So you wanna photo coins?

[Bruceswar]

Sure everybody would like to photo coins and take great photos. The reality is that many of us do not have the time or the know how do to so. Also taking photos of coins can add a dent in the wallet getting all the right equipment. Personally I have about $1700.00 in my setup, most of which is tied up in my camera. I also use my camera for other things as well. But ok lets get down to the meat of all this... First before you even start you will need all the right gear. Lets make a quick list of things to have.

 

1. Camera ( I prefer a Digtal SLR) but others work as well.

2. Lighting ( I use OTT lights) others may use soft reveal bulbs or plain white.

3. Tripod or Copy Stand. ( I use a rusty old tripod) Copy stands work good as well.

 

Once you have the needed gear then you will need know how to work your camera properly. I say this because with the best camera your photos can be lousy still. Once you have a good understanding of your camera you will then need to learn how to make your lighting work for you and not against you. What I mean by this is having the lights in the correct place(s). More than 1 light source is a MUST. 1 light will not cut it. There are many settings one can use on there camera to achieve the desired effect. Since I am not one for the technical side of things I keep it easy as far as the settings go.

 

Next you should know your surrondings. I would not recommend taking coin photos in the woods where a bear can eat you while you focus. No on a serious note just be sure there is nothing that will interfer with the coin photos. Reflections, shadows (Yes that means move your hand out of the way of the light) etc.

 

Once you have all this down you can now begin to photo the coin. I usally place my coins I photo on a white napkin (Sometimes brown) to keep them from scratching on my desk. Coin or slab. Anyhow then you will want to line up your tripod or copy stand with the coin. Attach the camera and angle it properly. Straight on works best to keep any blurr off. Position the lights around the coin as you see fit. Fire away until you get the shots you want. Once you are done you can then crop the photos and or edit them if need be. Any of the other guys will tell you all photos need a bit of correct at times. Nothing is wrong with editing photos to make them look a bit more realistic. What your eye sees is not always what the camera captures. Here is a sample done with my setup and lighting.

 

Here is how my lighting setup works.... You go from....

 

 

to

 

 

to

 

 

 

If you can follow these steps you will have images you can be proud of. Ask questions and fire away comments.

[rbrown4]

Thank you Bruce, in you photo you show of the set-up where is your camera placement, is it above the tops of the OTT lamp units, in line or below when you photo?

 

Thanks,

 

Rey

[bsshog40]

First of all, hey I have the same lights you do! (thumbs u Second, do you think it is better to take a pic closer or further away from the coin? I can set my camera where it will take each pic at the size of a little over 2800pixels. My super macro mode will get me as close as I want but sometimes this is not always good with the lighting. You take very nice pics, so really just wanted to know your preference of distance. Thanks Bruce. Nice pic BTW! (thumbs u

[Bruceswar]

Thank you Bruce, in you photo you show of the set-up where is your camera placement, is it above the tops of the OTT lamp units, in line or below when you photo?

 

Thanks,

 

Rey

 

Rey The camera is about on level with the lights. I would say about 10 inches from the camera.

[Bruceswar]

First of all, hey I have the same lights you do! (thumbs u Second, do you think it is better to take a pic closer or further away from the coin? I can set my camera where it will take each pic at the size of a little over 2800pixels. My super macro mode will get me as close as I want but sometimes this is not always good with the lighting. You take very nice pics, so really just wanted to know your preference of distance. Thanks Bruce. Nice pic BTW! (thumbs u

 

Bobby that all depends on the coin and how you want it to photo. Personaly I keep the camera about 10 inches away to allow for the light to shine bright. Sometimes I get closer, but still let the light in.

[bsshog40]

I guess that would be trial and error also depending on the coin huh? Thanks bruce!

[Bruceswar]

Correct Bobby. Trial and error is right.

[MikeInFL]

Bruce,

 

What a great post. Lots of superb info and examples. Thanks for sharing. (thumbs u

 

However, I do take exception to one statment:

 

More than 1 light source is a MUST. 1 light will not cut it. There are many settings one can use on there camera to achieve the desired effect.

 

While I would agree with the above relative to your example coin, and for most lustrous coins, I do not agree that this is a MUST. For instance, circulated coins, particularly copper, often look best with a single light. Slabs make this challenging, but for raw coins, there is no need to add a second light to get a good picture.

 

Again, great post. Respectfully and humbly submitted...Mike

 

p.s. I would also move your coin farther away from your LCD -- or take a white balance reading every time you shoot -- as the color from the LCD is certainly adding some colors to the coin that aren't there. Kind of a nit, but very true.

 

[Bruceswar]

Bruce,

 

What a great post. Lots of superb info and examples. Thanks for sharing. (thumbs u

 

However, I do take exception to one statment:

 

More than 1 light source is a MUST. 1 light will not cut it. There are many settings one can use on there camera to achieve the desired effect.

 

While I would agree with the above relative to your example coin, and for most lustrous coins, I do not agree that this is a MUST. For instance, circulated coins, particularly copper, often look best with a single light. Slabs make this challenging, but for raw coins, there is no need to add a second light to get a good picture.

 

Again, great post. Respectfully and humbly submitted...Mike

 

 

I must admit I left out the part about slabs vs raw. With raw coins you can get away with 1 light many times, as you can flood the coin with light and have no glare. If in the slab 2 lights are a must or if the coin has nice luster.

