• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Coin photographers.....do you enjoy your coins or your images more?

Started by kryptonitecomics,

71 posts in this topic

kryptonitecomics

kryptonitecomics

Posted
Posted

Strange question I know but since my enjoyment of the hobby is enhanced ten fold by being able to take high quality images I wondered if others were just as passionate? Lot's of folks have their coins in safety deposit boxes so they can't just run to the closet and open up an NGC box to pull out their treasures so I would think that it would be an absolute must for them to have quality images on their hard drives so they can gaze upon their collections in a virtual sense... hm

 

Don't get me wrong the pursuit of perfection can not only be time consuming and stressful trying to get just the right lighting and angles for the perfect shot but also quite costly when stepping up to DSLR cameras and super expensive lenses but for me it's just the price I have to pay if I want to enjoy collecting coins to the fullest extent. I just love looking at pretty images of pretty coins regardless of what one might collect and it's all the better if I was the one able to take that great image even if the camera did most of the work lol

 

Example....picked up an Nikon D5000 but couldn't afford the lens so a friend let me borrow a stock 15-55mm AF-S lens that would normally come with the camera if it were a package deal instead of just the body. Naturally I was not able to get the coin close to the lens since it wasn't a macro so when I cropped the image and the size blew up there were focus and distortion issues with the final product. The image may have been pretty good, but for me they fell well short of great...

 

exhibit A

 

Consignments5020.jpg

 

 

 

Now add a $700+ dollar macro lens and the focus and clarity gets much better and with the lens quite a ways away from the slab I am able to get a lot more light on the coins surface which means that the color and pop can really be more indicative of what the coin looks like in hand. (Quick shot without adjusting the Fstop between lenses)

 

 

New8004-1.jpg

 

 

 

I don't know if I will ever be fully satisfied but based on the limitations of 2-D imaging I think I am getting close to the point where upgraded equipment just won't exist and I hope that when that day comes I can just let down my guard and not be so critical and just enjoy the darn coin instead lol

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mark T

Mark T

Posted
Posted

My coins hands down . Problem is I keep them in a safe deposit box so I need the images. What I do enjoy is taking pictures of my new coins. One advantage of a good image is you can see the details clearly without the aid of a magnifier.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
physics-fan3.14

physics-fan3.14

Posted
Posted

I definitely enjoy the coin faaaaaaar more. That being said, I do enjoy taking pictures of my coins, and am proud of myself when the images come out well. But I see the pictures as more of a means to share my coins with y'all than anything else - I take the pictures to post here or on the Registry. They are a tool, and that's it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
robec1347

robec1347

Posted
Posted

No matter how the images turn out, the coin in hand is always nicer. The only problem I have is that 90% of coins imaged aren't mine. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
C.I.

C.I.

Posted
Posted

How is Shane doing these days?

I like them both. I have them close at hand but find myself looking at the images on the computer daily. It's like I just might see something different! My coins always seem to look better in hand. I am like you in wanting to take those detailed closeups. The problem with that is that those tight camera shots certainly shows additional flaws not seen with the eye in hand. I just posted a 80CC on this sight. First, I posted to big and man does those little hits add up. What is the right pixels #'s to use when posting here??? I know space is an issue and want to do it right.

 

Chet

Link to comment
Share on other sites
PCcoins

PCcoins

Posted
Posted

I agree the coin in hand is a whole other experience, but I do really enjoy high resolution images.

 

And your new equipment really makes a huge difference! Amazing images ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kryptonitecomics

kryptonitecomics

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I don't know......that last image is pretty spot on.....without the ability to rotate the coin of course.....and then there is this coin that I just grabbed at a local show today....now I do admit that the coin is even nicer in hand....

 

I need to get something to buff out this slab as their are a couple of cloudy spots me off :censored:

 

 

 

Morgans015.jpg

 

Morgans011.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Hard Times

Hard Times

Posted
Posted

I enjoy both the coins and the photos. This year I have taken several thousand photos in my quest to capture the real beauty of them. An example is below. I study Mark Goodman's photos on his website, as well as others and try to then go and see how they captured the images of their coins. Having said that, I spend as much time with a loop as I have with the images, but both ad value to my numismatic study.

