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New group of coin images.
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34 posts in this topic

I am sure this has been covered... but is there a section of the forum of the equipment and set-up/settings these top coin photographers use?  I am not ready to dump a lot of money into camera equipment, but it would be nice to learn to improve the quality of my own shots.  

Obviously, there are lots of video tutorials, but wondered if any of the best had solid advice also?

Edited by The Neophyte Numismatist
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On 3/20/2022 at 11:40 AM, The Neophyte Numismatist said:

I am sure this has been covered... but is there a section of the forum of the equipment and set-up/settings these top coin photographers use?  I am not ready to dump a lot of money into camera equipment, but it would be nice to learn to improve the quality of my own shots.  Obviously, there are lots of video tutorials, but wondered if any of the best had solid advice also?

Photography isn't my expertise, but I will say that an LED light bulb with the coin angled at 30 degrees and me facing it at that angle reduces glare and gives a real-life shot of the coin with a basic smartphone on default settings.

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On 3/20/2022 at 7:27 AM, The Neophyte Numismatist said:

Team - Need a little clarity here... Joe, Bob, or Joe-Bob?

Its Joe. Around here known as Buffalo Head and Crazyhounddog ATS. I think he does amazing work. 

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The quality of coin photos really depends on how close they come to accurately depicting the coin. I like the sharpness and overall image quality. To me, there are difficulties with tonal range and possibly color balance....But consistency with the original outweighs any individual opinion.

image.thumb.png.5027310ed6d9924929251520461af786.png

image.thumb.jpeg.3c983be3ca0492f20b9eebd58e57301a.jpeg

image.thumb.png.4493a48a2b75e5049e3d802bb205756f.png

image.thumb.png.b6384565f3a3da336341ae1d7c37ab51.png

 

Edited by RWB
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PS: The cent was color balanced by assuming the white tabs were neutral; and that the brightest highlights on the nickel were also neutral by overexposure. Contrast was adjusted to open the midtones and bring out details.

Edited by RWB
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On 3/20/2022 at 8:40 AM, The Neophyte Numismatist said:

I am sure this has been covered... but is there a section of the forum of the equipment and set-up/settings these top coin photographers use?  I am not ready to dump a lot of money into camera equipment, but it would be nice to learn to improve the quality of my own shots.  

Obviously, there are lots of video tutorials, but wondered if any of the best had solid advice also?

There is not a section here that is dedicated to photography, however there have been some threads on the subject in recent years.   For my money Mark Goodman wrote the book on coin photography, literally.  The book   And a link to his site which has a ton of information about equipment and tips techniques.  Mark 

Mark is the one I go to what I want really great photos, that is not to say that there are other great coin photographers, because there are like Joe, Bob, Tom, and Jeremy just to name a few.   But Mark has always delivered some fantastic shots for me over the years.

As to the equipment you can get some really great shots with just a cell phone and the right lighting and white balance settings on the phone.  80% of a great photo is in the lighting not the mega expensive camera/lens, and if you do a search there are some older threads with great tips on using cell phones.   And I can say that for around $500 Ray has a very solid setup that will produce some great results.  System 400   This photo was taken using the camera and lens from Ray's system that I just linked, not as good as what Mark or one of the pros can do but the photo is in sharp focus and very acceptable to me.

 

1915cd-obv.jpg

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On 3/20/2022 at 4:53 PM, Lem E said:

I think the images represent the coins quite well.

That's all that is important.

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On 3/20/2022 at 3:50 PM, The Neophyte Numismatist said:

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions.  This is something I am going to have to study more.  Being able to take great shots would make the hobby, registry and study more fun.  And, knowing numismatic photography will pay-off if/when it comes time to sell the collection.

Ray is who I bought my setup from. Great guy and he tries to get you going for the budget you want to spend. I am upgrading mine a little as I go but only because I’m taking a ton of pics these days. He can get you what you need in one of his packages. 

