Demo: My Method For Lighting Coins

Your technique is different than mine but I can't find fault with your results.
Except IMO you are going through a lot of extra steps to get those results.
What s/w are you using to correct the image distortion caused by the angle?
What hardware do you use to hold your camera?
Do you use a remote shutter release?

You've got good hardware, particularly the 105mm macro lens.
I use similar hardware but only have a Nikkor 60mm macro lens.

You never showed the other side of the coins so I can't be sure but it looks like there are remnants of a die clash.

Here's my setup:

Except IMO you are going through a lot of extra steps to get those results.
Currently, the most tedious step is manually adjusting the focus increment for stacking. When I get D810-compatible tethering software this tiresome step will become automated.

What s/w are you using to correct the image distortion caused by the angle?
Adobe Photoshop CS6--and the steps described above where I remove perspective-based distortion are very easy and fast.

What hardware do you use to hold your camera? It looks like you use a good setup! I use an Albinar copy stand--very sturdy and easily adjustable for small distances to the subject. Naturally--you wouldn't get these results without a remote shutter release. I also shoot mirror up and electronic front curtain shutter enabled.


Yes, of course--that Aussie Shilling could be called "pseudo axial". And as I said, I like to experiment, vary shots and of course I reserve the right to use artistic license--even on my coin shots. I bore pretty easily otherwise.


I'll just preface by saying that previously I've been taking coin macros for several years--handheld and achieving "OK" results. One thing I took away from that experience is that tilting the coin markedly improves how evenly light falls on the coin, allows natural lighting angle adjustment while getting the camera out of the way. This also reduces the amount of editing needed to the tonal range (it keeps shadows/highlights in check).

Agreeably, those two shots above are nowhere near 'quasi-axial', yet angling the coin is an integral part of the final effect, which I simply cannot achieve with a flat shot. You won't get light coverage/detail definition as you see here otherwise. I've tried so many angles before I developed this technique that I'll simply say it works--try it yourself if you like! Finally, the desired effect is a "natural look", and I think both results are very pleasing and high-quality--my ultimate goal. I don't normally go into such detail over each coin shot; my goal here was to explain a technique I find very useful. Thanks everyone!

Yes--that's an integral part of this method, otherwise you would be hard-pressed to get the coin in sharp focus, even using a very small aperture--and a much longer exposure, which also complicates getting a tack-sharp result.

I considered using the "mirror up" technique to help eliminate vibration but decided not to.
I use a wireless remote shutter release AND time delayed exposure.
For full coins that works well for me.
And I shoot at high resolution so that I can scale down the image.
I've never tried saving the original as a .tiff (I think that's the hi res raw format but you end up with huge file sizes) but it's recommended if you want the best results.
If I tried a REAL closeup of something like a mint mark then I'd consider the "mirror up" option.

The 85PCM is indeed a great lens for this. Only caveat is it can only go 1:2, so would need an additional adapter like a PN-11 to go 1:1.

Adapters are available to allow tilt and/or shift with any MF-capable lens. These adapters are not as robust as the mechanisms built into a high quality lens like the 85PCM, but they can work well in a vertical studio setup.

Also available are bellows with tilt/shift capability, like the Nikon PB-4 or Minolta Auto Bellows III. These are pretty expensive on their own, and I find I prefer the adapters mounted to a normal bellows or lens. This is because the tilt/shift bellows move the LENS end of the bellows, while the adapters can be put on CAMERA end. Having the tilt/shift at the camera puts less emphasis on the lens quality, specifically the size of the image circle coverage.

There are many other techniques available that will give you good coverage with a flat shot. I also assume you're using "Flat" picture control on the D810, which helps quite a lot with this by compressing dynamic range better than other picture controls.

I completely agree that if an axial lighting effect is desired, then tilting the coin and accepting the need either for focus stacking or employing tilt/shift techniques is a necessary evil. But because of the added expense and/or labor for every shot, tilting is not a good technique to recommend for everyday shots not requiring axial lighting.

One thing folks should also realize is that the adage 'pixels are free' goes away with focus stacking. For example, let's take DVC's D810 as the example. The camera is good for perhaps 200k shutter actuations, so each actuation costs $3300/200k = 1.65 cents per shot. This is essentiall "free" by many folks' standards. But for the example above with 36 stacked shots, each final image will cost 59.4 cents, certainly not "free", and reduces the life of the camera to 5555 images.

That's a nice lens, but I'm going to try to be content and work with the 60mm and 105mm micro-Nikkor lenses. Besides, it's sorta off-topic to this specific demo.


You know, this would be a concern if I were creating a film based upon time-lapse shots from my camera, where each minute of a 30fps movie takes 1800 shots--or 18,000 for one 10 minute segment.

For the most part, I shoot hand-held macro, where I can easily fire off 20-30 frames to (hopefully) capture one shot with the right details on a small animal. But, when I do a shot with focus-stacking, I have everything set up so I know I'll succeed with those 20-30 frames. From what I've seen, the odds are better with focus stacking.


More accurately put, the shutter is rated for 200,000 actuations, and typically they last longer. Even if the shutter fails, that's like a $250 repair, so the operating cost of "$3300/200k = 1.65 cents" only applies if your camera is as dead as the proverbial doorstop at 200K. Since I'm not doing time-elapse, I figure I'll use this camera for some years without shutter trouble.


Here's one more example of the resolving power of my D810 with the 105mm--focus stacked and Mup/EFSC. I shot this coin at 1:1.4. It's a rather small silver coin (15.5mm dia.), but my lens and 36mp sensor still captures some nice detail at this size--below is 100% crop (when enlarged). At this size, you can see the 1909/7 overdate, clash marks, lathe lines, minute die breaks, and re-engraving.



Compare to my prior shot taken a while ago, hand-held on a Canon SD790IS. While it's an OK shot, it's nowhere near the dynamic range or detail...