Coin Photo Setup

Approach proofs with a ringlight concept - point sources at all angles simultaneously. I'm convinced that a ring fluorescent is the ideal solution for DCAM Proofs.

Slabs shoot under the same rules as raw coins, except with greater angle on the lighting. They're going to glare; it's your job to adjust the glare angle away from the sensor. Not as hard as it seems.

Lustrous silver and Mint State nickel are far and away the most difficult photography subjects; everything else is simplistic. If you can do what you've done with that Buff, you'll find an XF 1883-O Morgan to be child's play. The moment wear begins appearing is the moment lighting becomes easy.

I picked up a Vivitar VHE 80mm f/5.6 Enlarging Lens on ebay a while back and just got around to testing it. I was pleasantly surprised by the images it produces. It's not a Printing-Nikkor or Apo-Rodagon D, but for the $20 it cost me I'm amazed at the quality. Here is the same 1921 Morgan dollar I've been using for comparisons, lit by my new cone reflectors on the Jansjos:

Overall view with 2 Jansjos at high angle


Detail view with 1 Jansjo at low angle


I'll take a pic of a Lincoln Cent next. I also put together a new Macro Photo Stand with a little different configuration that I'll share pics of soon.

The VHE series were made by Schneider-Kreuznach and are "sleepers" in my opinion. One online seller claims they are same as Componon-S, which is an excellent lens.

80mm is never going to give high enough magnification for variety attribution, unless you have a 24" bellows. That is the realm for the 35mm and under lenses, or the Microscopes. By the way SuperDave, it's September now, have you started putting together your new setup?

Here are pics of my latest setup. I know, looks like the last one, but there is a subtle and important difference. I modified the bellows to remove the forward mounting tab. Now I can mount the bellows by either the front or rear standard.

First image shows overall view in configuration used for the 1921 Morgan detail shot, with the camera standard bolted to the microscope stand. Second is side view of setup in that same configuration. Third shows more detail of the mount, and a lower-magnification setting of the bellows. Note that high magnification images require mounting camera standard to the stand in order to get the lens close enough to the subject.

Fourth image shows a reconfiguration to mounting the bellows using the lens standard. This is preferred for low-magnification images since the lens is most securely bolted to the stand for best stability. In this configuration the lens height is adjusted with the fine controls of the microscope stand, while the magnification is adjusted with bellows length. As the bellows is extended, the lens stays put while the camera standard moves up and down. It's a little weird to get used to but offers superb rigidity.

The range of lens height above the subject with this setup is from ~0 to ~12".

Luckily Bausch & Lomb did the engineering long ago for the MZ7 mount and it is superbly rigid and flexible. Here's my MZ7 setup sans lighting. Tucsen 3MP is C-mounted. The specialized mounting bracket B&L designed for the MZ7 has a mounting hole for Nicholaus illuminator as well so you have an immediate, optimized lighting configuration available. SuperDave, I have several of these setups that I've picked up over time if you are interested in putting something like this together.

That is a stronger-looking mount than I expected. Makes great sense to "dangle" the lens. I'm still left wondering whether the added 20oz of a dSLR, plus whatever t-mount hardware is necessary, would find whatever flex is available in the mount.

A multipurpose mount seems like a fairly easy task. The bellows/rack would be a permanent component - MZ7 not needing a bellows - and with the use of high-leverage wingnuts, a truly "quick-change" system could be had.

Here are some pics taken with the latest setup, 80mm EL-Nikkor on Novoflex Bellows and MZ7 Stand. The 80mm is a very nice lens. These are stopped-down to f/8. The two pictures essentially prove that the setup has the adjustment range to image full-sensor shots of Dollar and Cent. It can actually go a bit beyond on either side smaller and larger...

I got that clock in an antique mall in Reno for (ironically) $20.

I put my basic setups back together, and took the opportunity to incorporate all my lighting upgrades. Here are the two setups, on the shelf where they belong to keep my desk free for projects and to keep the cables (mostly) around the back of the cabinets:



You might notice the odd reflector on the MZ7. I wanted to have a more directional light than a ring light, but even closer to axial than most ringlights provide. But when I took the reflector concept and applied it to the MZ7, I got too much flare. MZ7's are prone to flare anyway, so you have to be careful. So I cut the tip off a yarn cone and glued it to the reflector. now I can point the light any way I like and it does not cause the MZ7 problems. Here's a view from below:



This setup does reasonably well for high mags. Here is a magnification sequence showing a 1956-D RPM #1. Coin is in a holder, so clarity is not as good as it could be. Also, these are single images, no stacking, and are done with the Tucsen camera, which does pretty well but is not the greatest. Note I've installed a 1.5X C-mount Multiplier on the MZ7. It helps in maintaining parfocality. Also note the Tucsen sensor is quite small (I don't actually know the dimensions) so adds even more apparent magnification. First image is at 10.5X (7X on body, 1.5X multiplier); second is at 4.5X (3X on body), third is at 1.5X (1X on body). Finally, you'll see some flare in the first image. There seem to be some reflections floating around in the MZ7 at highest mag. I may need to add some flocking inside the camera mount. All caveats aside, here are the images:







The sweet spot for the MZ7 is around the 5X range. It actually does OK at higher mags but the DOF suffers and you need to stack. I'm actually amazed it does as well as it does at 5X, but what's really going on is the effective aperture is fairly small so DOF is good. It's major benefit is the super long working distance, allowing most any lighting setup you prefer to use. And since it is parfocal, the working distance does not change with magnification. With the 1X objective mounted, WD is about 3-1/4" even at 10.5X.

Finally, here are some images of my reference 1957-D Toned Lincoln Cent with two lighting styles. The earlier picture of my two setups shows my full-size imaging setup with two RSD Directors and a Cone Reflector (third light). The pics below show the '57-D Cent first without the third light, and then with it. I'm curious which pic people like best. I'm not happy yet with the relative brightness of the 3rd light and may try moving it farther away to cut down on the highlighting it causes on the shoulder and chin. But here it is for comments.

Pavel...I much prefer to build each setup as custom for the application. I have built a few "stock" setups and sold them to folks but I'm always a bit hesitant to do this since I'm always unsure if they will meet their full needs.

For your application, the most basic setup to get the job done would be:

- Modified Bausch & Lomb A-Stand
- Modified Vivitar T-Mount Bellows
- 75mm f3.5 Spiratone Flat Field Macro Lens (for full coin shots)
- 35mm f3.5 Spiratone Macrotar Lens (for varieties)
- Pair of Jansjo Gooseneck LED Lights

There are options for stands, bellows, and lenses depending on other applications. For instance, would you ever want to mount your camera directly to the stand? Would you ever want to mount a stereo microscope to the stand? Is approx 5X magnification enough for your variety photos? Etc. In the end, budget vs quality and functionality are the tradeoffs we can discuss if you are interested in proceeding...Ray