 

Getting the best photos is time and work and study, below, not perfect, but better than what I was doing a year ago. Thanks for the thread krypto! (thumbs u

 

1855dimePCGSMS63comp.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Raybo55

Raybo55

Posted
Posted

I use Meguiar's # 17 (clear plastic cleaner) and Meguiar's #10 (clear plastic polish) for slabs. There is an all in one plastic polish from Meguiar's but I can't think of it at the moment. doh!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Hard Times

Hard Times

Posted
Posted

Shane, thanks, but, just not perfect..... Word on the street is Goodman has up to 6 lights he uses for getting the contrast and the glare right. I have a Nikon D90 with a Sigma 150 mm macro, and a nice Kaiser copy stand, the latter of which I got off ebay. But, only 3 halogen lights. Getting the contrast and reduced glare is key - I am working on it.... Your Morgan photos are superb.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
physics-fan3.14

physics-fan3.14

Posted
Posted

Some excellent photography in this thread, Shane and Hard Times. I don't know how they look in hand, but the reverses of those two Morgans are stunning! They look like they were made for each other.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Hard Times

Hard Times

Posted
Posted

Thanks physics. Check out the coinsarefun coppers link, some nice Goodman photos on HT's followed by one of mine that I got pretty darned close to what Mark can do. But each coin represents a different challenge to capture, Mark is extrordinary, I am still learning. I can't wait for the images of robec's photo contest to come up, we will see some very nice pics no doubt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kryptonitecomics

kryptonitecomics

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Shane, thanks, but, just not perfect..... Word on the street is Goodman has up to 6 lights he uses for getting the contrast and the glare right. I have a Nikon D90 with a Sigma 150 mm macro, and a nice Kaiser copy stand, the latter of which I got off ebay. But, only 3 halogen lights. Getting the contrast and reduced glare is key - I am working on it.... Your Morgan photos are superb.

 

 

Thanks...actually these shots are some of the first I have taken with the new lens and I haven't really dialed in my set up yet so I see focus issues in a couple of spots but the lighting isn't far of so with a little more tweaking I think they can be a bit better.

 

I have Marks book that I am slowly reading and I am sure there will be useful tips in there for me as well (thumbs u

Link to comment
Share on other sites
physics-fan3.14

physics-fan3.14

Posted
Posted

Pretty good pic, SD. What kind of camera are you using? Looks like another light would be good to light up the dark areas and give it a bit more contrast. I do like the blue crescent, though.

 

Looking at it again: are you tilting the coin? I ask because the top seems more in focus than the bottom.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SD4000-migration

SD4000-migration

Posted
Posted

it was a 30 sec photo,If I would have taken another 30 sec,there would have been more color at the bottom,but my finger was in the way.You guys dont even want to know the cost of my camera.also I didnt use the sharpen button,this is what it looks like in hand.if you do a hard focus of your eyes to it.your eyes will adjust to it and you will fall into the photo,and see how detailed it really is.you guys are so use to looking sharpened Nikon ,rebel,stuff photos.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bugmann1974

Bugmann1974

Posted
Posted

In order not to disrupt the Photography contest thread...

 

sorry,but you dont know me,or my abilities.

 

30 sec photo

 

I know that Mark Goodman wrote the book on coin photograpy. (Literaly, he wrote the book that is the standard reference to photographing coins)

 

And your picture is blurry.

 

my picture is not blurry. its perfect.your looking at "real" frost.I could write a book on coin photography.you guys are eventually going to learn.

 

I am sorry but the picture is out of focus. It is a nice photo but don't deny the obvious please.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Raybo55

Raybo55

Posted
Posted
Pretty good pic, SD. What kind of camera are you using? Looks like another light would be good to light up the dark areas and give it a bit more contrast. I do like the blue crescent, though.

 

Looking at it again: are you tilting the coin? I ask because the top seems more in focus than the bottom.

 

It's a Canon PowerShot SD1200IS

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cpm9ball

cpm9ball

Posted
Posted
Pretty good pic, SD. What kind of camera are you using? Looks like another light would be good to light up the dark areas and give it a bit more contrast. I do like the blue crescent, though.

 

Looking at it again: are you tilting the coin? I ask because the top seems more in focus than the bottom.

 

It's a Canon PowerShot SD1200IS

 

That's a cheap camera. I wondered why the photo was just ho-hum.

 

Chris

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Raybo55

Raybo55

Posted
Posted
Pretty good pic, SD. What kind of camera are you using? Looks like another light would be good to light up the dark areas and give it a bit more contrast. I do like the blue crescent, though.

 

Looking at it again: are you tilting the coin? I ask because the top seems more in focus than the bottom.

 

It's a Canon PowerShot SD1200IS

 

That's a cheap camera. I wondered why the photo was just ho-hum.

 

Chris

 

I will give him a little credit.......my imaging isn't that much better! :baiting:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Raybo55

Raybo55

Posted
Posted
Ha Ha,you guys have no clue.you can assume what you like.But your assumptions are getting rather old.

 

 

What?

I have no clue that you are a.............................!

Or what?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Go to topic listing