Picture taking... How am I doing?

[MunkyMan95]

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm still not getting the sharpness I want in the photos, does anyone know how to remedy that?

[MBA101]

I like the pics, but it would be cool if you could make them larger. As far as sharpness goes, I think it would depend on the camera you are using. Something that you need to play with and try different things.

[MunkyMan95]

That's something I need to figure out as well. These pictures are as they came from the camera. I only formatted them for viewing (cropped them, and changed the background to black)

 

I'm using SuperMacro mode, which makes the pictures pretty large, but not nearly as large as I would like,

 

PS: The camera I'm using is a Canon S3 IS.

[kryptonitecomics]

More light.....your images are dark and make the luster look subdued.....how many lights are you using....what angles......difussed or direct.....etc?

 

Eddited to add: Are these coins in NGC holders? If so then you are going to struggle with getting enough light on the surface due to the thick insert....

[MunkyMan95]

More light.....your images are dark and make the luster look subdued.....how many lights are you using....what angles......difussed or direct.....etc?

 

Eddited to add: Are these coins in NGC holders? If so then you are going to struggle with getting enough light on the surface due to the thick insert....

 

I used 3 lights, directly around the coin. Two Halogen, and one of those GE Reveal Bulbs.

 

All 3 of the lights were diffused with a sheet of white copy paper.

 

The coins are in PCGS holders.

[kryptonitecomics]

Ok well that explains the lack of luster....difused lighting will do that no matter how many shots you take. I only use difused lighting for toned coins becuase of the slab glare but when shooting untoned coins...I personally would not recomend using that method ...especially with copy paper as that doesn't let enough light show through and of course it almost totally eliminates luster which is what gives a white MS coin eye appeal.

 

Just my thoughts.....

[MunkyMan95]

I took some shots with the flash, and the luster showed, but the coin was all overexposed. I need a happy medium!

[kryptonitecomics]

no flash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ever....just your light setup....I use (2) 100watt GE reveals. You should never use a flash when taking images in the slab....

[kryptonitecomics]

You should be able to get plenty of light on the coin with your 3 light setup and if you can't then you need higher wattage bulbs...different types of bulbs...or better placement of your light sources (thumbs u

[MunkyMan95]

I'll try some pics without the diffused lighting and I'll post the results!

[kryptonitecomics]

You just want to set up your light so the glare appears just to the left and right...or top and bottom of the coin....that should get you enough light on the coins surface and it's a trial and error thing.

 

 

 

[MunkyMan95]

Okay, what do you think of this one?

 

 

 

And a side-by-side:

 

 

 

In hand, the color actually is closer to this new picture. It's more of a gold color, as oppsed to white.

 

And PS: I used the flash on this one!

[kryptonitecomics]

Still not enough light getting directly on the coins surface as you have dark patches vs a nice even lighting around the coin. Are you not able to turn off the flash on the camera? The new images look like the white balance is off but you say the coin is a golden color so maybe it's not. Where do you have your lights positioned? I find that 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock work best for me with the light shinning straight down on the coin. I do have the coin angled at maybe 20 to 30 degress as well. Are you shooting straight down on the coins with a copy stand or do you have the coins angled?

[MunkyMan95]

I'm using a copy stand, so the coin and the camera are almost perfectly parallel to one another. I'm able to turn off the flash, and I tried it with the second round of pics, but I found that they turned out too blue. I wanted the gold to show. I have the lights at about 2 o'clock, 9 o'clock, and 8 o'clock.

[kryptonitecomics]

If the pictures turned blue then your white balance is off....I think the flash may be contributing to the dark patches on the coins surface. Can you angle the coin a bit to get more light on the surface and then just leave your camera in the copy stand pointed straight down? Do you have the coin sitting on a white background or colored background? I use a cannon Power Shot SX100 IS and it has settings so you can create a custom White balance and I am assuming you have the same? How far away from the coin are your lights? Mine are typically around 8 to 12 inches away from the surface.

[MunkyMan95]

I should probably tweak the white balance.

 

I could try angling the coin, but I don't know how that would turn out. I have the coin sitting on a colored background. The camera is approximately 10 inches away from the coin.

