Popular Post Lem E Posted March 20, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 20, 2022 I finally had a chance to send Joe another group of coins for imaging. I am very happy with the results. J P M, bsshog40, Coinbuf and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post The Neophyte Numismatist Posted March 20, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 20, 2022 Beautiful. I wish my pictures looked like that! Coinbuf, Hoghead515 and Lem E 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeg Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 Great Group! Bob does nice work. The Neophyte Numismatist, Lem E and Hoghead515 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Neophyte Numismatist Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 Team - Need a little clarity here... Joe, Bob, or Joe-Bob? Lem E 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tj96 Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 Stunning pictures!! 👍🏻 Lem E 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Coinbuf Posted March 20, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 20, 2022 On 3/20/2022 at 5:27 AM, The Neophyte Numismatist said: Team - Need a little clarity here... Joe, Bob, or Joe-Bob? Just Joe, Lee may have misread or had another photographer on the mind as Bob is another of the great coin photographers. Lem E, The Neophyte Numismatist and Hoghead515 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Neophyte Numismatist Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 (edited) 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 March 20, 2022 by The Neophyte Numismatist Lem E 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldFinger1969 Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 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. Lem E 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lem E Posted March 20, 2022 Author Share Posted March 20, 2022 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWB Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 (edited) 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. Edited March 20, 2022 by RWB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWB Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 (edited) 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 March 21, 2022 by RWB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coinbuf Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 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. Woods020 and Lem E 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post The Neophyte Numismatist Posted March 20, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 20, 2022 (edited) 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. Edited March 20, 2022 by The Neophyte Numismatist Coinbuf, Woods020 and Lem E 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lem E Posted March 20, 2022 Author Share Posted March 20, 2022 I think the images represent the coins quite well. Coinbuf and Woods020 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWB Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post leeg Posted March 21, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 21, 2022 On 3/20/2022 at 8:27 AM, The Neophyte Numismatist said: Team - Need a little clarity here... Joe, Bob, or Joe-Bob? Oops. Coinbuf, The Neophyte Numismatist and Lem E 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J P M Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 Wow, Some very nice shots of some very fine looking coins LEM. Lem E 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coinbuf Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 On 3/20/2022 at 1:53 PM, Lem E said: I think the images represent the coins quite well. Joe did a fantastic job, he is one of the best. Lem E 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woods020 Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 (edited) 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 March 21, 2022 by Woods020 Fixing my typo 😂 GoldFinger1969 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woods020 Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 Great coins and excellent photos! Lem E and GoldFinger1969 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Head Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 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. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWB Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lem E Posted March 21, 2022 Author Share Posted March 21, 2022 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWB Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 (edited) 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 March 21, 2022 by RWB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Neophyte Numismatist Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 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)! Buffalo Head 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woods020 Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 (edited) 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 March 21, 2022 by Woods020 The Neophyte Numismatist 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Neophyte Numismatist Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 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)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woods020 Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 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. The Neophyte Numismatist 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Neophyte Numismatist Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lem E Posted March 21, 2022 Author Share Posted March 21, 2022 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. The Neophyte Numismatist and Woods020 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...