What's a great camera to use for coins

[Curry]

My budget be around 200-400. I want to be able to take nice clear photos and be able to zoom in on the photo and still be clear.

[RWB]

Get an 8x10 view camera with wet plate holders. By the time you have your first photo, you will have gained a huge appreciation for what it takes to make a good coin (or any other kind) of photograph.

 

(I think Ambro1 makes these - or at least wooden view cameras.)

 

[Curry]

Get an 8x10 view camera with wet plate holders. By the time you have your first photo, you will have gained a huge appreciation for what it takes to make a good coin (or any other kind) of photograph.

 

(I think Ambro1 makes these - or at least wooden view cameras.)

 

Can u link me to them?

[brg5658]

Get an 8x10 view camera with wet plate holders. By the time you have your first photo, you will have gained a huge appreciation for what it takes to make a good coin (or any other kind) of photograph.

 

(I think Ambro1 makes these - or at least wooden view cameras.)

 

Can u link me to them?

 

Me thinks RWB was being sarcastic.

 

Lots of us here use the Canon T3i with a bellows set-up. I know there are a few Nikon users on the boards also. Do a search for "photography" and you will find lots of threads.

 

[RWB]

Not really sarcastic....I think Ambro1 (posts here and on PCGS) makes some of these, and learning to use a traditional camera will impart considerable knowledge about lighting and photographic technique.

[Curry]

Get an 8x10 view camera with wet plate holders. By the time you have your first photo, you will have gained a huge appreciation for what it takes to make a good coin (or any other kind) of photograph.

 

(I think Ambro1 makes these - or at least wooden view cameras.)

 

Can u link me to them?

 

Me thinks RWB was being sarcastic.

 

Lots of us here use the Canon T3i with a bellows set-up. I know there are a few Nikon users on the boards also. Do a search for "photography" and you will find lots of threads.

This is going to be harder than I thought.

[RWB]

Almost any SLR camera body, with a good macro or closeup lens will work. You need sturdy camera support, also. The most difficult part is lighting the coin so that it looks natural.

 

A used Nikon or Canon body and a used macro (100 fl or greater) will be fine.

[bochiman]

Get an 8x10 view camera with wet plate holders. By the time you have your first photo, you will have gained a huge appreciation for what it takes to make a good coin (or any other kind) of photograph.

 

(I think Ambro1 makes these - or at least wooden view cameras.)

 

Can u link me to them?

 

Me thinks RWB was being sarcastic.

 

Lots of us here use the Canon T3i with a bellows set-up. I know there are a few Nikon users on the boards also. Do a search for "photography" and you will find lots of threads.

This is going to be harder than I thought.

 

Not really.

A lot of people, myself included, have gone the DSLR route. Doing that is not cheap as you need the body and then the lens (a macro lens is preferred) or you can go with a bellows type of setup. Many here know more about that than I do, and use one.

 

HOWEVER, it has been shown, over and over, that if you understand the techniques and the lighting, you can get GREAT photos with a point and shoot type of camera. One I liked, and used to use (but it has been collecting dust for the past few years ) was a Nikon Coolpix S10. The lens is on a swivel which made it easier to work on lighting angles. Russ (on the PCGS boards) used a similar one and got great results so I got the new model when it came out, the S10.

 

There have been a number of members that have shown their capabilities with the P&S cameras as well. So, while I am not good enough to do what they can do, and I use a DSLR to make up for a lot of it, I know that it is quite possible to get a good enough set up for $100-$200 if you work on lighting and technique.

 

So, don't count yourself out with your budget.

 

Go read threads here and on the PCGS boards for ways to take good photos, listen to what the people who take them tell you, and go get Mark Goodman's book (under $30 on Amazon) for coin photography.

[AHFreak]

First of all, I am no coin-photography expert... (few really are, although from what I have seen, the few around here who are.. take unreal coin-photos).

 

Anyways, from my experience, I don't think it really has as much to do with the actual camera as the other major factors. lighting, distance, angles, camera settings, etc..

 

I have been selling online for a couple years now, and I can hold my own with my camera phone. I use a Samsung galaxy S3, and again, I am no pro, but because of my experience with it, I can take pretty good pics considering the equip and lack of set-up.

 

Point is, before you can learn anything from asking this question, I think you should take a camera, any camera and start taking pictures of coins... what works, what doesn't? whats decent, whats terrible, etc.....

 

Then once u have a little bit of experience, u can start to determine what is going to be the right set up for you.

 

 

[Curry]

First of all, I am no coin-photography expert... (few really are, although from what I have seen, the few around here who are.. take unreal coin-photos).

