Best I Can Get On A $400 Budget? Help

Very nice image! It could probably use a little bit of post-processing, but it's good "raw material". My only complaint is you should make the coin flat to the sensor. It is a little bit rotated CW. It might also be a little out of focus on the bottom. You should make sure the coin is flat vs the sensor to keep this from happening, and/or make the aperture a little smaller (larger number). For this coin at this image size f8 should be fine, maybe even f11

I just finished putting together the El Nikor setup from page 1 of this thread. I'm still working on the lighting and camera settings, but I'm happy with the first results. Thank you for the help!

I have purchased the items needed for the <$400 setup. For anyone interested, here are some links and other info on purchase prices. I have no affiliation with these sellers.

Canon camera, body only (average ebay body only selling prices):
1100D Rebel T3 $151.36
550D Rebel T2i $144.61
500D Rebel T1i $139.45
1000D Rebel XS $101.32
450D Rebel Xsi $94.75
EOS-M42 Adapter: $3, https://www.ebay.com/itm/Aluminum-M....m2749.l2649
M42 focusing helicoid, 17-31mm: $21, https://www.ebay.com/itm/M42-to-M42....m2749.l2649
M42 extensions, 2 sets 7/14/28mm: $16 total, https://www.ebay.com/itm/Camrea-Mac....m2749.l2649
M42-M39 adapter: $5.69, https://www.ebay.com/itm/M39-39mm-t....m2749.l2649
Nikon 75mm EL-Nikkor Lens: $45, https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nk..._stpos=54401
Tripod or preferably a copy stand with focusing rail.
You could build a copy stand and attach a focusing rail. I paid $17 for a focusing rail at: https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Way-LP-0....m2749.l2649
IKEA Jansjo LED lights, two: $30, These are discontinued on the Ikea website, so if you can't get to a store, ebay or Amazon.com are your best bets to get one.
Canson Opalux Diffusion Material: $7, https://jet.com/product/Opalux-Tran...d6cf8d2a536b

I did not buy these, only required for high magnification setups.
M42-RMS Adapter: $15
Nikon M5 or Plan4 objective: $30

Total $145 + Camera body of your choice + copy stand

Pics hopefully coming soon!

@ngs428

Very nice

Thanks for sharing. I've been looking for an updated setup.

Only generic adapter I've used failed during use and blew up my Nikon camera. Never have tried again.

I got my AC adapter from a Canon site, yes I pay more for it BUT I know it's the right one and has worked for me for 3 years now. If you look at a Canon adapter and a knock off you can see the difference, get the right one.

The easy part is getting the equipment.....the hard and frustrating part is figuring out the lighting. In fact, I was so frustrated I almost gave up. It seemed that what was working for everyone else was not working for me. I started with 2 jansjo lights than bought 2 more and no matter what I did, I couldn't get a good picture. I was lucky in a strange way, at that time, I was off work due to a injury and had nothing but time to play with the setup and find a solution to my lighting issues otherwise I probably would have gave up.




First of all, I am the farthest thing away from being a photographer....before this setup, I didn't even own a camera! My main goal was I wanted a system that I could take pictures of hundreds of different coins without having to do any lighting adjustments between pictures. I came up with a system that works great and with very little adjustment between coins. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of my setup but I will try to explain it the best I can....trust me, its not to complicated. Ive googled some pictures to help me explain the setup that Ive attached.




The main light I use is a simple desk lamp with a telescoping arm (see attached picture). I than may use 1 jansjo light on the opposite side of the coin as secondary lighting just to take some shadowing away. Keep in mind, I never point any lights directly at the face of the coin....I always come at it from the side. In fact, the main desk lamp seems to work best at almost a horizontal plain with the coin. I just play with the position of the lamp a little until I get the desired look.




My second secret is a simple piece of regular glass I stole from a picture frame.....MUST BE SCRATCH FREE AND CLEAN. Pictures say a thousand words so see the attached pictures I provided.......That is basically my setup!!




One other little tip......Im not at my setup right now but I believe I just have a regular incandescent 40 or 60 watt lightbulb in the desklamp. Playing with different watts and different bulbs may be necessary to get the right bulb that works for you.

Also.....I do this in my basement with all other lights off. The darker the room, the better.




I hope I didn't ramble on to much and make it seem harder than what it really is. Good luck and I'm here if you need anything. The forum is great but I found that most that are trying to help just make it more confusing because I don't understand what they are trying to say....I needed someone to dumb it down for me because I'm a carpenter, not a photographer.




Best Regards

Brent

Thanks for the tips so far Ray and Brent. I am using the <$400 setup with custom copy stand and manual focusing rail. Will still coat the inside of the cardboard with flat black...

I have had better success with the axial lighting method vs the diffused Jansjo method. I have not had much time to shoot too much (Olympics fan..), but here are a few I took. All are only cropped, contrast added and resized. Still working on it... I tried to get the tilt right for you Ray

Axial Lighting with supplemental diffused Jansjo on the back side. See setup pic.
Contrast at 20


Contrast at 35





Diffused Jansjo lighting only:



Axial Lighting Setup Pic: