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 Replies: 37 / Views: 4,663 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2813 Posts |
My wife and I have decided to start looking for a new (real) camera for taking family photos. I, of course, also want to use it for coin photography. Specifically, I want a camera that can produce coin images like PCGS's TrueView service. I would very much appreciate opinions and suggestions on which brands/models to consider. I'm looking at a budget of $400-$600. Thanks! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2744 Posts |
I use a Canon EOS Rebel T6. Bought the bundle that came with TONS of stuff for around $499 on Amazon. So far I have been very pleased with it. Currently using a macro lens for photos with a wide angle lens attachment. These are my results below.. They aren't necessarily of TrueView quality, but they show the look/color of the coin nicely.     |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9395 Posts |
I use a Canon T6s, which has the same sensor as the T6i. Getting TrueView quality will be more a matter of lighting and skill, rather than the choice of camera.
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Valued Member
United States
456 Posts |
I recently purchased my first "REAL" camera myself..
Decided to go with the Canon Rebel T6 eos, after numerous online searches, reading reviews and comparison shopping for entry level camera's.
Bought the entire bundle on sale at best buy for around $500 it included 2 lenses, carry bag and free memory card. I also picked up a tripod that can swivel the camera down at 90 degree angle, a remote shutter switch and an LED light ring.
So altogether, after taxes and extras, spent closer to $700.
I use the 35mm lense that came with the bundle, (set on macro setting) to shoot my coin photos. And with the right lighting, camera settings and some fine tuning in post edit, they come out ok.
But I'm afraid if you're looking to shoot high end quality photos of coins, you'll need a little more tgan the stuff I mentioned and you may end up blowing your budget when all is said and done.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5639 Posts |
Mine is a Canon rebel Xs but not a fancy one, it was on of the first that came with the soft ware you will need. Mine was used from eBay $150
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2813 Posts |
Wow. So far everyone uses Canon. That helps in the narrowing down process. Quote:
TrueView quality will be more a matter of lighting and skill, rather than the choice of camera. For sure. I've pretty much figured out the lighting part, but can you venture an opinion on a particular lens? Will the lens that comes with the Cannon T6 be sufficient for this? I don't really need the images to be the same size as TrueViews, just the same quality as far as sharpness of focus is concerned. The main problem with my iPhone 6S Plus is that the image stays slightly out of focus on the right side of the coin. I haven't been able to figure out how to correct this. Edited by Darth Morgan
06/08/2017 09:36 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2744 Posts |
Quote:
For sure. I've pretty much figured out the lighting part, but can you venture an opinion on a particular lens? Will the lens that comes with the Cannon T6 be sufficient for this? I don't really need the images to be the same size as TrueViews, just the same quality as far as sharpness of focus is concerned. The main problem with my iPhone 6S Plus is that the image stays slightly out of focus on the right side of the coin. I haven't been able to figure out how to correct this. I've been using the macro lens that came with my camera and it works great. Only thing I've changed is by adding a wide angle conversion lens attachment.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3348 Posts |
Your iP6S+ can produce images as good as True Views. It all comes down to lighting and post-processing. No camera can produce the look of True Views right out of the camera. It takes a significant amount of post-processing to get there.
Canon is recommended due to features and software that are useful for coin photography.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2813 Posts |
Hey guys. I found this Canon EOS Rebel T6 DSLR on sale at Kohl's. I can also earn $90 Kohl's cash if purchased. I don't think I'll find a better retail deal anywhere else. Think I should pull the trigger on this one?  Edited by Darth Morgan
06/10/2017 11:26 am
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Valued Member
United States
456 Posts |
 Go for it, great deal, not going to beat that. 
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3348 Posts |
Looks like a good deal, and the lenses will be great for your family photos, but don't expect a lot from them for coins.
Contact me for photographic equipment or visit my home page at: http://macrocoins.com |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2813 Posts |
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but don't expect a lot from them for coins. If I can get the same focused images that Wheatback provided examples of then I think I'll be happy with this one. However, is there a particular lens that you would recommend for this camera that would produce stellar images? Just curious because that could be a definite possibility down the road. Wheatback- were those Morgan images produced from the lenses that came with the camera? Thanks.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2744 Posts |
Quote:
Wheatback- were those Morgan images produced from the lenses that came with the camera? Thanks. I use the 18-55mm lens that comes with the camera. Same one that's in the Kohl's bundle you posted above. Only thing I have a bit different is a Vivitar wide angle lens that I just leave on the camera for when I'm not doing coin photography. I do a small amount of post-processing, but that's about it.. No fancy lenses or anything.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3348 Posts |
What is the smallest coin size you will be shooting? I ask because you can get a fairly decent result from the 18-55mm for Dollars. You could also purchase a 2x teleconverter to get a similar result (not quite as sharp) down to Cents. If you want really sharp images you'll need to do a real macro lens, or something like the <$400 setup.
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Valued Member
United States
456 Posts |
Here's a couple of images of a 1909 penny. These were taken with my Canon Rebel T6, just using a janson LED lamp and no fancy editing, just using crop and autocorrect through my Windows photo editing application. Oh and it's shot with the stock 18-55 mm lens that comes with the camera bundle. I wasn't really trying to get the best image here, so I think with some experimenting and good post editing you'll do just fine.   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2813 Posts |
Quote:
What is the smallest coin size you will be shooting? About 99% of the time I shoot silver dollars, but I would like to be able to get good photos all the way down to nickel size. Eventually, I want to shoot all of my Buffalo nickels which currently reside in my Dansco album. I have considered doing a Lincoln cent set as well. Quote:
Here's a couple of images of a 1909 penny. I appreciate you sharing the Lincoln cent, Harry. This gives me a real world example of what this lens can do with smaller coins.
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Replies: 37 / Views: 4,663 |
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Posted 06/07/2017 11:58 pm
