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 Replies: 10 / Views: 2,046 |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
869 Posts |
Hi all, my question is pretty much as it suggests.
I'm wondering if anyone has any good tips on getting the clearest & most defined shots of coins & banknotes. Do you use an automatic setting with macro?
I had a couple tips in the past:
1) Andrew Crellin of Sterling & Currency - Use aperture f29
2) Someone else - Take photos when it's overcast weather
3) Myself over time - Obviously a tripod
CANON EOS 450D in AV (Aperture-priority AE mode) f29 & I let the camera do the rest. Sometimes I set the ISO to 800 or 1600, but generally AUTO.
Anyone had or got other tips for getting the ideal shot? Edited by goatieman23
02/08/2012 04:34 am
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
4411 Posts |
My camera auto detects when the macro is necessary but if your doesn't do that I would turn macro on. The best thing I ever purchased was a tripod. It makes a huge difference. I know trout and nancy have usb microscopes and if you see photos either of them take they are very sharp.
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Pillar of the Community
 Australia
869 Posts |
Sorry, I forgot to mention that I have a macro lens. Without a macro lens I'd struggle to get any decent shot. Also, if you're listing on ebay, how large is too large (pixel size)? |
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Valued Member
United States
112 Posts |
Ok. I have question. I noticed the comment about using a USB microscope. What brand and/or power would you recommend? Am wanting to take pictures of coins too, particularly pennies.
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
515 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
9384 Posts |
I use a very basic camera, a Finepix J40.  I set it on fully automatic and use the macro setting. No tripod, just an old juice bottle cut down to rest it on. Pictures are not perfect, but good enough for me.  Steve  |
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Valued Member
United States
112 Posts |
Thank you purple penny and also Steve. I followed the links. Very interesting reading. I have also been watching youtube videos on building a light box. Auctiva even has a video on how to build one.
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
869 Posts |
Ok, so I figure that diffused light (from the milk bottle) would act like a glarey overcast day. Ok time to head down to the shops. PurplePenny - Would you suggest getting the same that you have? Did you get your Dino-Lite 1.3MP 411T USB Microscope namely because of the 1.3MP? Because they are nearly/if not double the price. Or should I just look at anything/something with white-light (LED) & 1.3MP image resolution & a x200ish magnification? Currently I list on ebay with image pixel sizes of around 1000px wide (depending on whether it's width or height). I like to do this because it show's all the detail & is honest, but after reading your column with the: lustrous copper nickel coins with reflectivity combined with the bagging and wear typically makes the coin appear much worse when imaged that it actually is in hand. If anything I'd suggest that the diffuse lighting has produced a superior image but it is still a poor image. I've found that a variation of the tilted coin imaging technique I wrote about previously is the best way of imaging these lustrous copper nickel coins so I am not entirely surprised both lighting techniques used here performed poorly. Could the tilted coin technique somehow be adapted to the milk bottle to work with the problematic copper nickel coins? |
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Pillar of the Community
1119 Posts |
the lighting here is from a 12v led strip light, wasnt made for pics but seems to work ok. the shadow is from the camera as the lights are over a meter/yard away.  |
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Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
Quote:Also, if you're listing on ebay, how large is too large (pixel size)? 450*450 pixels, 50K should be plenty. |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
869 Posts |
I used a dairy bell (1 litre ice cream) container which fit snug over the flash to diffuse the light.
Worked extremely well.
It's one of those things I guess you continually have to play with till you find the right result.
Different settings for different denominations & for different errors & clarity.
I've been trying & trying for years & years. I'm bound to get there at some point in time.
As for the reason for f29: that focuses on everything in front of the lens rather than a standard macro shot of the centre of the lens. This can be real handy for a lot of coin photography.
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Replies: 10 / Views: 2,046 |
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Posted 02/08/2012 04:29 am
