taking pictures

[rs8199]

how do you guys get such crystal clear pics. ive tried a scanner and a digital camera and i cant get them to come out worth [#@$%!!!]. any suggestions?

[MastaHanky]

Don't bother with a scanner.

 

You'll need a decent digital camera (3 megapixel or higher), with macro mode. Get one with the highest *OPTICAL* zoom you can find.

 

Once you have that, you can worry about the lighting, which is a whole new can of worms. Somebody else can shed more light on that, cuz I don't know that much about it.

[SilverDollarMan]

U can get a fuji 510, for $199. It has macro, 5.2 meg pix and optical and digital zoom.

PS i don't like digital zoom.

[Bruceswar]

here is a nice a read.....

 

Lighting Article

[nwcs]

The optical zoom is essential. Macro mode. Light source adjustment (you need to set the white balance). Proper lighting. Lots of experimentation.

[Oldtrader3]

If you are going to photograph small coins (i.e. dimes, trimes) you may need a 1:1 macro lens. This normally means a more expensive lens.

[niel-migration]

on the other side of the coin, pun intended, how can i view the coin images on my pc better as they are still somewhat small for detail and tend to be darkened.

niel

[nwcs]

Niel, I resemble your ID.

 

Neil

 

(and since we are talking pics...)

 

[niel-migration]

nothing wrong with that name eh neil? mine is actually aniel which is shortened italian for aniello and means, you guessed it, niel. i don't understand why the english is supposed to be i before e except after c and turn around and violate their own rules. mine follows english rules.

i would have a difficult time examining coins with pics as you can't see detail and lighting on them doesn't help. as it's shown it appears dark in most of the coin. do you guys use another program to handle the pics automatically or do them on a one by one basis for good viewing with another program? it isn't my pc that's for sure as this was upgraded recently and i have an excellent video card, fast p4 with 800mhz buss, and lots of memory.

niel

p.s. many ones and zeros were actually born to bring this to you.

[cpm9ball]

Niel, I resemble your ID.

 

Neil

 

(and since we are talking pics...)

 

 

Very, very, very nice coin, Neil!

 

Chris

[cpm9ball]

mine is actually aniel which is shortened italian for aniello and means, you guessed it, niel.

 

Niel, would that be pronounced "an-yellow" or "annie-ello"? Just curious.

 

Chris

[SilverDollarMan]

Welcome to the board!

[nwcs]

Just having fun with you, Niel. My setup for photography is pretty simple: macro lens, 3.1 megapixel camera, 2 lights, small tripod, and I use Photoshop to process the images.

[niel-migration]

yes i know neil. my question was in my viewing of the coin on my pc. i have noticed that other pictures i've had on here had to be viewed through another program just to make it look right. if done here it can vastly change the appearance of say the toning of a coin. as seen by the pc it isn't good having so much darkened areas and makes it difficult to know just what the coin is supposed to appear like in person, with or without picture processing.

to blow the picture up or change the contrast it would have to be captured and processed on my part. do you guys use anything that's easier or automatic?

niel

[nwcs]

Well, each computer setup will display the picture a little differently. In addition, the ambient lighting in a room will serve to enhance or detract from the colors of an image. Couple that with how the image was processed before and you end up wondering how anything looks right.

 

As far as capturing color or luster, it's usually a tradeoff. You can't always capture both and usually you sacrifice one for the other. Some are better at capturing a little of both and getting a great image.

 

But when people are being purposely deceitful, it will often be done with Photoshop and with a change of color balance.

 

Lighting ultimately makes the difference when doing it right.

[nwcs]

>to blow the picture up or change the contrast it would have to be captured and processed on my part. do you guys use anything that's easier or automatic?

 

I wanted to add that for this specifically, I don't do much post processing. I'll adjust the white balance on the camera, have good lighting, turn off as many extra features as possible and control them manually, take the pic and then adjust the levels and gamma just a bit in Photoshop.

[niel-migration]

so i guess judging a coin on here is not a very good idea and doesn't change the fact that seeing in person is the only way to go.

niel

[nwcs]

Absolutely right. The first lesson I learned when taking a grading class is that a photograph is barely above sight unseen. You can judge things on a pic but it's very hit and miss and depends greatly on the skill and honesty of the picture taker.