 

Anyways, from my experience, I don't think it really has as much to do with the actual camera as the other major factors. lighting, distance, angles, camera settings, etc..

 

I have been selling online for a couple years now, and I can hold my own with my camera phone. I use a Samsung galaxy S3, and again, I am no pro, but because of my experience with it, I can take pretty good pics considering the equip and lack of set-up.

 

Point is, before you can learn anything from asking this question, I think you should take a camera, any camera and start taking pictures of coins... what works, what doesn't? whats decent, whats terrible, etc.....

 

Then once u have a little bit of experience, u can start to determine what is going to be the right set up for you.

 

I have tried and my camera can't even focus on the coin. That's why I'm asking.

[AHFreak]

make sure your camera is on "macro" mode. no flash. some macro modes are autofocus, some are manual focus. start there maybe.

 

[orifdoc]

In order of importance when taking good photos:

 

1) Experience

2) Steady foundation

3) Lens

4) Light

5) Camera

 

I took these with a used DSLR camera I got on eBay for around $200. It is still my main go-to camera for coin work:

 

 

 

I also use a large, heavy, sturdy, solid copy stand that I got for around $250 on eBay that came with two light fixtures. I use two 90W Halogens which unfortunately get hot enough to melt slab gaskets if I forget and leave a coin in there for too long.

 

Using a tethered connection to a computer allows you to adjust white-balance from an 18% grey card, lock the mirror open to prevent vibrations, and to preview the photo. The USB cable and the software came with the $200 camera.

 

I do use a Canon 100mm macro lens. This is the expensive part, but used lenses can be found and often work very nicely.

 

The best camera body in the world will shoot blurry photos without a solid support, quick shutter times, and careful focusing. Point & Shoot cameras are OK and can be made to work, but they always want to focus on the front of a slab and most are hard to manually focus. A DSLR will allow for more precise focusing even with a cheapie lens.

 

I think most any camera can be made to work but the exact type of camera you get is far less important than the other issues.

[robec1347]

With a sturdy copystand quick shutter times are not necessary.

[Curry]

With a sturdy copystand quick shutter times are not necessary.

Can u link me to a copy stand? For sale

[Curry]

In order of importance when taking good photos:

 

1) Experience

2) Steady foundation

3) Lens

4) Light

5) Camera

 

I took these with a used DSLR camera I got on eBay for around $200. It is still my main go-to camera for coin work:

 

 

 

I also use a large, heavy, sturdy, solid copy stand that I got for around $250 on eBay that came with two light fixtures. I use two 90W Halogens which unfortunately get hot enough to melt slab gaskets if I forget and leave a coin in there for too long.

 

Using a tethered connection to a computer allows you to adjust white-balance from an 18% grey card, lock the mirror open to prevent vibrations, and to preview the photo. The USB cable and the software came with the $200 camera.

 

I do use a Canon 100mm macro lens. This is the expensive part, but used lenses can be found and often work very nicely.

 

The best camera body in the world will shoot blurry photos without a solid support, quick shutter times, and careful focusing. Point & Shoot cameras are OK and can be made to work, but they always want to focus on the front of a slab and most are hard to manually focus. A DSLR will allow for more precise focusing even with a cheapie lens.

 

I think most any camera can be made to work but the exact type of camera you get is far less important than the other issues.

Can u tell me where I should put my light when taking a picture of a coin.

[robec1347]

With a sturdy copystand quick shutter times are not necessary.

Can u link me to a copy stand? For sale

 

Some here.

 

and more here.

[brg5658]

Can u tell me where I should put my light when taking a picture of a coin.

 

Read this post. There is no magical light positioning that works for every coin, but you will have to simply use trial and error. I will say though, you will not get very good coin images with a single light. You will need at least 2, and I use 3 for most coins.

 

 

[Curry]

Can u tell me where I should put my light when taking a picture of a coin.

 

Read this post. There is no magical light positioning that works for every coin, but you will have to simply use trial and error. I will say though, you will not get very good coin images with a single light. You will need at least 2, and I use 3 for most coins.

 

Since you said I will need at least 2 or 3 lights, what kind of lights? Bulbs or the tube ones?

[orifdoc]

The exact type of light isn't important, as long as you know when and how to use it. The single best piece of advice I could give you is to get Mark Goodman's book, Numismatic Photography. It is quite inexpensive (I found mine on Amazon) and if you read it and digest it, the quality of your photographs will improve overnight.