 

[rbrown4]

Bruce,

 

I just recently purchased a tripod and am in the process of re-imaging coins. My camera is far from the quality of yours but for now I am comfortable with it. The trial and error statement is so true.

 

I do not currently have the luxury of my OTT lights here at my Mom's and have been using just natural sunlight. Here is an example, please comment, critique, etc. What are the plus/minus of staged lights to sunlight. What should in your opinion look differently in these images of this Franklin.

 

Rey

 

 

 

 

[Bruceswar]

Rey Sunlight works great when you are without a light source. Only thing I would say is try to get the camera at a straight angle with the coin. Sometimes you need to tilt the coin in order to get it right.

[bsshog40]

hey rey, those look pretty good! (thumbs u

 

I wonder if I can get some good lighting if I use my setup on my wife's tanning bed.

[robec1347]

hey rey, those look pretty good! (thumbs u

 

I wonder if I can get some good lighting if I use my setup on my wife's tanning bed.

 

Depends if you want your coin toned or tanned.

[Lem]

I also use natural lighting usually outside because I do not have OTT lights like yourself Rey, I should pick up an Ott light though and pratice with one.

 

Lem

[DC Dawg]

The setup I use:

• Canon S2-IS, a camera with a super macro mode and manual adjustment capabilities. It is a 5 megapixel camera that allows me to adjust the density of the shot.
• Desktop Ott Lite
• A Coin Dome from CoinOptics.com.

I love using the S2 and would recommend a similar camera. It is not an SLR but almost behaves like an SLR. The super macro setting is super! I get really great shots using the super macro mode.

 

The Coin Dome smooths out the light. During the day, I use natural light from a nearby window. At night, I use the Ott light over the coin dome It creates a great lighting environment to take pictures. when I do take pictures, I use 95 white paper under the dome.

 

Using this method, I shot the coin at the bottom of this post. The coin is in a PCGS holder (PR69DCAM) and I used Photoshop Elements on a Mac to do the composite. The camera and the coin dome work very well to take coin pictures!

 

Scott

[bsshog40]

I have an S3 IS Scott. Both are great cameras. I love mine!

[DC Dawg]

I have an S3 IS Scott. Both are great cameras. I love mine!

The S3 is the next version. Canon just released the 8 megapixel S5 with more improvements, including the new CCD (optical) chip that Canon is using in the professional SLRs.

 

I have a personal bias to Canon cameras. I've owned an A-1 and still own an AE-1 Program. The were/are great cameras!

 

Scott

[bsshog40]

I can barely work the new improvements I have with this one, let alone going to an S5. I upgraded from a 8 yr old olympus digital. You know I'm in hog heaven! (thumbs u

[Bruceswar]

I also use natural lighting usually outside because I do not have OTT lights like yourself Rey, I should pick up an Ott light though and pratice with one.

 

Lem

 

Lem if you are going to get any. Please do yourself a favor and get two of them.

[nwcs]

Natural lighting doesn't always help, though. It works best if the skies are somewhat overcast. Otherwise you're dealing with a very harsh light or tinted light (if taken nearer to sunrise/sunset). Proper white balance means that almost any normal bulb should be fine to use.

 

These techniques are definitely a good start. Anyone who follows them will be on the right road. It's true you don't need a complicated setup to make good coin pictures. A little creativity can help, though.

 

So here are a few thoughts that may help in certain situations:

 

1. Use a light at a low angle to the coin and have a reflector (even white paper should be good) to throw some light back onto the coin

2. Set the aperture to f/8-f/11 which is the sweet spot for most lenses

3. Be as far away from the coin as you can reasonably be to let the lighting work well

4. Use manual focus and focus on the fields. With the depth of field at f/8-f/11 you should have plenty to cover the relief. Helps avoid soft images due to focusing on the slab.

5. If you don't have a copy stand, use a tripod and make sure it is stable and doesn't move.

6. Use a timer or remote cable release

7. If your camera supports it, try bracketing at 0.3EV or 0.5EV increments.

[bsshog40]

Here's a couple pics I just took of my 2007W SAE NGCMS69 I just got in from Dave(lem) today.

[rbrown4]

WOW-NICE

 

Rey

[rrantique]

Thanks for the outstanding post Bruce. Some really great looking photos,Bruce,Rey,Scott B, and Bobby. (thumbs u

 

For lack of a better word i amChallenged

[Lem]

I also use natural lighting usually outside because I do not have OTT lights like yourself Rey, I should pick up an Ott light though and pratice with one.

 

Lem

 

Lem if you are going to get any. Please do yourself a favor and get two of them.

 

Thanks for the heads up Bruce, I will get two, I also have the same camera Bobby has CanonS3IS, which I am still learning how to use, love the super macro mode. I guess I've done alright with outside light but have to agree, overcast is better, at least in my case.

[Lem]

Nice pics everyone, if I get a chance I'll take a new picture tomorrow and post and show everyone my amatuer status!!

[Bruceswar]

Nice pics everyone, if I get a chance I'll take a new picture tomorrow and post and show everyone my amatuer status!!

 

We all have to start somewhere and progess as time goes on.

[nwcs]

I know I've posted it before but why not again. With a Nikon D200 and Sigma 105mm macro.

 

[Bruceswar]

That is a very nice photo! Congrats!

[bsshog40]

That's a nice photo NWCS!!!

[Bruceswar]

People may be surprised... but I use the stock lens on my camera.