Edited by Woods020
Fixing my typo 😂
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On 3/20/2022 at 1:16 PM, RWB said:

The quality of coin photos really depends on how close they come to accurately depicting the coin. I like the sharpness and overall image quality. To me, there are difficulties with tonal range and possibly color balance....But consistency with the original outweighs any individual opinion.

image.thumb.png.5027310ed6d9924929251520461af786.png

image.thumb.jpeg.3c983be3ca0492f20b9eebd58e57301a.jpeg

image.thumb.png.4493a48a2b75e5049e3d802bb205756f.png

image.thumb.png.b6384565f3a3da336341ae1d7c37ab51.png

 

You are absolutely correct in your observation.
What happened here is I was balancing my lights along with my aperture and shutter speed of course the white balance is set with a grey card.  I mistakenly sent my friend here the wrong picks.  The brighter of the coins you’ve illustrated here were pounded with light and flooded the surface of the coins with way too much light along with and incorrect shutter speed and aperture. I shoot everything in a manual mode as this gives me more control over my images. The darker of the two coins represent the coins in hand. 
Thank you to all for the compliments on my photography.  It means a lot,

Joe 

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Joe, that's good information for others to know -- taking really good coin photos -- ones like yours -- is not as easy as some like to pretend. Plastic slabs make the whole thing more difficult not only because of the first and second reflections from the plastic, and plastic deformation, but from the inconsistent angle at which coins are inserted.

My post was not intended to be negatively critical -- just an informational opinion. I would not hesitate to have you photograph my coin collection -- if I had one.

:)

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On 3/21/2022 at 2:22 PM, Buffalo Head said:

You are absolutely correct in your observation.
What happened here is I was balancing my lights along with my aperture and shutter speed of course the white balance is set with a grey card.  I mistakenly sent my friend here the wrong picks.  The brighter of the coins you’ve illustrated here were pounded with light and flooded the surface of the coins with way too much light along with and incorrect shutter speed and aperture. I shoot everything in a manual mode as this gives me more control over my images. The darker of the two coins represent the coins in hand. 
Thank you to all for the compliments on my photography.  It means a lot,

Joe 

The brighter versions of the two pics above were not sent to me by mistake and are not your test pics. They are modified versions of the originals.

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On 3/21/2022 at 4:15 PM, Lem E said:

 

The brighter versions of the two pics above were not sent to me by mistake and are not your test pics. They are modified versions of the originals.

Correct. I changed the originals to the brighter and altered color balance ones. Thought that was evident in my post.

Sorry.

Edited by RWB
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On 3/21/2022 at 2:08 PM, Woods020 said:

Ray is who I bought my setup from. Great guy and he tries to get you going for the budget you want to spend. I am upgrading mine a little as I go but only because I’m taking a ton of pics these days. He can get you what you need in one of his packages. 

Ha.  You fellas are all better connected than me.  I don't know Joe, Bob, or Ray.  I would love to get some sort of set-up though.

@Buffalo Head Joe - Your images are amazing.  Great work (really)!

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On 3/21/2022 at 3:25 PM, The Neophyte Numismatist said:

Ha.  You fellas are all better connected than me.  I don't know Joe, Bob, or Ray.  I would love to get some sort of set-up though.

@Buffalo Head Joe - Your images are amazing.  Great work (really)!

When you are ready @Coinbuf or I can connect you with him. He hangs out ATS. 

Edited by Woods020
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On 3/21/2022 at 3:39 PM, The Neophyte Numismatist said:

Thanks @Woods020.  I think my first step is to buy Mark's book and read it cover to cover.  How much does a "mid-range" coin photography rig set one back (assuming I have nothing but my cell phone)?

For $500 you can have a setup that will work for most things you will want to do. Before you pull the trigger we can chat. A few things I would do differently and a few ways you can lower your cost potentially. But for now I would budget $500 as a base price. You can go up or down from there depending on options. 

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On 3/21/2022 at 4:42 PM, Woods020 said:

For $500 you can have a setup that will work for most things you will want to do...

Good to know.  I will definitely want to take you up on that chat before I buy.  Thanks to everyone, and @Lem E, I am sorry if I hijacked your thread.

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On 3/21/2022 at 3:45 PM, The Neophyte Numismatist said:

Good to know.  I will definitely want to take you up on that chat before I buy.  Thanks to everyone, and @Lem E, I am sorry if I hijacked your thread.

Not a problem. My threads are always open to everyone.

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