX5 usb microscope 10x,60x,200x decent pics but,the plastic? optics have their limits.for $200.00 i got the 'canon' power shot: A720IS Res:8.0mp 6x optical zoom all canon 'A' series have the macro mode setting.carries up to 4gig so doing video/audio 'movies' are also a cinch.it takes greatly detailed macro mode coin,ect. digital pictures.comes with computer editing software,usb and audio/video cables. no, i don't work for them just a fan.cause it works great for me.
If you have a stereoscope or microscope do the following. Measure the diameter of the lens of your camera and the diameter of the lens on your scope. Using a 1 inch thick piece of lumber cut a 2 inch or so square piece. Use a drill bit the size of the smallest diameter of your lense and drill a hole all the way through the wood. Using a drill bit the size of the largest diameter of your lenses drill through the smaller hole half way through the wood. Take some fine grit sandpaper and smooth the hole. You now have a coupler for your camera and scope and no need to mess with macro settings on the camera.
A Hammacher Schlemmer catalog came in the mail at the office today, and while flipping through it I saw what looks like quite the little microscope for coins, stamps, etc. It magnifies up to 1600x and has a display screen & video. Thought some might like to check it out. It sure would make it much easier to define a DD, added mintmark, spot fakes, etc... http://www.hammacher.com/Product/75373 It shows a little video of how it works in case you are interested. The Video Screen Microscope. This is the microscope that replaces the standard eyepiece with an LCD screen that displays objects at up to 1600X magnification. A built-in 2MP digital camera captures still images or videos and displays objects on a 3 1/2" thin-film transistor LCD at 320 x 240 resolution (Play video.) The microscope's three objective lenses (4X, 10X, or 40X) provide magnification from 40X-400X (up to 1600X when used with its 4X digital zoom). Objects can either be illuminated from the top (for solid objects) or from the bottom (for prepared slides) using two separate 6-watt LEDs. A colored filter wheel helps block out wavelengths to make objects clearer. The camera's built-in 128 MB memory can store up to 120 still shots or up to 40 minutes of video at 1600 x 1200 resolution; an SD card slot allows for memory expansion. A USB port (cable included) allows you to download content to your computer; works with Windows XP, Vista (32-bit version only), and Windows 7. Includes five slides (insect and plant parts) and a carrying case. Plugs into AC. 13" H x 6" W x 4 1/2" D. (3 1/4 lbs.)
thank's to your advise.i did wthat you told me.i used an loupe in front of the camera.and images came very nice and clear.i am selling my die cracks on ebay.
I bought a usb Celestron USB microscope/camera off of amazon.com and have been fairly pleased with it. The only issue I have encountered is on slabbed coins with the built-in LED lights reflecting off the case. The camera works with Windows, OSX, and since i'm an uber geek and run Ubuntu Linux, I was very pleased to find it worked out of the box with it as well. Here are some example images taken with the scope:
