Photographing copper - Help Please

[hoard]

I have fussed with ISO settings, Fstop, light, etc and I just can not photograph these lincolns. I need advice on what you use for lighting (wattage, type, etc) and what camera settings you use. I really want to try to sell these and other lincolns I have but will not be able to unless I can get a good photo I fear.

 

Below are some of the best examples I could get. Photographing copper is definately different than silver. Thanks in advance for any help. I have included what I think the should grade.

 

1909S VDB EF

1931S VF

1914D F damaged

1909S VF

 

[WinstonWare]

I'm no photo expert but it may help others to know what camera you are using.

[hoard]

inexpensive Canon powershot A530 which may actually be root of the problem.

[bsshog40]

Looks like you're trying to make the pics larger and they are getting distorted. You need to use a Macro mode if available and set your camera for the largest size pixels, also try setting your exposure brighter so you don't have to lighten them yourself. All this can be set when taking your pics in manual mode. It takes alot of experimentation and a lot of pics to get them right. Also, I had an older digital a while back that didn't have a very good macro setting, so I just got the lighting right and actually took a magnifying glass and held it over the lense and took some decent pics like that. trial & Error!

[hoard]

let me add a little more information. No post photo adjustment other than cropping. Photos were taken in macro mode at 12x or 16x magnification using one 100 watt lamp. Focus was about 18 or so inches above the coin.

[TomB]

Your images are slightly out of focus and you need much more light that should come from perhaps two sources.

[DC Dawg]

let me add a little more information. No post photo adjustment other than cropping. Photos were taken in macro mode at 12x or 16x magnification using one 100 watt lamp. Focus was about 18 or so inches above the coin.

My wife has an A series camera and I have used it to take images of coins. Let's start with some basics:

• Turn off digital zoom mode. This can be done from setup. Regardless of the camera, digital zoom always pixelates the image.
• When your in shooting mode, press the FUNC button. The menu at the bottom is the resolution. You will see choices for "L" "M" (or M1 and M2) and "S". Select "L" for LARGE.
• There should also be a note that says "SET". Press the SET button and then choose "SUPERFINE" so that you see L and an S on the left side of the screen
• I believe your camera has a Super Macro mode. That is turned on by pressing the macro button until you get the Macro icon with an S in the middle. If there is no Super Macro mode, then set the macro mode with no magnification on the lens.
• Do not use flash and put the camera in Shutter priority mode... that's "Tv" on the selector dial. Set the shutter speed down to at least 1/20. Check the image on the screen and step it down until you get a good image. Oh... and you will need a tripod or something to keep the camera still.

You will need indirect light. There are many ways to do indirect light, so I leave that as an exercise for the reader.

 

I am a fan of Canon cameras. Even their consumer cameras are fantastic. You can take great pictures of your coins with your camera. Right now, I am not at home. If you PM me next week, I will have my wife's camera in hand to help walk you through any questions.

 

Scott

 

[SuperDave]

Here's a pic of my fearsome lighting setup. $14 on Clearance at Home Depot, plus the cost of a dimmer and a plastic box. The small table lamp is only used to sidelight die cracks and such.

 

 

The point to the gooseneck lights is infinite variability, and the small MR16 size lets me get them almost perfectly vertical above the coin when necessary. Here's what that rig can do with copper:

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, an A540 isn't going to achieve results of the size I can with 8MP and a bespoke 100mm Macro lens (the originals of the above images are 2200px), but a Canon is a Canon and as Scott so accurately said, you can expect pretty professional results from yours. I would only modify his excellent advice to this extent:

 

1) Provide enough light to keep your exposure speeds no slower than 1/80, and preferably in excess of 1/200.

 

2) Keep the camera as perfectly parallel to the surface of the coin as you're able - as you open the aperture (lower numerically), you lose depth of field and you'll find the coin losing focus over parts of the surface if it's out of parallel.

 

3) Shooting on a light background, you should find ISO 400 or maybe even 800 to give acceptable results; these higher ISO settings will allow you to use much faster shutter speeds, and also possibly reduce the amount or direction of the light to avoid glare.

 

4) Use a tripod, perhaps like I did in the picture above. Your camera has a self-timer; use it, too, so nothing is touching the camera when the shutter snaps.

 

It will take a lot of trial and error. I've taken 10,000 pictures of coins in the last year alone, and I'm just beginning to get acceptable results. Then again, a stone learns faster than me.

[poorguy.-migration]

SuperDave, Those are some excellent pics.

 

Regarding the first post, I'd try to get as much light on the coin as possible. Low-light can cause very grainy images. If your camera has the ability to spot meter, that would help as well.

[bsshog40]

First of all, very nice pics there Superdave. I use a canon S3. I use an extendable arm that will come down on top of my coins. I also use supermacro mode for silver but will change to just macro for copper and use some 1-4x lenses so I can get more light in. I use 2 OTT lights. I little adjusting of aperature and shoot. I haven't shot many lincolns, (whoops, that didn't sound right) but just a couple normals for an earlier post. I still need work but they turned out not too bad.

 

[MikeInFL]

1) Provide enough light to keep your exposure speeds no slower than 1/80, and preferably in excess of 1/200.

 

I could not disagree more with the above advice.

 

With a good camera, a stable tripod/copy stand, and a remote/timed shutter release, there's nothing wrong with using a slower shutter speed than you suggest above*, IMHO...Mike

 

1/3 sec @ f/11

 

 

 

* = NOTE: If the OP is holding the camera in his hands, your suggestion makes a lot of sense.

[bsshog40]

I have to agree with Mike here also. As long as the lighting is good and the camera is stable, a slower shutter speed will work fine. I also set mine to a 10second timer to make sure I do not move the camera any when I click the shot button.

[SuperDave]

I have to agree with Mike here also. As long as the lighting is good and the camera is stable, a slower shutter speed will work fine. I also set mine to a 10second timer to make sure I do not move the camera any when I click the shot button.

 

Hmmm. I wonder, then, if I'm running into the diffraction limit rather than exposure-related focus problems. Most of what I've noticed about slower exposures has been at pretty narrow aperture settings.

 

I have to experiment with this some.

[SuperDave]

OK, I stand corrected. I guess decent images are possible at slower exposures. I figured if anything I had handy would show poor focus, this would be the coin. ISO 100, 1/4 at f/14:

 

[MikeInFL]

Something else that I noticed... In addition to the lack of sharp focus, the OPs pics seem to have an inordinate amount of color noise. It looks to me like the ISO is cranked up. Adding more light and/or forcing a low ISO (as low as the camera will allow) will help remove/minimize this color noise.

 

Some of this could be JPG artifacts, but I doubt it..Mike

[rbrown4]

May I interject a question in here? On my camera, I no longer have the manual, and there is an option that is called Long Shutter and the options vary from 1" to 15". Any ideas on what this is. I also can not find any way to locate or set the shutter speed.

 

Rey

[bsshog40]

I would suspect that this may be your shutter speed Rey. May just have to experiment with it. I would try on 1 and the 15 and see if it effects the speed any.

[hoard]

I am indebted. Read the email made the adjustments and the results were unbelievable. I need better/more lighting and a tripod and with some practice I will be on my way. Again thanks for the advice.

 

 

[bsshog40]

Big difference there Hoard. Nice pics!!!

[TwoKopeiki]

Great improvement, Hoard!

 

~Roman

[MikeInFL]

May I interject a question in here? On my camera, I no longer have the manual, and there is an option that is called Long Shutter and the options vary from 1" to 15". Any ideas on what this is. I also can not find any way to locate or set the shutter speed.

 

Rey

 

Rey, Sounds like that feature (Long Shutter) just enables long shutter times, but 1 second will likely be way too long for coin photos.

 

What you probably have to do is turn the exposure from automatic to "manual" or "aperature priorty" and adjust the exposure manually. Without knowing your camera type (or how to do it on your camera), I can't be much more specific...Mike

[MikeInFL]

Hoard, That's quite an improvement! Well done!...Mike

[rrantique]

Welcome to the forum Brandon (thumbs u

[robec1347]

OK, I stand corrected. I guess decent images are possible at slower exposures. I figured if anything I had handy would show poor focus, this would be the coin. ISO 100, 1/4 at f/14:

 

Probably 90% or more of my images are taken with f stops in the f22-f28 range. Simply because quite often I tilt the coin slightly to eliminate glare on the slab from the lighting. The longer exposure insures a better focus on the whole coin.

 

 

[rrantique]

Great photos Bob (thumbs u

[robec1347]

That is one sweet image also Irvin.

 

I was just demonstrating how in focus an image looks with f stops set at f22 and up. Of course this can only be achieved with the use of a tripod, copy stand or any other tool that stabilizes the camera. It definitely won't work by holding the camera by hand.

[bsshog40]

Those are nice pics Bob. The Frankie is awesome. Nice buff pic there Irvin. I tried to photo a lincoln. The only reason I picked this one is because the red you se in it is the way this thing is toning. Strange??? Also, I just couldn't get my OTT light off of it enough to get that slight glare away. Practice practice practice.

[robec1347]

That is some interesting red going on there Bobby. Looks like it's going to be an exciting piece in a few years when it tones even more. I'd keep an eye on that one.

[rbrown4]

So Bob, what kind of photo set up do you have/use out of curiosity. Your Lincolns always make my eyes widen. Also out of curiosity, what is your favorite type coin to photograph and why.

 

Rey

[robec1347]

So Bob, what kind of photo set up do you have/use out of curiosity. Your Lincolns always make my eyes widen. Also out of curiosity, what is your favorite type coin to photograph and why.

 

Rey

 

Well it's nothing really fancy Rey. I have a Canon digital Rebel (which is connected to the computer), a dedicated macro lens, a copy stand and a couple of OTT lights. At times only one light is needed. I do have one little trick that helps a heap when trying to manipulate the coins so as not to get a glare (or at least much of one). You can use anything, but I have some of the small bubble type bubble wrap. I have it folded into a small square about a half inch to an inch thick. I have the seams taped so that it doesn't come unraveled. Then I put the coin/slab on that. With this you can manipulate the coin while you are looking in the view finder. Sometimes a good shot will just show up. Also while looking through the view finder, you can move the lighting around, up, down or a combination and see if any aspect of the shot is improved. There maybe simpler ways or this may not be for everyone, but it works for me.

 

I love doing MPL's, but I think my favorite to image are the Franklin Proofs. It seems on smaller sized coins such as the nickel, dime and cents, the glare of the slab (if it is slabbed of course) covers the whole coin and is more difficult to get a good image. The Franklin proof has so many different ways it can be imaged, although there is a risk of having triple reflections of the devices as an artifact of lighting. You can make a black and white cameo or the watery, liquid looking image, which right now is my favorite type. But it is a lot of trial and error, with less than half turning out the way you want. Thank God for digital, I'd go broke with film.

 

Sorry for the rambling. Sometimes I get carried away.