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Author	Replies: 6 / Views: 1,742
andywoj00 Valued Member United States 441 Posts	Posted 02/14/2016 9:01 pm my homemade "copy stand". Nice not tripping on a tripod and having a solid mount for the camera. Still having alot of problems trying to get my lighting right with those Jansjo lights (yellowish). Can find the right amount of light to avoid hot spots and letter doubling due to reflections on shiny coins. Also having issues getting the adjustments right in post using Corel Painshop Pro X4. I'm done for the day. My head hurts with all the reading and experimenting Report this Post to the Staff

moxking Rest in Peace United States 17900 Posts	Posted 02/14/2016 9:11 pm I almost expected to see Frankenstein boots in the corner. Good luck with your new setup. Please let us see how your skills develop. Report this Post to the Staff
pepactonius Pillar of the Community United States 9395 Posts	Posted 02/14/2016 9:27 pm A copy stand is a big improvement over a tripod. Back in the film days, and also for some early digital coin photos, I used a tripod and macro lenses, extension tubes, etc. Nowadays, I use a copy stand, tethering, microscope focusing blocks, bellows, etc., and coin photography is certainly a lot more pleasant. Lighting is the main problem area now. Ditching the tripod doesn't help as much with lighting. Report this Post to the Staff
rmpsrpms Pillar of the Community United States 4051 Posts	Posted 02/14/2016 10:11 pm Nice, I like to see homemade stuff. I'm DIY at heart. I do see a level on the stand, but that's not the best way to make sure a coin is flat vs the sensor. Two levels can be off by quite a bit and you won't see it on the instrument but will see it in the photos. Do you use the mirror technique in addition? Hotspot problems are often due to camera settings, or improper metering. You need to make sure the camera is metering on the brightest area, and then set the exposure values even lower, to ensure no hotspots. Most folks also just use the camera settings as-is, thinking they are being "pure" about using the camera in "stock" settings. This is a big mistake! The camera settings you use are almost as important as how you light the coin. Improper settings make it almost impossible to capture a good coin image. Don't settle for default settings! Contact me for photographic equipment or visit my home page at: http://macrocoins.com Report this Post to the Staff
rocky Pillar of the Community Canada 2784 Posts	Posted 02/14/2016 11:01 pm andywoj00 yes I like it piece of pumping pipe with a wall mounting flange. really like this you got a builders mind. you are going to do very well. this evening I disassembled my microscope base apart which is and Olympus. going to build and adapter. to mount a Bausch & Lomb staging plate. that has a built in x y stage. so I will be able to do focus stacking. I like how you do things andy keep up the good work Report this Post to the Staff
andywoj00 Valued Member United States 441 Posts	Posted 02/15/2016 3:39 pm rmpsrpms said: Nice, I like to see homemade stuff. I'm DIY at heart. I do see a level on the stand, but that's not the best way to make sure a coin is flat vs the sensor. Two levels can be off by quite a bit and you won't see it on the instrument but will see it in the photos. Do you use the mirror technique in addition? I use the level directly on the camera to square it to the coin. What is the mirror technique? Hotspot problems are often due to camera settings, or improper metering. You need to make sure the camera is metering on the brightest area, and then set the exposure values even lower, to ensure no hotspots. For some reason, I cannot get the metering to work. It's grayed out on my menu when in manual mode. I'll keep playing with it. See pic below. Would like opinions/thoughts. Did a cropping (not to well at that) ,resize, digital noise removal, not much more cleanup. Reflecting (2) lights off the ceiling with Feit 75w ecobulb CFL's from Menards, daylight 6500k, diffused. I can't get direct lighting to work well without hot spots and letter doubling. Attached screenshots of EXIF info Edited by andywoj00 02/15/2016 4:11 pm Report this Post to the Staff
rmpsrpms Pillar of the Community United States 4051 Posts	Posted 02/17/2016 11:03 am For leveling with a mirror, set a small mirror where the coin sits. Set the lens to a smallish (~f22) aperture. Adjust the camera until the reflection of the lens lines up in the exact center of the image. Contact me for photographic equipment or visit my home page at: http://macrocoins.com Report this Post to the Staff
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