New Option for Taking Pictures of Coins

[DC Dawg]

I am back from the ANA National Money Show in Charlotte. I really enjoyed myself and will write more over the next few days--there's so much to talk about that it may take a while.

 

Anyway... I met a gentleman who was a professional optical physicist who developed stereo microscopes with attachments that would help in taking pictures of coins. His company is CoinOptics.com. The product that caught my eye was the CLOUD DOME and MINI-COIN DOME (find them here). These are specially shapped domes that dispurse diffused light throughout the area it covers. Your camera would be attached to the top using the threads that you would use to attach a filter. It holds the camera steady, at a perfect angle, and you can use any light.

 

The dome was demonstrated at the show using the light from the Convention Center and an older Nikon camera. Even with pressing the button, the camera was steady and was able to capture a picture with great, even lighting.

 

After seeing and trying this product, I am going to purchase one rather than Ott Lites and tripods.

 

Scott

[nwcs]

Yeah, I've seen the cloud domes before. Several people use a DIY version by getting a similarly colored salad bowl and cutting a whole in it. The diffused light is good for certain types of coin pics but it can be bad at showing luster. That is why I use a diffused point light source and a non-diffused point light source. It gives a mixture of both effects.

[WaxonWaxov]

.....The product that caught my eye was the CLOUD DOME and MINI-COIN DOME (find them here). These are specially shapped domes that dispurse diffused light throughout the area it covers....

 

 

 

 

OK, My questions about this thing are..

 

1) How does light get in? the dome itself is translucent? Seems like you still need good light source on the outside.

 

2) Seems like you could buy a light shade like letter C in this picture...

 

 

 

and remove the bulb assembly and modify it to fit your camera.

 

You could probably get a translucent light shade/reflector like that second-hand for next to nothing.

[RWB]

aka: Plastic gallon milk jug with the ends cut off.

[WaxonWaxov]

either way it's cheaper than paying that guy $200 for it.

[gedis3]

Saw the domes at the ANA show looked like an old milk glass lamp shade. they are translucent, and have a bracket attached at the top for the camera. The images he was getting out of them were pretty sweet, but I'm not sure what kind of camera he was using. He also had about 3 different levels of microscopes, I almost snagged the $189 version, but held off until I could search the 'Bay for one.

 

I'm sure you could DIY one of the domes yourself with a little work and less than half the money.

 

I have one of the aforementioned Milk Glass Lampshades out in the shed that I picked up at an estate auction box lot sale, when I get a little time this week I'm going to dig it out and rig up my Fuji on it.

[DC Dawg]

Saw the domes at the ANA show looked like an old milk glass lamp shade. they are translucent, and have a bracket attached at the top for the camera. The images he was getting out of them were pretty sweet, but I'm not sure what kind of camera he was using. He also had about 3 different levels of microscopes, I almost snagged the $189 version, but held off until I could search the 'Bay for one.

 

I'm sure you could DIY one of the domes yourself with a little work and less than half the money.

 

I have one of the aforementioned Milk Glass Lampshades out in the shed that I picked up at an estate auction box lot sale, when I get a little time this week I'm going to dig it out and rig up my Fuji on it.

 

He was using a three-year-old Nikon Coolpix.

 

Sure, you can do it yourself... if you have the time. I am just going to buy one and be done with it!

 

Scott

[WaxonWaxov]

Saw the domes at the ANA show...

 

How the heck did I miss it?

[gedis3]

Saw the domes at the ANA show...

 

How the heck did I miss it?

 

Ya had to be slumming over in the Budget area, I guess you just stuck to "The Suits". ! You probably had what I refer to as "Target Lock" -- he didn't have any coins for sale, so you probably blanked him out to avoid overload.

 

I think he was right under the "600" sign...

[WaxonWaxov]

Bummer. Anyhow....

 

I just found a source for buying acrylic domes like the one above...

 

http://www.photodomes.com/photodomes.htm

 

They will drill a hole in the top.

 

So my camera takes 52mm filters. I figure out what the outside diameter of one of the fliters is, they could make the hole that size.

 

I could then take a cheap filter ring and epoxy it into place. So I coudl then thread the whole damned thing onto my camera.

[MrSpud-migration]

I sometimes use either a regular lampshade or a translucent plastic drinking glass and just rest the camera on top of the hole in the lampashade or on the top of the plastic glass. I use these mainly for taking pictures of cameo proofs if I am in a hurry and don't want to take multiple shots of the same coin in order to get one that looks acceptable. The diffused light gets rid of the stray reflections that you can get with proofs. For business strikes and toned coins, the diffused light tends to mute the luster and/or color.

 

It would truly be great if some sort of apparatus or some type of light setup would work for all types of coins, but I don't think it is possible.

[nwcs]

>It would truly be great if some sort of apparatus or some type of light setup would work for all types of coins, but I don't think it is possible

 

I wish so, too, but it can't happen. Mostly because each coin type has different surfaces. You have the flat surface with mirrors (like a proof), flat with cartwheel (morgan), concave (walker), and more. Each type has to be lighted differently. Not to mention whether the coin is toned or not.

[bsshog40]

If it was easy, we wouldn't have nothing to talk about or coins to show off when the picture actually turns out pretty good.

[Cannon Coins]

That link to the photodome sight is interesting. But if you click on their link for domes for photography, they are all clear acrylic.Would this do the trick as far as stopping the glare from the coin you are imaging ? I like their prices.Now to figure out the correct heighth dome to get.