[kryptonitecomics]

Here is an example of the regular lighting vs diffused.....you can still see some dark patches on the regular images but there is much better lighting and details then what I am seeing on your images. You can also see that the first images shows off the natural luster quite well and the 2nd eliminates the luster and even hides some of the surface imperfections. What Mega pixel is your camera? Sorry for all the questions just need to info to really help. (thumbs u

 

Normal lighting:

 

 

Difussed lighting:

 

[MunkyMan95]

Wow, that's quite the difference :thumbsup:

 

My camera is 6.0 megapixels.

[kryptonitecomics]

I think angeling the coin is a good idea....I think a colored background is a bad idea as it can really through off your camera as far as white balance. Are you using an auto setting on your camera just like you would for taking normal images around the house or do you use a custom setting for imaging your coins? How far away from the coin are your lights?

[kryptonitecomics]

Wow, that's quite the difference :thumbsup:

 

My camera is 6.0 megapixels.

 

 

That's going to have some impact on the clarity of your images but 6 MP should still produce nice shots...I thin your focus and pictures quility are just fine....it seems to really be just the lighting holding you back. My camera is an 8 MP but my old one was around 6 and I still got pretty good images with it.....

[MunkyMan95]

I think angeling the coin is a good idea....I think a colored background is a bad idea as it can really through off your camera as far as white balance. Are you using an auto setting on your camera just like you would for taking normal images around the house or do you use a custom setting for imaging your coins? How far away from the coin are your lights?

 

I really don't know what setting I'm using. I switched the little wheel on top to Aperture Priority, and just went with it.

 

The lights are maybe 8-10 inches away.

[kryptonitecomics]

Not sure what that setting means.....but if you still have the manual you might want to read through it and figure out the best setting for macro images....I am sure there won't be a coin setting

 

Sounds like your lights are close enough...can you see the images of your light bulbs on the slab just outside where the coin is located? If not then you might need to move them in closer to the coin.....I always have the glare from the lights just outside of the frame of the coin but still showing on the slab.

 

You should be able to use a white sheet of copy paper to set your custom white balance just make sure to place a white background under your coin....move the coin out of the way and then point your lights down on the white background like you were going to take an image. Then just set your WB on your camera according to what your manual says. If any of this is confusing I can download a copy of your manual online and walk you through it.

[MunkyMan95]

I'll try what you suggest, and I'll post the results!

[kryptonitecomics]

We will get there....just takes some tweaking.....then if anyone else uses a copy stand they can potentially provide additional suggestions as I use a tripod myself.

 

Good Luck!

[MunkyMan95]

Shane... You da man! Check these out:

 

 

 

I angled the slab about 15-20 degrees, and took the paper away from the lights.

[kryptonitecomics]

Still dark but out pops the luster.....now we can really see what the coin looks like...back to one of my original questions...what wattage of light bulb are you using and can you actually see the glare from the bulbs on the edges of the slab when you image the coin? If not you need to move them a little closer to the coin.....but you are certainly making progress in the right direction

[MunkyMan95]

I think the two halogens are 40W, and the GE Reveal is maybe 60W? And yes, I can see the glare of the lights right near the edge of the coin.

[kryptonitecomics]

Ok well it should light the lights are positioned correctly......I ese 100 watt bulbs so if you have anything with more wattage that might help. Also when you angeled the coin forward a bit....do you see if you could also angle it a little on the right or left adge....kinda like if you were jacking up your car etc. Sometime just a slight tilt one way or the other can get you that little bit of extra light...just a thought...

 

here are some pictures of my simple set up and I get plenty of light on the coins even with 60 watt bulbs...

 

 

 

[MunkyMan95]

The problem that I have is my copystand kind of limits the amount of angle I can have on the coin. If I angle it too much, I don't think I would be able to see any detail on the coin.

 

I'm done for the day now, my batteries are dead, and I'm kinda burned out. I'll tweak it some more tomorrow and see how it goes.

[kryptonitecomics]

Sounds good....you may have to ditch the copy stand and go with a tripod if you have one.....copy stands don't allow enough flexability for me but most imagers swear by them

 

I typically take images from all different angles and can do it rapidly along with movement of the lights and coin etc so a copy stand would slow down or eliminate my ability do get all of the shots I want.