| Author |
 Replies: 48 / Views: 8,686 |
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
2130 Posts |
What about this for the reverse...any better? I have not figured out the delayed shutter feature yet so I am still touching the camera when I take these photos. That could have caused the reverse to be out of focus on the Lincoln the first time.  |
|
Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Yes, that's noticeably better and I think you've figured out the cause correctly.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2130 Posts |
Thanks for all the help...I'm going to try to figure out the delayed shutter feature and wait for my light to arrive. I'm just using the light above my kitchen table in these photo's. I can see big improvements in my photography since the pictures I posted yesterday.
My goal is to post a picture of a coin to be graded and not get any responses about it being hard to tell b/c of the picture! :) Thanks again!
|
|
Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:
My goal is to post a picture of a coin to be graded and not get any responses about it being hard to tell b/c of the picture! Um, you're there.... Just crop to the coin itself, and post at an image size approaching 800 pixels. You're on your own now, though.  I'm headed for work and won't reliably be back on the forum until Tuesday morning. |
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
2781 Posts |
if you are going to play with lights get a fluorescent bulb with a color spectrum of 5000K (usually called a daylight bulb) rather than 3000K (soft white). this, and a tripod, and you are going to see some more improvements.
try to get your light source level with, or below, the camera lens so you don't cast shadows.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
872 Posts |
For my Lincoln Cent above, I dont necessarily have to get up too close to the cent. I will stay a bit back, and on the Sony model style cameras, the zoom can be used, but nothing more than 2.0 ( out of 10.0 for me). The images stay pretty clear and crisp. Also, backing off a little will allow for a little more light to bleed in. If lighting is too much, you can diffuse it if need be. The lights shouldn't be too hot, but some flame retardant material in a frame, or lights positioned outside a "light box" would work. depends on what works for you. There is alot of talented people in this post, so take something from them, and modify it to your liking. Personally, I have tried those 5000 watt lights, and have moved over to the el-cheapo Walmart LED desk light that is a goose neck. I draped some cloth over the light to difuse it a tad, and that light is used in my 3 pics above. Again, to each their own tastes. Work what you are comfortable with, and can afford. Edited by Collector-Corner
01/07/2014 07:06 am
|
|
Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
The color temperature of lighting is essentially irrelevant in the presence of an effective Custom white balance solution, as long as you don't mix sources of differing color temperature. And even then, a good camera should still be able to correct but it complicates things. The reason for the popular recommendation of 5000k Daylight bulbs is that they closely parallel the "Daylight" or "Cloudy" camera white balance presets; color correction for standard incandescent "Tungsten" bulbs is iffy across manufacturers. Canon is notorious for not getting incandescents quite right, but my Jansjos correct perfectly on either Auto or Tungsten without a Custom setting.
So, an early task in the development of an aspiring coin photographer is to learn their camera's White Balance correction modes, and master the Custom setting. That takes the color temperature of the light source completely out of the equation.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2130 Posts |
Okay...what am I doing wrong with this coin. People are saying they are not able to grade this coin from the photo's. I now have my light source approx. 8 1/2" inches from coin, the coin is behind a solid color background, and I have stabilized the camera. This Morgan has a lot of luster and almost a mirror like finish. I am at a loss of what to try next.   |
|
Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Crop the image and post only the coin, so it'll show large enough in the viewer's browser window. The color is off, which makes an opinion of the originality of the surfaces impossible, and that's a vital part of grading.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2130 Posts |
What recommendation do you have in photographing the "real" color and luster of this coin? I having a hard time photographing any coin with luster.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
4944 Posts |
This thread I started a while ago may help you a little bit. The coin I was photographing was a very lustrous Morgan. I was only using my Cell Phone camera, so the detail isn't great. https://goccf.com/t/161003&whichpage=1 |
|
Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:
What recommendation do you have in photographing the "real" color and luster of this coin? I having a hard time photographing any coin with luster.
Those are two different problems. First, you have to lick White Balance, as I've already talked about a couple of times in this thread. Then we'll work on luster, which is purely a function of direct lighting. |
|
New Member
United States
22 Posts |
Looks like a good start. If I could make a couple of suggestions, I would look into adding a 3rd light source. Make sure all of your bulbs correspond with each other with regard to output and temp rating. You'll want to adjust your white balance according to the light you're using. I don't have much experience with point and shoot cameras, however, I am quite certain that there are settings to be toyed with. If you can't find a setting for tungsten lighting, use the auto setting. Make sure your flash is turned off! That's important. Just a few things to consider. It looks like you're off to a good start though.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
872 Posts |
yeah sometimes a direct light approach for Morgan high luster or near prooflike coins can be tricky, it will fire off alot of radiant energy. Like Dave has mentioned, its the positioning of the lights. This particular morgan was giving me fits below the tripod, so I decided to freehand it, and the results are below. yep, I had to crop it to get it to fit on the forum, but you get the idea of how it should look.   Edited by Collector-Corner
02/13/2014 10:01 am
|
|
Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
You're making an interesting point there, Gary - your images show no luster (necessarily) or reflectivity, yet I look at that coin and instantly think, "This one's probably PL at least."
|
| |
Replies: 48 / Views: 8,686 |
First Page
Posted 01/05/2014 3:31 pm