 

I prefer Halogens. Other people love GE Reveal bulbs. LED's are increasingly popular. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used. CFL's are used by some, but all fluorescents flicker at 60 Hz so shutter speeds faster than that can give weird effects. Halogens tend to make coins look a little red. Other bulbs have their own quirks and white balance will absolutely need to be set to use any light source effectively.

 

Generally, it's best to get the light source up close to the lens so that it strikes the coin at a high angle. I usually set the lights at 10:30 and 1:30 o'clock when using two bulbs, but this gets modified depending on the situation. Different coins require different techniques. I find the harsh surfaces of modern clad issues to be tough to show correctly. For these, I've resorted to diffused light and relatively longer exposures.

 

Experience and lots of experimentation are important. Save yourself some frustration and get Mark's book. It will completely change the way you photograph coins.

[orifdoc]

With a sturdy copystand quick shutter times are not necessary.

 

I mostly agree with this, but with photography more light is almost never a bad thing. More light allows more flexibility with aperture settings. This allows you to fine-tune the relationship between depth of field and sharpness. It also allows you to use a low ISO setting which also keeps noise to a minimum.

 

Also, I've noticed that even with a sturdy copy stand some vibrations are transmitted to the camera by people walking around upstairs, the opening of a door, or even by cars driving by. You can't feel them, but when using the zoomed in preview feature on the tethered software the motion can be seen on-screen.

[messydesk]

For lights, I use a pair of gooseneck lamps with CFL daylight bulbs. They stay cool and are easy to position. This thread shows how to get four rather different images of the same coin with the same lights without moving them at all. The pictures were taken with a cheap point and shoot on a tripod to demonstrate a budget photo setup, although I normally use a Nikon D80 or D610 and 105 mm and 200 mm macro lenses on a copy stand. Same lights, though.

[Curry]

For lights, I use a pair of gooseneck lamps with CFL daylight bulbs. They stay cool and are easy to position. This thread shows how to get four rather different images of the same coin with the same lights without moving them at all. The pictures were taken with a cheap point and shoot on a tripod to demonstrate a budget photo setup, although I normally use a Nikon D80 or D610 and 105 mm and 200 mm macro lenses on a copy stand. Same lights, though.

Thats some good pictures you got with that set up.

[rmpsrpms]

For more than a year I've been recommending the 10.2MP Canon Rebel XS/1000D. Prices have come down in that time from $225 to around $175, for body only. If you're patient you can often find them on eBay for $150 or less. Canon DSLR's from the XS onward have EFSC (Electronic First Shutter Curtain) that virtually eliminates all camera vibrations during exposure. You still need to control environmental vibrations but at least the camera isn't affecting the picture. You will need a lens of course and a good option is a low cost 75mm-105mm enlarging lens, which will cost you $15-$50. You can mount this to the camera with extension tubes and a low cost helicoid, or a bellows. The bellows is a good choice and will cost you anywhere from $25-$75 or so. Canon DSLRs come with excellent free tethering software for control using your PC or Mac. With some patience, you can end up with a DSLR, bellows and lens inside your target price range...Ray

[michael]

http://www.instructables.com/id/Macro-close-up-photography-with-an-iPhone/

 

 

http://www.shapeways.com/model/864992/iphone-5-and-iphone-5s-macro-lens.html?li=modelEdit

 

 

http://www.trusper.com/tips/Amazing%20Way%20To%20Take%20Macro%20Photographs%20With%20Your%20iPhone!!/6356526

[rmpsrpms]

iPhones are sort of expensive cameras for the quality they produce.

[njf]

Nikon D7000

 

 

[rmpsrpms]

In general, Nikon cameras take nice full-face pictures of coins, just as other cameras do, once you shrink the image down to a web-publishable size. But as magnification increases, camera-induced vibrations start to cause problems first at the pixel level, and eventually on the level of the whole image once you are above 2x magnification for variety/detail shots. You can fix this by using flash, but this is inconvenient for coins. Canon cameras solve this problem with EFSC.

 

It turns out that Nikon has finally realized their shortcomings in this area and others. They realized that the Anti-Aliasing ("Blur") filter used to eliminate moire patterns was an area for improvement, so they released the D800E. Unfortunately, they didn't actually remove the filter, but added another filter to compensate its effect. The result was good, but not the home run they were looking for.

 

To rectify this, and to add EFSC to compete with Canon, Nikon is releasing the D810 later this month. It is a 36MP, Full Frame camera with EFSC and NO AA filter! I've been waiting quite a while for this camera to be built, and will be an enthusiastic early adopter.